This week's CPA of Ohio is Brandon Hickey, CPA, manager, strategic federal tax services at Grant Thornton.

When did you first know you wanted to be a CPA?

“I always really liked numbers and excelled in math through elementary school and high school. My junior year I took my first accounting class and absolutely loved it. I loved learning how to use the numbers in a non-math way and more of a business way. I loved that aspect of it that I was combining my love of math and putting that to a purpose.”

What do you do in your free time?

“Before the pandemic, my wife and I were big travelers. We like to take a couple different trips a year. We found this company that does surprise trips, it’s called Pack Up and Go. We’ve done a couple of those where we fill out a survey, answer questions about where we’ve been before, what we like to do, and they book the travel for us and we don’t find out until we get to the airport.”

Is there any life advice someone’s given you that really resonated?

“Something I’ve heard over the past couple of weeks is ‘you can do anything but you can’t do everything.’ I’m a person who likes to take on a bunch of tasks but when I heard that quote I thought it says I can do anything that I’m up for but I can’t literally do everything that’s asked of me. That goes forth with work and in life.”