IN THE NEWS

Welcoming New Interns

RW Group is looking forward to welcoming our West Chester University interns this busy season.

Our firm has a long history of hiring interns from West Chester University. Some of which go on to join us full time!

Meet the Firms Night

The team at RW Group is looking forward to meeting West Chester University students at Meet the Firms Night.

Did you know that RW Group has a long history of hiring interns and graduates after they graduate from West Chester University? If you think you're a good fit for RW Group, stop by our table!

Meet the Firms Night
September 7, 2023 @ West Chester University

Where is Rich off to this week?

This week Rich is off to sunny Puerto Rico. There he’ll be working with the Puerto Rico Society of CPAs. Rich will be part of the team that is working on the Oversight Peer Review Program on behalf of the AICPA Oversight Task Force in Puerto Rico.

Brian Ramirez

RW Group is pleased to announce the promotion of our own Brian Ramirez from Staff Accountant to Senior Accountant.

Brian began working for RW Group in January of 2021 as an intern while attending the University of Delaware. Later when Brian reached out to Rich for a letter of recommendation, Rich answered of course, but also asked, “how about you come work for RW Group full time?”

Consequently, upon graduation from the University of Delaware with a degree in Accounting, Brian accepted our offer to join RW Group as a new Staff Accountant. Over the last two years, we have watched as Brian has grown into a knowledgeable vital member of our team. This is why we are happy to announce his promotion to Senior Accountant.

Please congratulate Brian when you see him next!

Get To Know The Intern
— Meet Julia

Interning as a college student has become very popular and a wise move for today's college students. RW Group recently sat down with one of our interns for this 2023 busy season to discuss her experience. Here are her thoughts about internships.

Julia decided to do an internship because she wanted to get on-the-job experience in accounting. She has loved studying accounting the past few years at West Chester University and wanted to begin applying what she has learned so far.

She stated that she wasn't quite sure what to expect from an internship. Many of her peers told her “you will just be making copies and crabbing coffee”' but her experience at RW Group has far exceeded those expectations. She has been able to not only work directly in the auditing process but, has even had the opportunity to travel with the team to clients for on sight audits.

Julia has already learned how to complete several steps in the audit process such as filling in trial balances, selecting accounts for review and so much more. She says she has been able to see all the material she studied in school be used in real-world scenarios and gain further understanding on how to complete an audit.

When Julia was asked if she would encourage other students to do an internship and why, she responded, absolutely. She would encourage other students to pursue an internship before graduation to really get an inside look at what their future career will look like. She feels an internship reveals areas you would like to pursue, as well as those you would prefer to avoid. Gaining experience outside the classroom is essential to ensuring you like what you're working towards and are prepared for your future career.

Volunteering with the Girl Scouts

“Girl Scouts has helped many young women learn to be strong and independent, including my own daughters. That is why I enjoy volunteering with this organization. Sometimes I'm helping new troops to form and other times inviting them into the RW Group's office (pre-pandemic!), to help them learn about budgeting. Always time well spent.”

~Rosalee Wortmann

Get To Know The Team
— Meet Brian

What do you see as your role at RW Group?
My role at RW Group is to help the team in any way possible to provide our clients with the best service.

What kind of work do you enjoy most at RW Group?
My favorite form of work at RW Group is completing audits.

Why did you choose public accounting as a career?
I chose a career in public accounting because I believe it to be both challenging and rewarding.

What are your hobbies? What do you like to do when not at work?
My favorite ways to spend time when I'm not at work include spending time with family and friends as well as outdoor activities such as camping and kayaking. I also like to relax by watching all types of sports.

Adopt A Family

This year preparing for Adopt A Family was different from years past, just like everything else has been in 2020. Instead of staff happily shopping together at a local store, everything was ordered on line this year. Instead of staff getting together to gift wrap and enjoy lunch together, every present was wrapped by Rosalee in her office. Even our annual picture with Adopt A Family organizer the wonderful Luz Garzon was different – standing far apart with masks on.

But what remains the same is RW Group's commitment to helping our neighbors in need. #ittakesavillage

Get To Know The Team
— Meet Rich

What do you see as your role at RW Group?
I see my role as one of developing staff to maximize their career potential. And of course, providing reliable and high quality services to clients.

What kind of work do you enjoy most at RW Group?
I really enjoy strategic planning, client development, audit work and quality control.

Why did you choose public accounting as a career?
I found myself drawn to the clearness of the debits and credits. I thought of everything as black or white back then only to discover later in my career that there is an awful lot of grey!

What are your hobbies? What do you like to do when not at work?
I enjoy riding my motorcycle, woodwork, Legos and watching television.

Kennett Rotaract raised funds for Mommy Sue's Children

RW Group's own Ryan Karli, a member of Kennett Rotaract, was on hand when Kennett Rotaract presented $3,800 to Mommy Sue's Children. The group raised funds throughout the year including a Paint and Wine night at Harvest Ridge Winery, to help an international organization along with local vocational scholarships to a Kennett High School Student.

Family Promise of Southern Chester County

Everyone appreciates a nice thank you note. Here is one from Family Promise of Southern Chester County to our Office Manager, Rosalee Wortmann.

A core tenent at RW Group, is service to our community. Recently, Rosalee has become involved with Family Promise of Southern Chester County. Family Promise's overall mission is to help people work their way out of homelessness as well as to educate the public about this issue. There are many chapters around the country. Please reach out to your local chapter to see how you can help.

Welcome to the RW Group team

Please help us welcome the newest member of the RW Group team. Sarah, is a recent graduate from West Chester University where she majored in accounting and minored in both finance and white collar crime.

Sarah interned with us during the summer of 2018. We were so impressed with both her work and her work ethic, that we made her an offer of full time employment upon graduation.

Welcome to the team Sarah!

Time for another round of, Where's Rich?

July has already been a busy travel month for Rich and it's not ending anytime soon!

The July 4th weekend found Rich, Rose and their grown children at Disney World. One of the family's favorite vacation destinations.

Rich was back in the office for a couple of days and then it was off to Chicago to attend the "On the Road" conference with IR Global. These conferences help Rich to bring back the latest changes and ideas affecting the accounting field both domestic and international. This strengthens our firm's ability to best support our clients.

The third week in July finds Rich traveling to Newfoundland, Canada for a client.

Then finally back in the office, for a couple of weeks, spending time in just one time zone!

What led you to working at RW Group?
By Shanice Lee-Graham

I developed my love for math and numbers while still in elementary school. Math was definitely my favorite subject. However, my desire for accounting didn't begin until I started high school. I attended a high school that focused on the fields of business and finance. This school offered three concentrations students could choose from, these were accounting, marketing and finance. I have multiple family members working in the accounting field and I took an interest in what they did so consequently, I gravitated towards accounting. Once I graduated high school, I entered college with a desire to study accounting.

My college experience as an accounting major was definitely like a rollercoaster ride. There were times I felt as though accounting was just not for me. Failed tests, late night studying, trying to understand certain policies and procedures were difficult. Needless to say, my passion for and hard work in accounting eventually conquered my adversities. In retrospect, the one thing I would change about my college experience, would be, being more involved in extracurricular activities in my field. I believe this would have helped me to become better at tax, auditing and bookkeeping sooner.

I found it challenging to find internships and jobs within accounting firms with just experience in retail. It was clear to me that accounting firms were searching for undergrad and grad students with at least some experience in the accounting field. Today's accounting jobs are still more about who you know and less about what you know. This was made even more challenging for me as a woman. Once I understood my challenges better, they inspired me to work harder and learn more about my field outside of school. I learned to sell myself to these firms and prove I was a good fit for their job openings. Thanks to my hard work, dedication and faith, I was able to land an internship and upon graduation, a job.

Helping Those In Need

Thanksgiving is a time for all of us to reflect upon what we have to be thankful for as well as to share with those less fortunate. At RW Group, we are happy to work with our good friend Luz Melendez in helping those in need here in our community.

Samantha Holland

Interning with RW Group has been an incredible learning experience. I have learned how to prepare 1099's, individual and corporate tax returns, and several procedures involved in the audit process. The environment is welcoming and easy-going. Like any job, it is important to always give your best effort and stay on task. As a junior who has only taken three college accounting courses so far, I found the assignments challenging and confusing at times, but Richard and my coworkers were always there to lend a helping hand and point me in the right direction.

Interning at a small firm has given me a much greater amount of responsibility compared to that at a larger firm. I find this extremely beneficial because it helped me recognize my strengths and weaknesses in several different areas of accounting. When I return to school next semester, I will be able to focus on the specific topics that I know I struggle with, and hopefully begin to improve upon them. Although the hours are long at times, tax season is only a few months and it is really rewarding to go home after a long day of preparing returns and know that what you've accomplished is important.

I wanted to do an internship to understand what is used on a daily basis in the accounting field. In class it is difficult to focus on and understand every topic covered, so taking my experience as an intern and narrowing in on what I think are the more important topics during class will be easier now. What I wanted most out of doing an internship was confirmation that accounting was the route I wanted to take. I needed to prove to myself that I chose a major that I enjoy and am passionate about. I consider enjoying your career one of the most important aspects of life, and after this internship I am finally reassured that I have chosen the right path.

RW Group has helped me take what I've learned in my classes and apply it to everyday tax and auditing procedures. I cannot wait to take what I've learned at this internship and utilize it in my classes for the remainder of my college career. RW Group is a small firm with big goals, and I would recommend this internship for any accounting student.

2018 Empty Bowls

Hundreds of community members from throughout Kennett Square came together to raise awareness and money for those who suffer from food insecurity at the 2018 Empty Bowls event. RW Group was proud to participate along with our friends and neighbors in making a difference in our community.

IR Global Deal Makers Conference 2018

Managing Member, Rich Wortmann is in Lisbon, Portugal participating in IR Global's Deal Makers conference. Rich has well over a dozen meetings planned over the two day event with accountants and attorneys from all over the world. This is sure to be an exciting whirlwind event. #IRLisbon18.

Fastest-Growing Firms 2017

RW Group was recently named a Fastest-Growing Firm by Inside Public Accounting.