The Dugan & Lopatka, CPAs, PC
Dugan & Lopatka was founded in 1974 by Mike Dugan. Mike was with Arthur Andersen, the premier accounting firm at the time, in their small business practice when he discovered that privately-held business owners wanted more than a number cruncher. They wanted an outside advisor to help them understand the accounting numbers and to help them make important decisions. Mike had an "entrepreurial seizure," as he refers to it and decided to start up his own firm. He saw that there was a need in the market for more planning. Small and mid-sized privately-held business owners needed the financial expertise of high powered Chief Financial Officer but couldn't afford to hire one of their own. Mike saw that a good accounting firm could fill that void. He wanted to create a firm that not only did the compliance work but also acted as an outside Controller/CFO and helped business owners look into the future and plan for it.
Since our founding, our unique Controllership Department has served as outside Controllers or CFOs to our clients with the goal of providing proactive advice not reactive. We don't just produce the financial reports and tell our clients how they did last period, we are forward looking and help them understand what those numbers mean to the business going forward. Our byline, adopted shortly after our firm started, is The Difference Is Planning. It reflects our focus on the future and on planning opportunities for our clients.
Like many of our clients who are entrepreneurs, Mike Dugan started the firm out of his house. Mike formed a relationship with Doug Hoffmeyer and the firm moved to Glen Ellyn and became Dugan & Hoffmeyer. After an unsuccessful career as a country music singer, Jerry Lopatka joined the firm in 1978. When Doug Hoffmeyer left the firm in 1986 to become the CFO for a large corporation, the firm then became Dugan & Lopatka. Today, Dugan & Lopatka is one of Chicago's largest accounting and consulting firm with roughly 52 people.
One major distinction of Dugan & Lopatka when compared to other accounting firms is our culture. We place our Statement of Values in our firm services brochure to stress how important our values and culture are to us and how they impact our relationships with our clients. For many of our clients, building a strong relationship is the most important item we can deliver. We are a service business. What we sell is trust and security. The more we build our relationships, the better we understand our clients' needs, wants and fears. The better we understand our clients, the better we can serve them. Offering most of the same services of our larger, more expensive competitors, Dugan & Lopatka is a smart alternative for business owners looking for more personal attention and depth of services to meet their changing needs.
A few years ago a number of consolidators started buying accounting firms and consolidating them together. These consolidators include American Express, HR & Block, and Century. While consolidation is common in mature industries like the accounting profession, the sum of the parts is not always better than the individual parts when it comes to clients. These consolidators are having a hard time blending diverse company cultures and retaining their highest quality people. The consolidated businesses are also under increased pressure by the Wall Street decision makers to increase profitability. Dugan & Lopatka believes there are inherent conflicts of interest that result when credit and investment companies own an accounting firm. We are and will remain independent.
Partners in Technology, Inc.
As Certified Public Accountants and Consultants, we have an intimate knowledge of today's most popular accounting software packages. That knowledge coupled with our understanding of business objectives make us a powerful source for your client's next accounting software purchase.
Who would better serve a company/organization. A CPA firm full of accountants, consultants and technology professionals dedicated to the long-term relationship with the company or a software reseller who makes their money by selling and installing software with no real commitment to the business after the software is installed.
Our ethical standards and our position as a "trusted business advisor" demands that we provide your clients with the service quality they expect and deserve.
That is why Dugan & Lopatka owns a technology company, Partners In Technology.