David Graff is the owner of Graff, Ltd, a CPA firm located in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Born in South Dakota, Graff also spent parts of his childhood in Alaska and the quaint Minnesota town of McGregor, which is situated two hours north of the Twin Cities.
“My dad was a bit of a nomad,” says Graff.
“He would become disinterested in a place or a job, and we would up and move and go somewhere else.”
After high school, Graff enrolled at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
While in school, Graff worked at a mine above the Arctic Circle, but his mind quickly proved to be more powerful than his body.
As a freshman, Graff hadn’t yet given much thought to his future career, but he did want to be proactive and declare a major right away.
That, coupled with the fact that he enjoyed an accounting class in high school led him to choosing a major devoid of artistic interpretation, but heavy on numerical computations.
“Math came easy to me, and they told me I could always change my major later on, so that’s how I got into accounting,” Graff recalls, but he never did second-guess his academic or professional path.
”Over time, everything clicked and it became easier and easier.”
Post-college, Graff was offered a bigger opportunity by the same company he was doing mining work for, which is how he ended up being a superintendent in Seattle for the next eight months.
At the same time, the superintendent role began to exhibit signs of professional complacency, and so, leaning into his accounting background, Graff pivoted and moved back to Minnesota to start a CPA firm with one of his college buddies.
“His dad had a tax practice, and we just hit the ground running,” Graff explains.
“We learned what we could from his dad, did the work he couldn’t get to, and got our certifications.”
Nearly three decades later, Graff, Ltd. is still in operation, helping clients with a variety of services, including:
Monthly accounting services, sales tax compliance, income tax compliance, strategic planning, and lifelong financial planning.
“And if you’re going through an audit with a state or government agency, we can represent you. In that sense, we help people in all areas of accounting and tax,” Graff says.
With over 3,000 clients currently entrusting them with their tax needs, Graff, Ltd. is capable of servicing practically every industry of business.
“By design, we are not super niched,” Graff mentions.
“I’ve been in this business a long time, and I’ve seen how other industries go up and down, and how the economy impacts all businesses. Working off that, it never seemed like a good idea to only service specific companies or industries because at our core what we do is help people, and I have always wanted to be able to help as many people as I can.”
From startups to companies grossing $15-20 million in revenue, Graff and his staff can navigate all types of tax terrain, their top-notch expertise a humble sanctuary for business owners wanting to become or remain compliant with government entities like the IRS.
“Ultimately, I’m about giving the customer a great service and experience,” Graff says.
This type of intentionality, where the relationship takes precedence over the bottom line, is just one of several elements that makes Graff, Ltd. unique.
“Working with us is going to be different, in that we are very responsive and proactive in our approach,” says Graff, adjusting his posture as we convene in the conference room of his Minnetonka office before noting how unlike other companies, his clients have direct access to him.
“Our clients get to talk to me or another one of our partners on a regular basis, whereas at bigger firms the client might never get to speak with a partner.”
Respect.
Integrity.
Solutions.
Excellence.
Collaboration.
These five traits are foundational pillars of Graff, Ltd., and values that every day Graff and his team seek to embody in their work and interactions with clients.
“Of those five, collaboration is big because with that our focus is on providing education, while also communicating effectively with our clients so that they’re not just giving us work to do, but simultaneously they also understand exactly what it is we’re doing and how we’re trying to assist with their business,” Graff explains.
“This business [Graff, Ltd.] has grown because we have prioritized building and sustaining relationships, as opposed to handling things in a transactional manner.”
Along with partners Justin Soles and Louis Lachner, Graff, Ltd. is a must-hire for any business looking to optimize the way they satisfy Uncle Sam, but Graff emphasizes that hiring a competent firm requires a business owner to pay more than bottom-dollar for a quality service.
“The thing with CPA firms is that you can find someone who will do what you want, and for the price that you want,” Graff states, so whether you hire a semi-retired CPA to do your taxes for $100, or you elect to partner with a national firm who charges $1,000, it’s crucial to sign on with a company who has a proven body of work.
That’s why developing relationships has been so key for Graff, Ltd., and it’s also why they are hyper-focused on delivering an exceptional customer service experience.
“We are not the lowest price on the market, and we are also not the highest price, but we ultimately help our clients save time, energy, and money,” he says.
Adds Graff, a taxation savant:
“Every year we are investing in new technology, and that becomes expensive, so while I can’t compete on price alone, I’ve positioned our company to retain top talent and leverage the best systems and technology to truly provide an outstanding service.”
Due to his straightforward approach, often Graff does little to convince potential clients to hire his firm, with Graff, Ltd.’s 27-year history a persuasive enough testimonial to even the most reluctant customers.
“A company who wants us to be their guiding resource is a good fit,” Graff deadpans.
“We perform best when we have autonomy that is also complemented by a collaborative approach, and that allows my team to do what we do while simultaneously accounting for the distinctive characteristics that every one of our clients’ businesses have.”
When asked what the future holds for his firm, Graff strokes his chin, his gray whiskers evidence of a reputation and service that has constantly been refined over the years to accommodate his clients.
Yet perhaps now, with great systems in place, Graff’s ambitions supersede any personal fulfillment that may still be awaiting him.
Instead, Graff looks inward, albeit in a more selfless manner.
“I want my employees to experience a high quality of life,” he reveals with the utmost sincerity.
“We are building our internal infrastructure to facilitate that, and we aren’t going to be a company that compromises the well-being of our dedicated employees by running them into the ground. Our growth is going to be steady as opposed to overnight, and that will enable us to not sacrifice the long-term outlooks of our employees simply to generate additional revenue.”
Adds Graff, punctuating our conversation with a sentiment other businesses would be wise to emulate:
“Simply put: our approach is less on growing the business and more on ensuring that our people, the ones who make all this possible, are taken care of.” QS
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