In Cray Kaiser’s Employee Spotlight series, we highlight a member of the CK team. We couldn’t be prouder of the team we’ve grown and we’re excited for you to get to know them. This month we’re shining our spotlight on Matt Richardson.

Getting to Know Matt

Matt is one of CK’s In-Charge Accountants, with much of his day revolving around the many steps of tax preparation with both business and personal taxes. For businesses, Matt is often involved in reviewing clients’ accounting records and closing books in addition to executing the return itself. He also will occasionally jump in to assist with the review and audit teams to help with tax-related issues. Matt is currently a generalist but over time plans to grow into a more specialized role.

Prior to joining CK, Matt’s career looked a bit different. He studied trombone and music history at Cleveland’s Oberlin Conservatory and went on to complete a PhD in music history at Northwestern. After teaching for a few years at Northwestern and at Wisconsin, he decided to change career paths and use his social and critical thinking skills in accounting.

Why CK?

Matt joined the CK team in November of 2022 and was immediately drawn to the firm’s focus on people. When asked what about CK made him excited to work at the firm, he said, “Whether it’s co-workers or clients, I’ve always personally believed it’s important to remember that it all comes down to how you treat people, so the values at CK really resonated with me.” He enjoys the environment at CK and feels it’s one conducive to growth and learning.

When asked which of CK’s core values mean the most to him and why, Matt answered, “I think people and integrity resonate with me the most. To me, integrity means we take pride in the accuracy and quality of our work as trusted advisors to our clients. And ultimately, it all comes down to People. Nothing else we do can happen without strong relationships with the people we work with.”

More About Matt

• How do you like to spend your weekends/time off? Bonus question: What do you want to do most when tax season is over?

I love trying new restaurants whenever I have a chance. Some of my favorites are Italian and Japanese. After tax season (besides catching up on sleep), I’m looking forward to a vacation. This year I’m hoping to make it out to L.A. for a weekend to catch an Angels game and a Dodgers game.

• What was your favorite vacation? Or, what is the #1 place on your vacation list?

My favorite place I’ve been to is Tokyo. There are so many fantastic restaurants and cafés, and I always manage to meet so many people and discover interesting new things when I’m there. The #1 place I’d like to visit is Vienna. I love opera and symphonic music so I’d love to hear the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera.

• What is your favorite movie or TV show?

I think my favorite movie has to be The Empire Strikes Back. I loved watching the Star Wars movies with my dad growing up, and I never get tired of re-watching them.

• What is on your music playlist?

I’ve been working my way through some funk and soul – a lot of things like James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Billy Ocean, and Lionel Richie. And I’m always cycling in some classic 80’s Japanese pop, like Akina Nakamori, Seiko Matsuda, and Yu Hayami.