One of my very first major business advisory clients called me the other day.
They went international, so they’d moved on to a bigger financial advisory firm, but he’d just sold his company for $44 million, and called me to thank me for being there from the beginning and helping them get set up. I remember having planning days with him when it was just him and his two partners, and it made my day. We’ve helped business owners with some big sales, even one around the $120 million mark, so despite not doing this one, seeing them have success and having him take the time to make a phone call and say thank you… it’s pretty special.
~ Stan Stawowski, CPA, CA – Partner
Our History
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- Our History
In 1983, in the midst of an economic downturn in Alberta, Stan Stawowski embraced his entrepreneurial spirit and decided to create something of his own.
Stan was born and raised in Calgary, seeing both the financial highs and lows, and has always believed in Alberta as a province full of potential. After spending years with Smith, Matthews and Partners, Stan decided to enter business for himself, focused solely on business owners and corporate clients. It was a risk, and it wasn’t easy, but starting a business never is.
After over 15 years of handling compliance for his clients, Stan began to look towards the future, not just for himself but for other business owners. Clients wanted help looking forward and needed someone who could help them make decisions today, knowing the impact on tomorrow. They needed more than financial compliance, they needed business advisory and financial leadership, and that’s when Stan developed a new business model. From that point on in early 2000, Stan focused on developing a baseline for business owners, starting with a planning day, understanding their goals both personally and professionally, and building a strategy to get them to where they wanted to be. It meant turning down big clients who just wanted year-end financials and convincing business owners to make the commitment. Still, Stan bet on himself and his growing team. If business owners didn’t see the value, there was no contract to tie them in, they could walk away, no questions asked. Business advisory grew from nothing to only work Stawowski McGill does today, based on proving the value to business owners through a unique model tailored to their wholistic needs and getting to know their business in ways most other advisors don’t.
Not long after, Stan welcomed Brian McGill to the company. Brian was an experienced CFO, having worked within a highly successful and growth orientated private family business with operations all over the world, and brought that level of insight and forward-thinking to the clients of what would become Stawowski McGill.
Between the two of them over the past 20 years, they’ve helped business owners through the good times and bad, through everything from the initial planning days to the eventual sale of the business. Some clients have been with Stawowski McGill from the beginning. It’s never just been about business, finances, or specific problems, but instead about forming relationships and understanding both the personal and professional side of a business owner’s goals, aspirations, and even fears, and creating a strategy to help them succeed on all levels.
Stawowski McGill has been providing business advisory services for 20 years for business owners in Alberta
We believe that helping Alberta business owners reach their personal and professional goals and find success strengthens our local economy and enables more business owners to give back to the community we’re part of. Our business advisory model has been continuously refined over the past 20 years, but it has always been based on the fundamentals, meaning no matter which industry your business is in and where you are in your journey as a business owner, we can help.
Josh RonaldCPA, CMA – Partner
Brian McGillCPA, CA – Partner
Stan StawowskiCPA, CA – Partner
Karen KnowltonCPA, CA – Partner
David Tadman CPA, CA – Partner