Scott Kadrlik, Volunteer Excellence Award
Rachel Kats | October 2021 Footnote
Editor's note: Updated September 30, 2021
Scott Kadrlik has a knack for distilling down technical terms and making complicated concepts not only easier to understand but also fun.
It’s a skill that has made him a centerpiece of the MNCPA spokesperson program since 2015 and has earned him the Volunteer Excellence Award, which honors those who have volunteered with the organization for five years and provided leadership or significant contributions.
“I really appreciate being nominated, and it’s humbling because I don’t think that I’m doing anything special,” Kadrlik said. “I think what we’re doing helps our profession, and everybody in our profession should be doing something to help.”
Kadrlik understands the value media relations brings to the CPA brand and goes to great lengths to build relationships with reporters and producers. As a result, many media requests now go directly to him rather than through the MNCPA because he is seen as a reliable, affable and trusted CPA spokesperson.
“At the end of the day, we need to get ourselves in front of people so that they know what we do, and they understand that it’s a very integral part of what goes on in the community,” he said.
Professionally, Kadrlik has more than four decades of experience in public accounting, serving as a managing partner with the CPA firm Meuwissen, Flygare, Kadrlik & Associates, P.A.
Kadrlik said it’s gratifying as an adviser and spokesperson to help taxpayers see the bigger picture and take control of their financial futures.
“The most rewarding part of this job is when our clients come to us in their retirement years and say, ‘You know, everything I have today is because you had me set up a retirement account,” he said. “That’s been the fun part of this gig.”
Outside the office, Kadrlik has been a standup comedian for more than 15 years. It’s those skills, the interplay between his work life and personal life, that he believes is the key to shining a light on the profession.
“I think clients love the fact that I have an interest outside of public accounting,” he said. “I don’t think enough public accountants share that information with their clients.”
