Nathan Powers

📊 Florida Accounting Market Update 👀 A quick pulse check on what I’m seeing across Florida accounting teams right now: ➡️ AP & AR roles are quietly the hardest to fill High-volume, in-office AP/AR positions are taking longer than expected — especially when teams need someone who can hit the ground running. ➡️ Staff & Senior Accountants aren’t rushing to move Most candidates are employed and selective. The biggest drivers I’m hearing: • burnout from understaffed teams • unclear growth paths • sudden return-to-office changes ➡️ Counteroffers are very real Strong accountants are getting countered more often — particularly in Central and South Florida. ➡️ In-office requirements shrink the pool fast Roles requiring 4–5 days onsite are seeing noticeably fewer qualified applicants, even when compensation is competitive. ➡️ Speed matters more than ever Teams that move quickly (clear process + fast feedback) are consistently landing the best talent. Delays are costing companies good hires. ➡️ More teams are leaning on contract help Interim AP, AR, and Staff Accountants are being used more frequently to cover close cycles, audits, and unexpected turnover. Curious — what are you seeing on your team right now? 👇

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Is Fort Lauderdale becoming the center of gravity for South Florida talent—and are remote jobs going extinct? Two data points say yes. First, migration. According to U-Haul Holding Co.’s 2025 Growth Index, Fort Lauderdale ranked #7 hottest city in the U.S. for in-migration—the ONLY tri-county city to make the list and its first Top-25 appearance since 2019. Florida ranked #2 nationally, jumping from #4 last year, while outbound states continue to be CA, NY, NJ, IL, and MA. Second, how companies plan to work in 2026. A new survey of 1,000 business leaders by Resume Builder shows: • 30% of companies plan to be in-office 5 days/week in 2026 (up from 28%) • 4-day schedules rise to 17% • 3-day hybrid drops to 25% • Fully remote falls below 10% What this means for finance & accounting locally Hiring demand is accelerating In-migration brings PE firms, family offices, real estate platforms, and operating companies—many of which want finance leadership on site more often. Office location now affects talent strategy As companies recommit to physical space, where that office sits matters. We’re seeing more finance teams anchored in Broward County, not just Miami or Palm Beach.

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What’s Actually Attracting Finance & Accounting Talent Right Now in the “Job Hugging” job market I’ve been having a lot of conversations lately with finance & accounting talent across South Florida, and a few things keep coming up. The candidates who are still taking calls aren’t looking just to make a change for a small raise in compensation. They’re looking for the right environment to build their careers. Here’s what’s consistently moving the needle: In 1st place: Stability + Profitability People want to know the business is healthy. The roles getting traction are with companies that are profitable, growing organically and through acquisitions — but not overly leveraged or playing financial gymnastics. It’s one of the questions I get most when I say that a company is private equity backed the first thing they think of is how heavily leverage is the business. In 2nd place: Hybrid Flexibility. A couple of days in the office and flexibility the rest of the week is the sweet spot. The “4–5 days in” mandates are turning off a lot of top performers. In 3rd place: Strong Benefits. Healthcare matters again. With rising costs, a solid benefits package is often the deciding factor between two offers. My advice is make sure that you know what they’re currently paying and how it stacks up to your companies offerings as you need to look at everything holistically not just what increase they’re getting on a base salary. They could actually be taking a loss if the healthcare cost are higher. Last place: Mission & Culture Fit. Candidates are being intentional. They’re asking, “Do I believe in this place?” When the mission, culture, and leadership style line up with their values, they lean in. When it doesn’t, they pass. This market isn’t about dangling the biggest comp number anymore. It’s about building trust and showing candidates a stable, aligned, flexible environment where they can grow. The companies that get this are quietly winning the talent war. #SouthFlorida #HiringTrends #ExecutiveSearch #FinanceJobs #CFO #AccountingTalent #Leadership #RecruitingStrategy

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Sports and entertainment hospitality company Levy Restaurants has agreed a food and beverage-focused deal with the University of Central Florida and a retail-centred partnership with Senators Sports & Entertainment, parent company of NHL franchise Ottawa Senators Hockey Club. Jeff Harrop https://lnkd.in/e4nkk5aq

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OK, Friday hiring debate here - “Does a Controller really need a CPA?” It’s one of the most common debates I see in Accounting & Finance hiring — especially inside PE-backed Portfolio companies. Some of our clients insist on it. Others say it’s outdated. Most candidates have strong opinions either way. Here’s what I’m seeing:  * Pro-CPA: - Demonstrates a rigorous technical foundation - Signals discipline, credibility, and commitment to the craft - Often correlates with stronger audit, compliance, and controls experience - Gives PE firms confidence in environments where accuracy really matters  * Anti-CPA (or ‘CPA nice to have, not required’): - Plenty of top-tier Controllers don’t have the letters — but do have the track record -Operational experience, leadership, and systems skills often outweigh certifications - The best PortCo Controllers are usually business partners, not just technical accountants - Ruling out non-CPAs can shrink your candidate pool more than you realize From my seat — after placing A&F leaders for 20+ years — there’s no universal right answer. It depends on: - The maturity of the finance function - The speed of the value-creation plan - The complexity of reporting - The strength of the existing team And ultimately… what the next 18–24 months look like for the business Sometimes a CPA is non-negotiable. Other times, it’s a nice-to-have, not a dealbreaker. So… Are we overemphasizing credentials? Or underestimating their value? Is CPA a true success predictor — or an outdated hiring filter? Curious to hear your perspective:   If you’re a hiring leader — do you require it? Why or why not?   If you’re a candidate — has CPA (or not having one) helped or hurt your career?

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Legends continues building its executive leadership team with the hiring of Brett Parker as Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer under CEO Dan Levy 💼 Parker, who spent two decades at Lucky Strike Entertainment (formerly Bowlero), helped transform the company into a publicly traded giant with 360 venues across North America. Now, he will oversee financial operations and long-term strategy for Legends and ASM Global. Read more from Bret McCormick: https://ow.ly/tPEF50V9l5B

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I was talking with a controller last week who said something that really stuck with me. “We’ve gotten so good at closing the books fast that we stopped asking if the numbers are actually telling us the right story.” That hit me. So many accounting teams today are built for speed, faster closes, tighter deadlines, cleaner reports. But accuracy and insight aren’t the same thing. The best accounting leaders I’ve seen don’t just close the books. They make sense of them. They see patterns before anyone else does. They help the business make better decisions, not just report on what already happened. If your team is only focused on the close, you’re missing the real value. The close shows what happened. The insight shows what to do next.

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“Our Director of FP&A is amazing. We can’t lose her.” This came recently from a CFO of an increasingly complex, multi-state, multi-location company. This Director was working long hours with little support. Still grinding through month end well into the first half of the following month. On top of working through an endless list of ad-hoc requests. Not because she wasn’t effective, but because too much lived on her shoulders. She was vital to the company. Institutional knowledge. Trusted partner to leadership. A real backbone of the finance function. And she was burning out. This is where I see leaders sometimes misdiagnose the problem. The instinct is often to coach harder, prioritize better, or ask someone to push through a little longer. But this wasn’t a performance issue. It was a capacity issue. Growth, complexity, and expectations had outpaced the structure underneath her. Instead of waiting for the breaking point, we focused on building relief into the team. I placed a seasoned Senior Financial Analyst who could immediately take ownership of core responsibilities, improve throughput, and give the Director space to lead instead of constantly execute. The result is not just fewer hours worked. It’s reduced risk, better decision making, and a much higher likelihood of retaining a critical leader. If your finance leaders are drowning, the answer is rarely asking them to swim harder. It’s giving them the right support, so they don’t have to tread water forever.

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Posting a senior accountant role can get some qualified applicants. Posting for a VP of Accounting or Controller? Not so much. People see the salary, skim the requirements, then hit “Quick Apply.” In the rare cases when I posted high-level roles, I spent way more time crushing people's dreams, explaining why they aren't a fit, than I did talking to people who are qualified for the job. Sometimes those top accounting leaders are looking for a job, and will apply to an ad, sure. Never say never. But there’s so much noise. Unfortunately, it's not an effective way to find leaders for accounting teams. 19 times out of 20, it’s about reaching out to people directly. People who aren't actively looking for a new role. Which takes a ton of time. Time that 99.9% of CFOs just don't have. Which is where I come in. To identify the right person. Who usually wouldn’t see a job posting. And save you the headache of having to sort through hundreds of unqualified candidates who figured they might as well shoot their shot.

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Fanatics has appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer Glenn H. S. to its board of directors, effectively immediately, the company said. ➡️ The longtime finance executive has played a pivotal role in helping the company expand beyond its core merchandise business into multiple verticals from collectibles to sports betting: https://lnkd.in/gfJpyMiD

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Titles are a funny thing. I regularly talk with Controllers or Finance Directors/VPs with the same (or more) responsibilities than some CFOs. The title structure of a company doesn't tell the whole story when it comes to someone's qualifications/capabilities. Don't judge a book by its title :) #recruiting #hiring #utahrecruiter

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I hate the term “fractional.” It doesn’t describe what I do. With the companies I work with, I take over: + Accounting, AP/AR + Payroll & insurance + Financial modeling + Fundraising & banking + Reporting & board management + Systems, operations, cross-co collaboration In other words, I take on everything you’d expect from a full-time CFO. No cap on meetings, no cap on hours. So what do you call that? It's not a fractional CFO. It's a Niche CFO. A firm that knows a niche so well it can leverage that expertise across multiple businesses. I’m done using “fractional.” From now on, it’s Niche CFO

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Month-end close doesn’t care if you’re short a Senior Accountant. Auditors don’t reschedule because you’re hiring. The accounting calendar moves with or without enough staff. That’s why unfilled roles cost more than just salary savings. They hit deadlines, accuracy, and morale. Hiring managers know this, but it rarely gets said out loud. Consider this your reminder: the real cost of an open seat isn’t measured in dollars. It’s measured in hours your team doesn’t have to give.

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