EVANSVILLE, INDIANA (September, 2012, Written by Max Roll, published in the Evansville Business Journal.
Soon after graduating cum laude with an accounting degree from the University of Southern Indiana in 1995, Matthew Folz landed a position with Harding, Shymanski & Co. as a staff accountant. Three years later, he was a licensed certified public accountant before a promotion to manager in 2001 and to vice president in 2007.
Folz, a lifelong Evansville resident and Mater Dei High School alumnus, knew several people who had worked at Harding, Shymanski & Co. they had nothing but great things to say about the firm, so he decided to make his mark there. Being in a position of influence the past five years has been Folz’s key motivator to his success.
“It’s gratifying to be in a position where decisions I make influence the future, long-term success of both our clients’ business as well as our own business,” he said. “It also is great being in a position where I can hopefully help those that work around me become more successful in their career paths, seeing new members of our firm come on board, grow, learn and advance in their careers.”
A typical day for Folz, who runs the firm’s outsourcing department, involves juggling multiple projects related to all things accounting and business, serving not only the multitude of clients but the department of 20 people working under him. Every day brings a new challenge, he said, from full-service on-site accounting, payroll processing and compliance to employee benefits consulting.
“Matt is a dedicated team member of the firm and throughout his career has shown his ability to take on new responsibilities,” said Trudy Stock, president and CEO of Harding, Shymanski & Co. “I believe he is a great role model for aspiring accountants.”
Growing up in a family of six where everyone was expected to pull his weight, Folz became a hard worker at an early age.
Folz said he didn’t feel he had anything to prove as an up-and-comer in the accounting world, but his competitive nature played a factor in climbing the corporate ladder.
“I just wanted to work hard and learn from those ahead of me what it takes to be successful and then make my own way in my own style,” he said. “It’s important to observe those around you but to not try to copy one person’s path. I have taken individual traits from many leaders in front of me, both at work and personally, and tried to take that information and incorporate it into a way of life that works best for me and my family.”
Outside of work, Folz is the finance director of Mater Dei’s board of trustees, executive committee member of the Mater Dei Friends and Alumni Association, chairman of the Evansville Catholic High Schools Coordinating Council, finance committee member of Sisters of St. Benedict, past member of the Evansville Diocese Deposit and Loan Fund Committee, and past member and treasurer of the Evansville Parks Foundation.
Folz’s mother often teases him and his wife, Kristen, for wasting their time building a house, saying they’re never home to enjoy it.
In some ways, Folz feels his mother has a point, but at this stage in the game, he knows his schedule is going to be hectic. Folz and his family try hard to set aside blocks of time dedicated to what he calls “intentional stay-at-home nights.”
“Sometimes having the ability to say ‘no’ is very important,” he said. “I try not to overextend myself in any of these areas so that the things I do commit to doing, I do well versus overcommitting and then not delivering as I should.”
