Jones & Roth’s Legacy of Independence: 80 Years Rooted in Oregon
1946 was an important year in the history of our world. In January 1946, the United Nations was founded in London. In June 1946, the National Basketball Association was formed in New York. In December 1946, the timeless holiday movie It’s a Wonderful Life was released. 1946 even brought us the invention of both the microwave oven and Tupperware! And meanwhile, in Springfield, Oregon, two young accountants named Bill Haggerty & Archie Rupp relocated from Eastern Oregon to start a new accounting firm. 80 years later, through many generations of partners, team members, and amazing clients, the legacy of that firm proudly lives on as Jones & Roth (read this link to learn more about our incredible history).
As we celebrate 80 years of having a positive impact on our team members, our clients, and our communities, the partners of Jones & Roth have affirmed our commitment to continue as an independent Oregon-based CPA firm. Our industry is in the midst of a key moment, with the advent of massive private equity investments and a resulting flurry of merger & acquisition activity that has led to many Oregon-based firms now existing as a small cog in a national mega-firm. We believe, without hesitation, that remaining fiercely independent as a people-first firm is what’s best for all our stakeholders:
Independence is best for our Jones & Roth team members — our most important resource. Our leadership is proud every day to work side by side with 100+ truly awesome people. No matter how many clients we have, we must have the right team members to get any work done — and we do! Those team members deserve to work for a firm where every individual contribution matters. We celebrate when our staff become licensed CPAs and our independence ensures that our team will always be able to display that credential with pride!
Independence is best for our clients. While we continue to invest in technology, we do so with the goal of assisting and amplifying the skills of our team members — individuals who primarily live and work in the same community as you. As a client, regardless of what service area you work in with us, you are working with real people who are focused on making a positive impact for you.
Independence is best for our communities. Our partners are all grateful Oregonians; all graduated from Oregon universities and raising families in Oregon communities. Remaining independent and free of outside investment allows us to focus our energy and our values on having a positive impact right here in our Pacific Northwest home!
Independence is best for our profession. In the midst of a highly-discussed shortage in accounting professionals, did you know that many of the largest universities in Oregon have doubled their accounting students in the last 4-5 years? There are so many talented future CPAs right here, but they need a place to launch their career, and being independent allows us to guide the decision to invest in our internship program. There’s a reason that 9 of our firm’s 17 partners & directors started with Jones & Roth as interns — our firm is both a great place to start, and a great place to stay.
2026 is a year of celebration for us — 80 years of focusing on people and how we have a positive impact, and 80 years of proud and fierce independence. We’ll be doing more later this year to celebrate our history and our bright independent future, but our legacy will continue to be best summarized with a quote from Mike Lewis, one of our great retired partners: “We care about people. We really do. Everything we do is focused on better serving them.” 80 proud years and many more to come!
