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Photo by Tracie Morris Schaefer
From left: Johnathan Knofie, Debbie Brockley, David Hymel, Amy Walters, Tommy Freel and Katherine Green of LaPorte Sehrt Romig Hand gather in a section of New Orleans City Park the firm helps maintain.
T H R E E - T I M E H O N O R E E
LaPorte Sehrt
Romig Hand
When Kayla Lambert started working at
LaPorte Sehrt Romig Hand in January,
she faced the challenge of starting a new job in
a new city while dealing with the anxiety of a
sick grandmother in the hospital.
“You don’t want to be the person who is
not at work all the time, especially when you
are new,” said Lambert, a senior consultant
in litigation. “But I never felt stressed out
about it. The firm let me work remotely while
I took the time to take care of things in the
family. Knowing that the company stood
behind me was really nice. This kind of thing
was never allowed at other places I have
worked.”
Greg Romig, audit director and a senior
manager in the firm, said that commitment to
balance between work and family is one of the
key foundations of the 63-year-old public
accounting firm.
“We are not just a corporation,” Romig said.
“We approach our employees with an individualistic
view. We appreciate the role that everyone
has while they are at work.”
Romig said LaPorte goes all out to make sure
employees keep up with the firm’s progress
and setbacks, so expectations are spelled out
clearly on a regular basis.
“When we hold our regular staff meetings,
lots of information is brought forward so that
everyone in the company knows what is going
on,” Romig said. “We have expectations, but
we allow for discussion.”
The commitment to making sure everyone
is deeply involved even extends to employees
who are not officially on the payroll. As an
intern working through graduate school at the
University of New Orleans, Jack Wiles said
LaPorte never hesitated to challenge his skills.
“I didn’t want a menial internship where all I
did all day was print up copies and answer
phones,” Wiles said. “During a previous internship
at a larger company, I felt like I was just a
number among thousands. There was always a
more professional relationship here. When the
time came for them to offer me a full-time position,
it was a no-brainer.”
Romig said one of the firm’s more unique
aspects is that performance is weighed and
measured through a 360-degree review that
Nature of business: public accounting firm
Where based: Metairie
Employees: 135
Average starting salary: $34,000 for administrative,
$46,500 for accountants
Median salary: $38,000 for administrative, $80,000 for
accountants
Average employment time: six years
Benefits: health care with 75 percent coverage, dental, vision
and prescription plans, 401(k) with 3 percent match, continuing
education, telecommuting, flexible hours, job sharing, employee
recognition program, fitness program, subsidized meals
Wait time for benefits: none
Paid days off: 34 to 58
Web site: www.laporte.com
involves all employee levels.
“Ten different people evaluate one person’s
performance,” Romig said. “We include everyone
from upper management to the lower-level
employees to people on the same level.”
Some of the company’s popular perks
include family nights at Zephyr Field and curbside
dry cleaning services, in addition to a
crawfish boil and Christmas party that involves
the entire office. The firm is also active in the
Young Leadership Council and initiatives to
beautify City Park.
“Coming from someone who did not know
too many people upon arrival here, the outsidethe-office
activities have been an excellent
opportunity for me to get to know parts of the
city better,” Lambert said. “I’ve gotten the
chance to meet more new people outside of the
work environment.”•
— Robin Shannon
December 14, 2009 27