David Stonesifer is the chief executive officer for Herbein + Company Inc., a leading public accounting firm founded more than 50 years ago.
Under Stonesifer’s leadership, the firm has become an industry leader renowned for its exceptional client service, deep industry experience and diverse business advisory services, the company said. The firm’s culture is consistently recognized as one of the best, earning awards such as Best Places to Work in PA and ClearlyRated’s Best in Accounting.
Stonesifer got his start with Herbein + Company in 1995 as an intern in the tax department. His work earned him a full-time role with the company, and he continued to work his way up. In 2008, he became the first former intern to be named to the Herbein partnership. Throughout his career at the firm, Stonesifer has held various leadership roles, including head of college recruitment, interim chief operating officer and executive committee member.
As the successor to founder Carl Herbein, Stonesifer continues Herbein’s commitment to growth and innovation. With Stonesifer at the helm, the firm established its first international location in the Philippines and created new subsidiaries, like the Herbein Financial Group, to expand its services.
Stonesifer has been named to the Lehigh Valley Business Power 100 list three years in a row and has guided the firm to multiple appearances on the Best Places to Work in PA list. His stewardship of the firm during the pandemic and the creation of new jobs in turbulent times are testaments to his unwavering commitment to the firm’s success, the company said.
“A hallmark of my tenure at Herbein has been opportunity,” Stonesifer said. “I have been fortunate to work alongside several exceptional leaders and, in particular, our firm’s founder Carl Herbein, who was incredibly generous in opening doors and facilitating professional growth. That said, clients have presented me with two significant alternate career options (as chief financial officer), and after considering both, I elected to stay with Herbein because I knew instinctively that the future was full of possibilities at our firm. Choosing to remain where I was, when offered a definite pathway, was a ‘risk’ that ended up delivering many rewards.”
Stonesifer said the hallmarks of a good leader are vision and decisiveness.
“Successful leaders set the vision, and then focus organizational attention on that vision, by identifying what truly matters to their teams and clients/customers and building momentum around their organization’s challenges to make the vision a reality,” he said. “Successful leaders are decisive and strive to ensure the entire organization is engaged in and accountable in the growth process. They place a premium on evaluating opportunities, experimenting, and searching for innovative ideas and fostering agile organizations comprised of resilient people.
“They think big and try to fail small, understanding that shaping tomorrow is based on constantly asking why things are done this way and listening to voices that offer fresh approaches.”
