Matt Dobay is half a decade in
Matt Dobay started at Lane Gorman Trubitt as a manager in our tax department and was promoted to partner in under five years. He talks positively about his interview experience.
“Before coming to Dallas, I lived in Ohio my entire life. I flew out on a Wednesday for two days of interviews with four different companies. When I got back home Sunday, I learned I had received offers from all the firms I interviewed with. LGT, namely Brad [Gross], was the only firm to call me directly after I got back home to chat. At that point, I felt like this was the right company for me as he went out of his way to call versus email and the overall family feel felt right.”
That close relationship feeling that Matt experienced in his interview has carried over to his interactions with clients. Working with the construction and manufacturing/distribution industries, Matt has created a sense of family with his clients that has allowed him to help identify their needs and collaborate on solutions to help their companies succeed.
Saying goodbye and taking on more business
The best part about working is that you get to retire and enjoy your success. Like any good business Lane Gorman Trubitt has a succession plan in place for when a partner leaves the firm. You can read our article about succession planning here. Sometimes though the world has other plans. When our partner James Youngblood started to plan his exit from LGT he had no idea that a year before his retirement the plan would have to change. The accountants James had been working with to take over his book of business, through life events, were no longer available. With a full book of business back on his plate and retirement a year away, James turned to Matt trusting that Dobay would be able to quickly build relationships with the clients that James had spent his career fostering. James had both for-profit and not-for- profit clients.
“I was able to step in and take over the bulk of his for-profit work load to the point that James was able to continue to transition his not-for-profit clients to the industry specialists at our firm.”
Matt quickly built trust and respect with these new-to-him clients, ensuring their continued success, and James was able to transition into retirement knowing relationships he’d shepherded for years were in capable hands.
A path to partner
Matt Dobay’s hard work and relationship-focused client engagements cleared the way for him being promoted to partner. Looking back Matt says this is one of the important milestones in his life.
“Making partner is important to me since it comes down to a vote of the other partners. By having the validation/acceptance of my peers, I know I’ve made an impact both on the business side but also on the internal side through training, mentoring, supervising, etc. I’m not sure it’s changed the way I do business. Rather, it has allowed me to use my path to partner as a guide for others. I’ve also kept the mentality of being a good, fair leader so people want to follow me versus thinking they have to follow me.
That initial interview with a family feel had brought him here and Matt looks to replicate that feeling within his department.
Looking toward the future
When it comes to goal setting Matt has big plans for himself and LGT. He knows that LGT is just like his clients and by growing internally first the firm can then expand out to new business opportunities. Through training and mentorship Matt looks to help junior staff find their path to success using him as a guide.
Matt believes in a blend of work and life. Having success at work is great but it can be stressful without success in your non-work life. Matt is committed to that family feel everywhere in his life.
“I try to make it a point not to work on Sundays during busy season as my family needs my time as much as I need their time to help relax. I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I’ve missed my children’s youth because I was overly focused on work.”