Thank you, Siegfried: Alumni Reflections

It didn’t take long for Lisa Bowers to realize that numbers, not architecture, was her “thing.” “Numbers came very naturally to me, even at an early age,” said Lisa. “I really enjoyed my accounting classes in college, so a degree in accounting seemed like a natural fit.”

After graduating from Montana State University in Bozeman, Lisa went on to a position at Deloitte in Oregon and a few years later, moved to Denver. Before she joined Siegfried in 2004, she held two other roles, one as an Accounting Manager and one as a Manager of Internal Audit. “I changed roles about every two to three years before I found Siegfried. I realized that I liked the variety and the challenges that come with working in new environments, and Siegfried offered, and continues to offer, that, which felt right for me.”

Currently, Lisa serves as the CFO of Western Energy Support & Technology, the parent company for a group of entities that provide expertise in calibration, consulting, communication, and manufacturing. “Working at Siegfried prepares you to deal with the unknown and gives you confidence that you have the skills, abilities, and intangibles you need to tackle something you’ve never done before,” she said. “My time at Siegfried gave me a lot of the knowledge I need for my role now — relationship-building, interacting with clients, and asking the right questions.” Notably, Lisa was able to work directly with clients and financial executives at all levels, which really helped her learn and appreciate the challenges other companies and people face.

Lisa, who was both a Professional Resource and a member of the Firm’s National Market Leadership Team, describes her four years at Siegfried as inspiring and fun. “My friends and I still tell stories all the time about working at the Firm and how great it was. I really felt like I was part of a close-knit family there.” But one of the most important insights she had? That having an inspiring CEO is a game-changer.

“Rob knows how to empower and inspire everybody in the company. If all CEOs could harness that and make every person feel personally responsible for the growth of the company and being of service to people, employees would feel so empowered. It’s something so special and unique to Siegfried,” she said. “I have yet to see it anywhere else. It’s an accounting firm…how do you make it inspiring? But Rob does that.”

A fan of the timeless TV show Friends, Lisa is currently reading Brené Brown’s book, “The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings on Authenticity, Connection, & Courage.”