A Thanksgiving Message
Thanksgiving is next week, and since Marcum will be closed on Friday for the four-day weekend and I won’t be writing a column, I am using this week to reflect on the meaning and significance of the celebration.
Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday. We know that it originated as a harvest feast among the Pilgrims, but there are conflicting details about the holiday’s history, and some of them aren’t pretty. What there is no argument about, however, is that the spirit of the original Thanksgiving celebration in 1621 endures today as an occasion to be generous and inclusive, to bring family together, to reconnect, to share a meal (usually at a groaning table), and to watch some football. At least that’s how it goes in my house.
The Weiners will brave the 2 hour trip each way on the world’s longest parking lot, yes the Long Island Expressway, and celebrate Thanksgiving with family out on the Island, approximately 45 of us all together as the holiday should be.
Breaking bread with the people who are important in your life is incredibly important and meaningful. It is one of the most authentic and human ways I know of to connect with someone. It is a mutual and somewhat intimate experience that engages you with another person (or persons) at eye level. That’s one of the key reasons Marcum always puts such a high premium on our annual Partner Retreat, which occurred earlier this week.
This year’s retreat took place Sunday through Wednesday. As always, it was a chance for people who may only talk on the phone or email each other during the year to spend some time together — live and in person. There’s simply no substitute. All 160 Marcum partners from around the country, plus the staff heads from each division of our Firm, got together for 3 1/2 days in South Florida to focus on our business. Trust me; it is no easy feat to pull this off every year. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of logistics, but it is worth it because it gives us an opportunity to reconnect and work together face-to-face — to exchange stories, compare notes and hammer out where we see our firm going in the next year and beyond. We have a full agenda of updates and training, sprinkled with some less formal activities, and we all go home recharged and reconnected. It is a reminder that every business endeavor is also a human endeavor, and that without the people who make our Firm what it is, there would be no Marcum.
That starts with our clients. We deeply appreciate the faith and trust that our clients place in Marcum, and on behalf of my partners and myself, I want to thank you very sincerely for your confidence in us. Of course, my partners are the bedrock of our business. Their talent and passion is what enables Marcum to be the valued advisor that our clients depend on, and I want to thank each and every one of them for their commitment to our clients’ and our Firm’s success. And finally, our staff. There are none better, and on behalf of all of the partners, I thank you all for everything you do to distinguish Marcum as a leader in our industry.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. May you enjoy the company of your loved ones and the bounty of your table.
