Durward Jones Barkwell values work-life balance

By the time she joined Durward Jones Barkwell & Company LLP (DJB) in 2020, Alexis MacCallum knew what it took to excel in her chosen field. She’d not only obtained her bachelor’s degree and graduate diploma in accounting from Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., she’d also competed at the international level as an Irish dancer.

MacCallum’s accomplishments came with sacrifice, dedication and hard work, but she also understood the importance of balance in her life, and so did DJB.

With offices in the Ontario cities of Hamilton, Burlington, St. Catharines and Welland, DJB provides accounting, taxation and business advisory services to entrepreneurs, business owners, and organizations in areas such as agribusiness, construction, general contracting and manufacturing, not only locally but nationally and internationally as well, through membership with RSM Canada Alliance.

“DJB emphasizes work-life balance,” says MacCallum, who moved from a larger firm in Toronto to become a senior staff accountant in DJB’s Hamilton office. “That’s hard to find in our industry,” where many firms expect their junior staff to work disproportionately long hours.

“Balance is one of our firm’s core values,” says managing partner Mark Brohman, who works from DJB’s St. Catharines office. “We recognize that we can meet our professional commitments without sacrificing our personal needs.”

Along with a healthy work atmosphere, DJB cultivates a sense of family. “Most of our staff live in the area,” says Brohman.

Brohman himself joined DJB in 1985, immediately after he obtained his bachelor of commerce degree from McMaster University in Hamilton. “I graduated on a Saturday, started on Monday,” he says.

Except for a brief period in industry, he has never left the firm. “It’s been a central part of my life,” he says. “I’ve been mentored by some fantastic people, who’ve always been in my corner to help me along.”

That culture of mentorship underlies the career of everyone who joins DJB.

“From Day 1, everybody has a coach who helps you to set goals and ensures that you acquire the competencies to meet them,” says Brohman.

MacCallum herself is a coach for several co-op students at the firm. As she advances to the next stage of her own career, her coach will support her as she acquires experience in managing client relationships, a prerequisite for the role of manager.

“You become the client’s main point of contact,” she says. “You have to own the relationship, but it’s nice to have somebody at your back who’s been through it.”

In addition to coaching and mentorship, DJB provides learning & development opportunities at each stage of an individual’s career, assisting with program fees, if necessary, and providing the resources that individuals need to prepare for their chartered professional accountant (CPA) exam.

“We see it as our responsibility to get them through the exam,” says Brohman.

In 2021, at least, the firm’s efforts paid off. Historically, fewer than two-thirds of the people who write the CPA exam succeed in passing. But all of the nine DJB employees who wrote the exam passed.

“Hopefully they stay with us,” says Brohman, a prospect that doesn’t seem unlikely. “After all, a lot of our 24 partners started as co-op students.”

For Brohman, his time at DJB has far exceeded his expectations. “I’ve had a fabulous career,” he says. “As a 23 year-old McMaster grad, I certainly didn’t see myself ending up as managing partner.

“I even met my wife here.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers winners, published April 5, 2022 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.