The Everyday Apostle
The Everyday Apostle
The Everyday Apostle - EP018 - Tony Argiz
Welcome to the Everyday Apostle, where ordinary lives meet extraordinary faith. Join our host, kendall Peterson, as we explore how everyday men and women bring the gospel to life wherever they live, work and play. Let's dive into it right now.
Kendall Peterson:Hello and welcome to episode 18 of the Everyday Apostle. My name is Kendall Peterson. I'm the host. Thank you once again for joining us in an episode where we get to bring inspiring people who are simply trying to live with christ at the center of their life in their day-to-day uh goings, whether it's school or work, um, or wherever they are just living faith in their daily lives. Hope you guys are enjoying the show. I do appreciate the comments and the feedback and especially the prayers that you guys offer for the show, and I know that in releasing episodes, you guys are very, very good at letting me know that I have not been consistent in my schedule. I am working on that, so thank you. What that tells me is you guys are actually looking forward to the show, so that's great feedback for me.
Kendall Peterson:Today's episode of the Everyday Apostle is brought to you by the strategic consulting firm Elemental Strategies. Did you know that success is not random? It follows a formula. Every successful organization does seven things. Well, now, elemental Strategies calls these the essential elements. Elements, and, from strategy and growth to leadership and culture, elemental Strategies helps both for-profit and non-profit organizations achieve lasting success by mastering these core principles. If you're ready to align your business with purpose and lead with impact. Visit ElementalStratcom. That is ElementalStratcom, and they will get you going. Now let's dive into today's show. Today, on the Everyday Apostle, I'm very excited to welcome a very special guest, a pillar of our business community and somebody who's a quite common face in church, Tony Argiz. Welcome to the show.
Tony Argiz:Happy to be here and thank you, kendall.
Kendall Peterson:Oh man, I was thrilled when you said yes when I asked. So let's dive into your bio real quick. So Tony is someone whose professional and community accomplishments are so extensive that his bio is literally three pages long. So rather than reading his entire resume or his bio, let's just say he qualifies as quite accomplished.
Kendall Peterson:Tony Arguez is a board member and South Florida Managing Principal at BDO, the sixth largest accounting and professional service firm in the United States, and a well-known leader in both business and nonprofit communities here in South Florida. A well-known leader in both business and nonprofit communities here in South Florida. He previously led the largest Florida-based professional services firm to national recognition as one of the top 40 accounting firms in the country, with a career spanning over 40 years. Although he probably just cringed when I said that, tony has worked across a broad range of industries, giving him a unique perspective on financial well-being and business strategy. His expertise runs very deep Audits, business planning, economic damages, fraud examinations, valuations, royalty disputes and litigation consulting.
Kendall Peterson:I think it's safe to say, tony, that if it touches or smells like money, you have some involvement in it. In fact, he is a nationally recognized leader in litigation consulting services. But beyond those impressive credentials, tony is someone who has dedicated his time and his talents to building up not just businesses, but people and communities as well. I'm honored to have him on the Everyday Apostle today with me to share his journey, his faith and his perspective on leadership and service and making an impact on where it matters most. Tony Arguez, it's a pleasure to have you on the show.
Tony Argiz:Thank you, Kendall.
Kendall Peterson:Wow, so much in there and, like I said, that was about two paragraphs of three pages and I was I was overwhelmed. I know you. Just I know your name and I know the work that you do here in the community. Literally every nonprofit I intersect with you're, you've been there or you are there. Community is obviously very important to you, but where did you, where'd you grow up?
Tony Argiz:Community is obviously very important to you. But where did you grow up? I was born in Havana, cuba, and in 1952, october 18th, the same birthday as Archbishop Wensky and the former Cardinal of Havana, jaime Ortega, so maybe holy people were born on the day of St Luke. My mom gave me that middle name too. So I was born and the minute I was walking, and probably two, three years old, my mom would walk me one block to the nearest church where we would attend every Sunday in Havana, and that continued even after the revolution. I lived in Cuba till March of 62. So on the way to church back in 61 and part of and most of 62, we were really harassed, told not that there was no God and not to go to church that you know that the government didn't believe in that and that just strengthened my faith and I was my legal guardian. I came on the Peter Pan Exodus and my legal guardian was the Catholic Church. Mm-hmm.
Kendall Peterson:You know, I'm a gringo here in Miami, right, and wasn't fully aware of all of that. My wife and I led a book club gathering where we went through a book called the Red Umbrella and it just so beautifully articulated that whole struggle. And everybody coming over and a number of people that I know and, as you well know, a number of major players in our community, were part of that exodus out of Cuba. And thank goodness there was a resource, a trusted resource, that no, I mean the church was there.
Tony Argiz:I lived in a boarding school in Tampa for five years till I was reunited with my parents, and it was a Catholic boarding school that was run by the Salicians of Don Bosco. January 31st is the Feast of St Bosco. Great guy. He worked with youth and the poor and we had about 180 students at the school. Probably a fourth were Peter Pan without their parents. So, uh, we were all very close and, um, it was a great environment. Um, you know, I had, uh, tremendous helps from the solutions. You know I had tremendous helps from the solutions. They were, you know, real leaders, amazing discipline that I learned there for five years Study halls, wake up and go to mass early in the morning, first thing you did after you woke up. Then we had shores, then we went to breakfast, went to class, played after school, study hall, dinner and another study hall and went to bed. But you know, they were really important years.
Tony Argiz:I was nine. I didn't reunite with my parents till I was 14. So I remember going to a shrink once and he told me there were two priests at the school that were instrumental in my upbringing and one was kind of a sort of a dictator but he was great and always in business, I think. Well, what would Father Molina say? He would say don't quit. And he was a driver. And then we had Father Alvin Manny. That was the president of the school and he was more of the politician went around Tampa Florida to raise the money to support the school, because the money that was coming in for tuition wasn't adequate and he had to go out to the community. And Father Manny was extremely close to me.
Tony Argiz:I remember when I first got there I was so homesick and I was able to see my brother at least the first week that I was at this boarding school. But I was nine, I didn't speak English. It's my parents. I didn't know whether I'd be reunited. The revolution, the whole thing was really messy and then it became messier with the Cuban Missile Crisis. But you know, thank God and the Blessed Virgin Mary and everyone else that's been part of my life and mentor me, I'm here.
Kendall Peterson:So you know, Tony, what's interesting is you have a set of people that would go through those exact same circumstances and turn away from the church, right, because the harshness of you know the regimen or whatever it is. You have some people that just turn away and some people that dig in. It sounds like you just continue to dig into your faith and that it's always been important. So, with that kind of formation and foundation that you've had and you move on through reunification with your parents and then through school. It's college time and that's a big time that people stray. So were there ever those moments where you just kind of turned away or you know, never.
Tony Argiz:I you know from the early days of my life to my mom with, I mean, my mom did a great job in forming my religious education and what I became obviously going through the first five years in exile were horrible and it made me look to the social justice of the church and helping other people out and it's the main reason that I get involved with the community to give back the same way that I was provided.
Kendall Peterson:So why accounting what?
Tony Argiz:sparked that for you? Well, it wasn't, thank God. I was good in math. After the revolution and when they closed down all the Catholic schools in Havana, I was with the Marist Brothers. I still remember my first communion. Back then you had to wait three hours before going to communion. So I still remember that morning we woke up it was like five or six and we had to be at the school about 7 30, and the mass started at eight with the Archbishop of Havana. They gave us First Communion. So you know, after the school got closed down in May of 61, all the 180 private schools were closed in the island of Cuba.
Tony Argiz:My mom said you're not going to get indoctrinated and you're not going to go to public school. So every morning she would lead me out the house and make sure that the people within the block that were watching everyone else are doing the spying. Uh, saw me heading towards the public school. But then we would make a quick turn and go to a tutor and she drilled in me math and math, and math, and math and more math. So when I got to the States I was able to pass third grade in 33 days, thanks to my math skills, because I didn't really understand the English language, or even I wasn't able to speak it either, and so math was always my stronghold during my academic years and I didn't want to be an accountant.
Tony Argiz:I wanted to be a major league baseball player and I pitched all the way through the college level. But as you progress in athletics and competition and all the probabilities, it's like a pyramid. So you're going up the pyramid and the numbers get smaller, and I was glad and happy to have played in college, but I really couldn't do. After that, and because of my math skills, I looked around and said, hey, maybe accounting, and I made the right decision. It's been a great profession. I would recommend it to young people. We're trying to make some changes in the law. I went to Tallahassee last week to make sure that maybe the fifth year was removed and people were allowed to take the exam in Florida after four years of college not take the additional 30 hours and then just make it up by a two-year work experience to try to bring more people in the profession, because our numbers are dwindling.
Kendall Peterson:So, coming out of college, how did you get started in accounting?
Tony Argiz:Started in 1974, right after I graduated and I went to actual someone, a firm that was my competitor for years at MBAF. We outgrew them, but they were still a great competitor and I started there in the managing partner. It may rest in peace. But he called me after 14 months and said you know, you're a great guy, tony, but you'll never make it in public accounting. And what happened? It was really an awakening and I probably would have done the same thing had the roles been reversed.
Tony Argiz:But he was right, I wasn't focused. I wasn't really looking at the. I was looking at a profession and not a business, and it's a combination of the two. So I quickly learned from that and got focused and I then worked at Womeco Enterprises, which Colonel Wilson had founded and sold in the late 80s One of the premier public companies in Miami back in the 70s and the 80s. Then I found a job at a place where I worked for 40 years and eventually ran 25 of those 40 years at the end and it was a great opportunity. That's another thing about giving back. I had Jewish partners and I learned quite a bit from them on how to give to others and how to really be part of the community and you know I always call Juan Elma my Jewish father because he was really instrumental in mentoring me and helping me out on a day-to-day basis where I learned the trade and I was able to grow the firm after that.
Kendall Peterson:So business is tough right and it requires a lot and it demands a lot of you. Where were, what are, some examples of where your faith played a pivotal role in business?
Tony Argiz:I think, honesty being fair to everyone, especially your employees and we were doing great, but, like about 2012, I always said you know what?
Tony Argiz:We won a lot of awards and like managerial and profitability and we've grown the firm to a top 35 firm in the US, but maybe it's time to take care more of the employees. So we changed our whole outlook and said you know, we want to be a best place to work, not only on the local, but on a national level, and the national levels are really difficult to do, especially if you were over 250 employees over 250 employees. But it took us two or three years and we looked at the surveys and we made sure that if people weren't happy with a certain thing, we would adjust it and every year we would score better until we finally made the list and that was probably one of the greatest things ever in my business years to be recognized by the employees as the best place to work. Only one accounting firm on a national basis over 250 employees makes that list and we were on it, I think, at least four out of the last five years before we sold and merged the firm with BDL.
Kendall Peterson:Right. So now you get kind of folded into an even larger organization, right, right Again. Business is tough, but where did you find times that you needed to rely on your faith? Where did you find times that you needed to rely on your faith, especially in that where you were losing probably at least the perception of control, maybe some questionable decisions, and you know all of the typical things that go with mergers and acquisitions and that kind of stuff? Did you find really having to hold on to your faith super important, or did it stay pretty much the same for you?
Tony Argiz:No, I mean I always, every decision I made, I wanted to be fair, ethical and really follow my faith, because that's I believe in, that, in my faith and my whole upbringing in the church and the faith that gosh I remember, you know, in boarding school almost kneeled down, uh, in front of the blessed mother and prayed to try to get my parents out of queue. Somehow she finally listened. But one of the things I've been on the board at Carrollton for so many years, since my daughter started there in 83, I joined the board in 88 and they go by like five goals and every board meeting that we have, we have those five goals in front of us and it's something that I tried to bring to the business and I said, you know, as long as I can read those five goals and I know I'm following that I think we're doing the right thing and it worked.
Kendall Peterson:Nice. So you mentioned Carrollton and a couple of other things. I know your work to strengthen the community and and to really give back and all of that, Um, you know, I know you through United Way and Carrollton and a bunch of others, but, um, that's, that's a really important thing to you, isn't it?
Tony Argiz:Oh, it is. I mean those five years. I mean the church paid for my studies, my room and board. They took me out and bought clothes for me twice on an annual basis. And you know I had started a great life in Havana. My dad had a great business I lived in, you know, much higher than a middle class, but all of a sudden I lost everything. I mean I had to start off again and the church was there. And those five years really showed me how important it is to give and that's why United Way takes care of the entire community. The ABCD drive at the Archdiocese of Miami takes care of many, many poor in the community.
Tony Argiz:And these organizations I mean that I got involved with because I knew I could help the community and I could also make an impact, not only financially but work related. I mean what do they call it? The three W's work, wisdom and worth. And you know to try to bring everything. And you know one of the places, rscj, religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that were the founders of Carrollton. There was a former provincial and moved into town and said you know what the barnyard, coconut Grove, care in the West Grove needs your help. And I've been involved for over 20 years because I mean there are kids that do not have the opportunity that other children do in the Gables or South Miami or even Kendall, and they have tremendous promise but they need a break and a lift in life. And it's an amazing organization that takes care of these children after school, tutors them, tries to really teach them the right path through education to be able to better their lives in the future.
Kendall Peterson:That's amazing, really really great work, and I know you know the tons of organizations you've helped I'm sure are tremendously grateful for that assistance that you give, your guidance, your leadership, your money right, all of the package that comes, but especially the heart, I would imagine, is really important because you know what that need is, you know what that's like. So we're, believe it or not, we're running out of time already.
Tony Argiz:Oh, wow.
Kendall Peterson:I know it goes very quickly.
Tony Argiz:I know.
Kendall Peterson:But I do want to ask you so I know you're an incredible mentor to the young folks that are coming into accounting into the firm. There's no doubt in my mind they learn a lot from you. Let me kind of take that back to that faith perspective again. Somebody that's kind of struggling with their career and all of the effort that it takes that you put in in your early years. What advice would you have for those folks to how do you balance a career, a family, the demands of life, as well as maintaining a perspective on your faith and on God?
Tony Argiz:I mean I first have to thank my wife. She puts up with it. You know we started out when we got married. She worked as a teacher for 10 years but then she became a full time mother and that was extremely helpful in the upbringing of my three kids and obviously now with the grandchildren.
Tony Argiz:But you know, like everything in life, I think of Father Molina and you know he would always say don't give up, don't give up. And you know it's hard, but you know you got to do it. You got to lead your family, you got to lead your children. You got to show them the right way to life and what they're going to be able to do in the future and help them in any way you can. And you do that through hard work. You know, focus on your career, focus on your family, you know nothing else in life. I mean, if you there's enough hours in the day to do that and still get eight hours of sleep.
Tony Argiz:So it's a matter of just balancing your life. But anybody can do it, it just takes. It just takes focus and hard work and wanting to do it and, like Father Molina used to say, don't quit. And Father Molina was a really amazing guy. I mean, he was a Baptist, converted into Catholicism, became a priest after working for the CIA and Army Intelligence At the age of 46, he would tell me hey, I didn't even, I wouldn't change tires on my car, I would just get a brand new car. And all of a sudden he becomes a Salish priest. And the guy taught me so much about life that it was just incredible.
Kendall Peterson:That's amazing. Great, great advice Just don't give up, right.
Tony Argiz:Don't give up.
Kendall Peterson:Well, we are at the end of our time, unfortunately. I really, really enjoyed the conversation. I wish it could go on for hours, tony, and I'm sure that the you know there's some great things that you shared and I appreciate you being raw and vulnerable while you were here and just kind of sharing your life story with us, so I'm greatly, greatly appreciative of that. I'd love to thank our producer for the show, elemental Strategies. As the sponsor. It does take a lot to produce the show. If you feel called or you feel compelled to support in any way, you can do that by visiting our website, everydayapostlecom. There's a way that you can give, there's a way that you can message, even if you just want to say, hey, great work, or I'd love to see this person on the show. All of those messages get read and between now and our next episode, I just want to encourage you guys to keep the faith, encourage you guys to stay in prayer and please pray for both Tony and I and we will see you next week.
Announcer:Thanks for tuning in to the Everyday Apostle. Don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube, on your favorite podcast outlet, and at our website at.
