Over a decade, Armanino helped HS&R evolve from basic tax support to a fully outsourced accounting model — freeing this lean, high-performing agency to focus on driving results for food and CPG clients.
HS&R is a sales and marketing agency focused on consumer-packaged goods, working with major food brands to boost sales and make sure everything runs smoothly across retail channels.
HS&R’s growth was outpacing its QuickBooks system, and its lean internal finance team was overwhelmed. They didn’t have the time or resources to fully manage a financial transformation alone.
After guiding HS&R through a Sage Intacct rollout, Armanino stepped in as their outsourced accounting team ― taking on monthly close, payables, reporting and more.
HS&R has better visibility into performance, stronger financial processes and the peace of mind that comes from having a responsive outsourced accounting team behind them.
For more than 10 years, HS&R relied on Armanino for tax services. The two companies shared a natural chemistry — built on responsiveness, reliability and an appreciation for detail. But around 2021, CEO Chris Spangler found himself facing a new set of needs. The business was growing. Financial reporting was becoming more complex, with an internal team juggling two versions of QuickBooks. And while this finance approach had once worked well enough, it was now holding the company back.
“We saw a need to get better reporting and better information,” Spangler recalled. “And when we were able to ask questions of our advisors at Armanino, they connected us to the Armanino Sage Intacct team. They stepped in to lead the transition to a more scalable, cloud-based accounting platform.”
This was the first in a series of steps that would lead to Armanino becoming the fully outsourced accounting team for HS&R.
The move to Sage Intacct wasn’t just a software switch. It was a way to finally centralize accounting at HS&R and prepare the business for smarter reporting and insight-driven decisions. With Armanino’s guidance, HS&R moved away from Excel and manual tracking to embrace the full potential of Sage Intacct.
Balancing HS&R’s bandwidth constraints, the Armanino team worked patiently to set up a foundational financial structure for HS&R within Sage Intacct — customizing reports, mapping dimensions and laying the groundwork for more capabilities like budgeting and forecasting.
“They really helped us through that,” Spangler said. “Not only the Sage implementation, but even now as our business continues to grow and expand.”
As Sage Intacct came online, a new reality emerged. The system was powerful — but HS&R didn’t have the internal capacity to manage it day-to-day. With no in-house CFO and only lean admin support, the team needed help managing the monthly close, processing payables and keeping financials clean and timely.
Armanino offered a next-level opportunity: outsourcing.
“It was a great solution for us,” Spangler said. “We essentially use Armanino for a lot of reasons — tax, Sage, and for lack of a better term — a controller. There’s no way we could build this level of expertise internally. Armanino makes it possible.”
The relationship between HS&R and Armanino’s outsourced accounting team runs like clockwork, even though the two teams work in separate locations. Every two weeks, the Armanino team meets with Spangler to walk through the latest financials, flag variances and large expenses and handle open items.
Armanino manages the close, reconciliations and vendor payments — jumping in on ad hoc support needs and offering innovative solutions to improve processes.
For Spangler, Armanino’s proactive approach stands out. “Anything we need — invoicing, coding in Sage Intacct or reviewing monthly financials — they're incredibly responsive and always willing to help.”
The result? He and his team can spend less time worrying about spreadsheets — and more time on clients.
“We sell food for a living,” Spangler said. “The Armanino finance team do an amazing job with tax and finance. Let the experts do what they do.”
Early on, Armanino had to untangle inconsistencies from HS&R’s old accounting setup. By bringing new discipline to the close process, Armanino eliminated question marks like, “What’s in this account?’”
Today, the books at HS&R are GAAP-ready, auditable and accurate.
Armanino has also helped HS&R tighten up the balance sheet and improve the quality of financials. That precision has translated into better visibility across the business, especially when it comes to understanding performance by customer, region or sales team.
“Our business leaders now have better access to information to be able to make better decisions that drive our business in the right way,” Spangler said.
It’s not just a technical upgrade. It’s a shift in how leaders think and plan.
What makes this relationship work? Both sides say it’s the trust — and the fit.
“The Armanino outsourcing team are experts in their field with high integrity,” Spangler said. “And they’ve helped us access the information we need to make smart, timely decisions.”
The Armanino team is continuing to help HS&R optimize and grow, finalizing budget integrations and supporting Spangler as he prepares to bring on a COO. But for now, the high-touch, proactive support Armanino brings continues to fill the gap — just like HS&R fills that role for its own clients in the food and grocery world.
For HS&R, Armanino isn’t just a service provider — they’re a co-pilot in progress. From helping shift off QuickBooks, to navigating Sage Intacct to owning the day-to-day accounting, Armanino has consistently stepped in when needed, with the right solutions at the right time.
“One team, for sure,” Spangler said.
The result is more than just clean books or faster closes. It’s the clarity to plan, the confidence to grow and the freedom to focus on what matters most.
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