Partner

Bryan Graiff, CPA/ABV/CGMA, CVA, CFE, CM&AA

Consulting

I focus on developing leaders who can develop leaders.

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Bio

Meet Bryan

Bryan has more than 25 years of diverse financial and operational C-level experience in public and private companies. His expertise spans various industries such as multi channel healthcare retail, consumer products, chemical manufacturing, professional manpower services, aerospace, public accounting and financial services. He has been involved in reorganizations, acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings throughout his entire career and provides diverse value-added service to every client.

Prior to joining Armanino, Bryan was the Partner in Charge of Brown Smith Wallace’s Transaction Advisory and Litigation Support Services practice. He has also held several leadership roles at public corporations and privately held companies. Some of his accomplishments include reengineering the finance department as Chief Operating Officer in charge of commercial sales for Life Uniform, where he successfully acquired 10 different businesses for the company and was promoted to CEO in 2013.

Bryan facilitated LMI Aerospace’s Initial Public Offering in 1998 as the Corporate Controller and conducted four strategic acquisitions. He was promoted to serve two years as a Director of Lean Operations before leaving to be the Corporate Controller for a $700M joint venture chemical manufacturing company owned by Solutia, Inc., FMC, Inc. and Monsanto. He also served as the first CFO for Whelan Security, one of the fastest growing and largest private security companies. He was in charge of developing the infrastructure and financial strategic planning to support their growth initiatives and break through the $100M plateau.

Contact Bryan Graiff

Experience

Professional History

Community

  • St. Patrick Center - Treasurer, Finance Committee Chairman, Executive Committee Member
  • Enterprise Bank & Trust- Advisory Board
  • Telle Tire - Advisory Boar

Education

  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

Experience

  • Brown Smith Wallace LLP
  • Life Uniform
  • Whelan Security
  • ICL Performance Products
  • LMI Aerospace
  • Arthur Andersen

Q&A

Q. What is it about accounting and consulting that first drew your interest?
I initially wanted to go to law school, but I started taking finance and accounting classes and started working for Arthur Andersen, and I quickly realized that I enjoyed helping my clients with business challenges and adding value.
Q. Please tell us one fun fact about yourself.
I played competitive golf in college and still try to play socially and somewhat competitively. Not being able to play at that same level of competition takes some of the joy out of playing an individual sport like golf — ironically, I don’t necessarily love golfing if I’m not playing well enough to enjoy it. I have no plans to retire and play golf every day for the rest of my life.
Q. Describe your work style.
I focus on developing leaders who can develop leaders, using the full spectrum of leadership styles and trying to set up an environment to allow them to succeed with limited oversight and micromanaging. I strive to be a servant leader supporting the leadership on my team by removing obstacles, not by solving all their problems.
Q. Who is (or was) the most influential person in your life
My dad. He was a moral compass for me and provided me with a lot of fatherly and business advice throughout my career. He instilled “tough love” in me, pushing me to always work hard and never settle for just being good enough.
Q. If you could pass on a nugget of wisdom to aspiring accountants or consultants, what would that be?
You get out of your career what you put into it. Be open to change and learning new things. Never make a career change without discussing it with your boss, and always vet it with mentors to make sure it is aligned with your long-term career goals.
Q. What do you love most about your work?
Being a part of an entrepreneurial and innovative culture that allows me to help my clients achieve their goals and grow our firm.
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Bryan's Thought Leadership
Regulatory and Industry News Alerts from Armanino
Article
Here’s a summary of the significant changes under the proposed rules.

February 22, 2022