Jeffrey J. Russell

Partner, Armanino Advisory LLC

I work with laughter!

Contact Me

Bio

Meet Jeffrey J.*

Jeff holds a JD degree and leads Armanino’s industry excellence team for High Tech and Life Sciences Manufacturing. Over the past 10 years, he has implemented Microsoft Dynamics AX and CRM for more than 20 engagements in semiconductor, electronic device, medical device, pharmaceutical and outsourced technology manufacturing environments. His professional experience ranges from manufacturing engineering and supply chain management to intellectual property, contracts law and negotiation – bringing a unique array of expertise.

Jeff’s hands-on experience with Armanino’s High Tech and Life Sciences Manufacturing clients brings valuable perspective to industry best practices for issues and business processes. He has spoken at numerous industry conferences, including the Dynamics User Group Summit, IMPACT Manufacturing Conference, SCOPE and the 10X MedDevice Conference. 

*Jeffrey holds his interest in the firm through JJR Operations, PLLC

Contact Jeffrey J. Russell

Experience

Professional History

Associations

  • State Bar of Texas
  • Global Semiconductor Alliance
  • APICS
  • Dynamics User Group

Community

  • Armanino Foundation

  • Volunteer with Austin Pets Alive (Animal Shelter)

Education

  • University of Texas at Austin
  • Tsinghua University

Experience

  • Motorola Freescale
  • 1 Source Solutions
  • SigmaTel

Q&A

Q. What is it about accounting and consulting that first drew your interest?
I was still in college and working for SigmaTel. When I started there, there were 40 employees. Within a couple of years, we had 300 people. I saw the company go through an IPO and SOX compliance almost overnight. We were growing beyond our expertise and needed outside talent – the classic candidate for an ERP system. We evaluated technologies and hired a firm to do the ERP implementation. By way of that, I realized it was something that I had a hankering for. It gave me energy. I wanted to help other companies go through that process and realize the vision of leveraging technology to meet their business needs now and in the future.
Q. Without naming names, tell us about your favorite client and why you enjoyed working with them.
There’s one distinct client that comes to mind. They were planning to go live on their new ERP after a multi-month project. The night before going live we were working after hours to do a test of the production system. Lo and behold, we uncovered a total showstopper and could not go live without fixing it. We could either defer the go-live to a later date or make a last-ditch effort to work through the night to make the 8 a.m. deadline. We sat together as a combined team and everyone agreed to burn the midnight oil. We came up with a solution, developed, and tested until 6 a.m. Their CIO and his team stayed the entire time. It was a galvanizing moment, the fact that they were willing to make that commitment. The truest sense of leadership and partnership.
Q. Describe your work style.
I work with laughter! I support my teams, both internally and with my customers. I believe that responsiveness is paramount. I’m very serious about what we do, but people who know me best know that I’m no stranger to levity!
Q. What’s your proudest moment?
Being invited to the partner group is the crowning achievement of my career to date. Not just because it has long been an aspiration of mine, but because I have this amazing team that supports me and has directly contributed to my pathway to being a partner. That includes mentors, colleagues and employees. I believe that success in life, love and career are a result of the efforts of those who have invested in you. I see my becoming partner as a team award.
Q. If you could pass on a nugget of wisdom to aspiring accountants or consultants, what would that be?
The golden rule is to do unto others as you would have done to you. As I tell my team, when we get into an engagement with a client we come from a position of knowledge. New clients so often are unfamiliar with what we’re doing. I ask consultants to try to think about what the client is going through. Use that to best communicate and serve the client. Sometimes it gets overlooked because we get so caught up in the mountain of work we have. Take a step back and remember that the client doesn’t know everything that’s ahead of them. Help them understand. Take a minute to work with them.
Q. What keeps you up at night?
Aside from clients with global footprints in Europe and Asia, it’s trying to think about how we can learn from our mistakes. It’s a never-ending journey.
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Industries Served
Jeffrey J.'s Thought Leadership
White Papers
White Paper
An enterprise resource planning platform is essential for life sciences companies on the brink of commercialization.

September 25, 2019
Updated June 07, 2023
Should You Upgrade or Replace Your CRM System?
Article
It's important to first invest the time to review your existing CRM to pinpoint what's wrong and how to best fix issues.

September 03, 2019
Blog articles
Article
Expansion at any scale, whether local, state or international, presents an array of tasks, risks and opportunities for ...