Gary W. Wood, CPA, is a partner at Compere Robinette CPAs in Ozark, Mo. At the young age of 31, Gary left a safe, secure job to acquire a 30-year old CPA firm in his hometown. He has led his firm through a transition from its co-founders to a second generation of leadership, and honed it from a 30-year old traditional firm into a modern firm of the future. Gary has a passion for CPA firm succession planning. AICPA recently chartered a networking group for young CPA firm owners, and Gary was asked to be a charter member. The networking group meets to discuss hot topics and strategic planning for small firms across the United States. Gary is energized by the “circle of life” prominent in his group. “At small firms, we learn stuff the hard way through trial and error, then give back to our community of other small firms by sharing our successes - and more importantly our failures - within the group,” says Gary. Find him on Twitter @CRCFirm.