One could say that Chris Cullion’s relationship with KCM began well before Ray Keough had even started the business.
“I’ve known Ray since I was a teenager,” Chris recalls. “My father and Ray initially worked together at Marshall Contractors and years later at Fluor Daniels. We spent time with each other’s families, went to each other’s houses, hung out during the holidays, and Ray and his wife Lori attended my wedding as well as my sister’s. So, to say there was familiarity there would be an understatement.”
Chris attended the University of Rhode Island and initially focused on a degree in history.
“I went to school not really knowing what I wanted to do. I thought I’d be a history teacher. At some point in my junior year, I looked around my history class and I saw so many people and I wondered if there would be enough teaching positions to cover all of us,” Chris says. “I had taken some accounting and economics classes, and there weren’t as many students in those classes. I started thinking about my future and I knew I was good at math and making money so I figured accounting might be the smarter direction so that’s the road I traveled.”
After graduating with a degree in accounting, Chris spent a year working as a staff accountant before moving on to DiSanto, Priest & Co. where he focused primarily on audits, reviews, and compilations as well as corporate and individual tax returns. He also became a CPA and met his wife while working there.
“After Ray had started KCM and the business he began to grow, my father mentioned Ray was looking for an accountant and I went and had an interview with him,” Chris says. “I was looking for a change outside of public accounting and he was looking for someone with skills beyond basic bookkeeping. I hadn’t done much work in the industry beyond auditing some construction clients so a lot of it was new for me, but Ray gave me the latitude to learn the ropes, and I’ve been here for twelve years.”
As Controller, Chris oversees all financial aspects of KCM’s operations and has taken on several other roles, encompassing administrative and HR responsibilities, and serving as the resident IT expert.
“I feel as though I’m good at the financial aspects of the job. I know what is needed to make projects both profitable and sustainable for us,” Chris says. “My grasp of construction was very basic in the beginning and continues to grow each day as I gain a better understanding of the daily ins and outs of projects and how these jobs are run beyond just the accounting aspects. There’s always more for me to learn.”
Chris notes KCM’s flexibility as one of the hallmarks of the company – flexibility that extends to KCM’s clients and their ability to adapt to client needs as well as those of KCM staff.
“We pride ourselves on our flexibility and adaptability,” Chris says. “Whether that’s working with our clients in the office or out in the field. But it also extends to our staff. We have a nice work/life balance here. We trust people to get things done.”
