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-Discussion Covers Utah Life, Accounting Technology, and Business Leadership During the 2020 Pandemic –
For Immediate Release, October 21, 2021, Silicon Slopes, UT – Last week’s Silicon Slopes Tech Summit 2021 is in the books but the impacts of speakers, sessions and networking contacts have served as a metaphoric booster shot to Utah’s Technology Community and to investors and developers across the nation. The energy is palpable in the broadcast interview between Josh Machiz, NASDAQ’s Chief Digital Officer and Lyle Ball, Co-Founder and CEO of accounting technology provider Avii™ (Avii.com).
Watch the full video interview here.
The discussion is the third update between the executives and offers a snapshot view of the accounting industry and leadership during the pandemic. Ball also shares why Utah’s business climate is an “A-minus,” and why that’s a positive thing:
Machiz: What’s it been like to lead a Utah technology business during the pandemic?
Ball: There are silver linings. Because we are self-funded we had the choice to dig into development and make our product bigger and better. Now we’re pushing an amazing pipeline into the end of this year.
Machiz: How does your platform differ from others in this space?
Ball: We have 21 years of history in accounting, behind the scenes supporting a Big 4 firm and several others and it showed us the accounting industry is messed up in its model of having an average of 35-80 separate products in every firm in individual silos, mostly unconnected. That’s the biggest problem in accounting that we’ve solved by starting natively with a single database and a controller that allows you to use Avii as a central workspace to control and connect with all of the software you want to access and keep.
Machiz: I’m sure your customer-centric view of accounting is helping to drive your product. So what’s the future for accounting?
Ball: We’re bringing Accounting Experience ManagementTM into the forefront of accounting through secure portals like the ones we’ve come to expect in banking and healthcare, that connect you immediately to the outcomes and answers you need. Sadly, most accounting firms are still largely dependent on email and we’re helping to enact an industry-wide shift to a better and more efficient experience for clients, practitioners, and managers.
Machiz: I see a theme of automation running through the Silicon Slopes. What does this mean specifically to the business community in Utah?
Ball: I’ve mentioned it before, that I consider my personal brand a “Type A-minus,” but I think that represents the state of Utah as well. It’s the intensity of a “Type A” but without the “A-hole”…not being immature or overly political or reliant on coercion. One of our clients said, “You guys are quirky, but in a good way. In the way you approach business. The way you approach contracts. The way you approach interactions and really listen to us.” We took it as a compliment. But I believe it’s not just my company and team, it’s our core culture and it’s how we do business here. Our unemployment is very low. People are flocking to Utah. It’s evident in the numbers.”
Machiz: Absolutely. I mean, look. It’s evident to me as a New Yorker, where I’ve been coming here for years and just seeing the efficiency that just happens here without the attitude that maybe I’m used to as a New Yorker is really incredible.
Ball: We have a lot of clients from New York. We love some of the attitude. We lean into it. It plays well. But you can do business in a different way, and Utah is known for that.”
