University of Mississippi eGrove Haskins and Sells Publications Deloitte Collection 1978 Atlanta: an office ofipr le Anonymous James H. Karales Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/dl_hs Part of the Accounting Commons, and the Taxation Commons Recommended Citation H&S Reports, Vol. 15, (1978 winter), p. 10-19 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Deloitte Collection at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Haskins and Sells Publications by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 11 uuutiiniiiii Jiff • II1111 : t f 11111 tin rfifi Hi ... unmit • i I "^ m £Ji j I Iflf*1 ipgilf : i! Atlanta In May of 1864, as the softness of spring 1837 Stephen H. Long, a railroad en­ came to a country just entering the gineer, arrived to select a site for the fourth year of the War Between the southern terminal point of the Western States, Confederate General Joseph and Atlantic Railroad, which was to E. Johnston and an army in Georgia run from the Tennessee border to the prepared to meet William Tecumseh southwestern bank of the Chat­ Sherman's challenge from the north. tahoochee. Long finally chose a loca­ The Union plan called for a two- tion about seven miles east of the river pronged attack. At the same time that bank, and in 1842 the thirty inhabi­ Ulysses S. Grant advanced against the tants of what was then called Terminus formidable Robert E. Lee in Virginia, watched as road gangs poured in to Sherman would throw 100,000 men — begin grading and laying track. By the the Armies of the Cumberland, Ten­ fall, twenty-two miles of gleaming nessee and Ohio — against Johnston's track connected Terminus to Marietta, force of 60,000 men. Georgia. On Christmas eve, a locomo­ On May 7 Sherman moved from the tive, which had been lashed to a wagon northwest corner of Georgia toward and pulled by a sixteen-mule team sixty Atlanta, vital center of transport and miles from Madison to Terminus, made supply for the Confederacy. Despite its maiden run to Marietta. stubborn opposition by Johnston's out­ In 1843, the town, already a thriving numbered forces, by the middle of July trading center for the surrounding Sherman had pushed to the Chat­ countryside, was incorporated and re­ tahoochee River, only eight miles from named Marthasville in honor of Atlanta. Johnston was relieved by Martha Lumpkin, daughter of Geor­ General John B. Hood, who regrouped gia's governor. By September 1845 the the Southern forces in Atlanta where railroad was completed and the first they made a strong stand but were train from Augusta rumbled into unable to prevent the city's being Marthasville, renamed Atlanta two destroyed by artillery and fire. Hood years later to reflect the city's growth evacuated Atlanta on September 1, and importance as a rail center. and Sherman entered the city, or what In Atlanta today General Sherman was left of it, the following day. is often called the city's first urban re­ The capture and destruction of At­ newal chairman. On a more serious lanta (only 400 of the original 4,500 note, there are those who argue that the homes and buildings survived) dealt a destruction of the city in some respects mortal blow to the Confederate cause cut it off from the past, forced it to re­ and set the stage for Sherman's "march build and look to the future. Indeed, to the sea" across Georgia in Novem­ the city seal bears the phoenix, the ber, the capture of Savannah in De­ legendary bird that was periodically cember and the subsequent push north consumed by fire and rose each time through the Carolinas in the spring from its own ashes. of 1865. Atlanta has indeed risen from its At the time of its destruction by own ashes. The downtown section Sherman's armies Atlanta was not an contains some of the most striking con­ old city. The first white settlement, a temporary architecture seen anywhere fort, had been built in the Atlanta area in the country, reflecting the city's posi­ in 1813 on land that was the hunting tion as the southeast's center of com­ ground of the Creek and Cherokee. In merce, communications and finance. Haskins & Sells opened an office in America and Europe; Peach Bowl, Atlanta, its eighth, in 1915 and since Inc., a major post-season college foot­ 1963 has occupied quarters in the ball game whose net proceeds are do­ headquarters building of our client The nated to charity; and Johnston Indus­ Citizens and Southern National Bank. tries, Inc., textile manufacturer with Curtis H. Cadenhead, Jr., partner in interests in real estate and oil and gas charge in Atlanta since 1973, describes development. the city as "a great place to live and a The office also served as accountants great place to work." Curtis, a native of for the reelection campaign committee Dallas and the son of a retired H&S of Atlanta Mayor Maynard H. Jackson, partner, joined the Firm in 1951 in who was returned to a second term in Houston where, except for a tour of office in an election held last October. duty with the Navy and a year in "Atlanta was affected by the general Executive Office, he remained until economic downturn in 1974 and 1975," June 1971. He was admitted as a partner Curtis said, "probably the first time the in 1966. Curtis spent two years as part­ city really was hit by a recession after a ner in charge of the Buenos Aires office long period of very strong growth. But of Deloitte, Plender, Haskins & Sells we're coming out of it very nicely now. before transferring to Atlanta as PIC. Construction is an important factor in The Atlanta office services the en­ the economy of this area, and the latest tire state of Georgia and has our Chat­ statistics show a very definite pickup in tanooga, Tennessee office as an af­ single-family homebuilding." filiate. This provides the professional The fact is that the growth of the staff with a broad variety of clients, in­ Atlanta office has outpaced that of the cluding American Business Products, state's economy. "We had some forty to Inc., printer of business forms, books, forty-five professionals in Atlanta in magazines and catalogs; Coats & Clark 1973," Curtis said. "Today we've grown Inc., manufacturer and distributor of to about ninety, and our projection for sewing thread, knitting yarn and re­ the future sees us increasing the profes­ lated items and a subsidiary of a DH&S sional group to about one hundred client in Glasgow, Scotland; Yardley of within the next year." London, Inc., manufacturer of soap, Other statistics are equally impress­ cosmetics and toiletries and a sub­ ive. Ninety percent of the office's en­ sidiary of a client; Atlanta Gas Light gagements are originating, 38 percent Company, major supplier of natural gas of its professional staff are women, 15 in the state of Georgia; Phipps Land percent of the staff are black, about 60 Company, Inc., developer of residen­ percent of the professionals hold tial and resort properties throughout graduate degrees. The audit depart­ the southeast; Holder Construction ment has sixty-three people, tax has Company, builder of commercial and ten, small and growing business serv­ industrial buildings; Cystic Fibrosis ices has eleven and management advi­ Foundation, a voluntary health and sory services has three. welfare organization with about "Our clientele is representative of ninety-five chapters across the country; the business community in Atlanta," Kurt Salmon Associates, Inc., man­ Curtis noted. "I should point out, how­ agement and engineering consultants ever, that we're only in our second full with operations in North and South year of a new program in SBS, and the 1 Inspecting reel of paper on its way to the press on the cavernous reel-room level of the press room at The Atlanta Constitution and The Atlanta Journal are H&S alumnus Tom H. Wood (2nd r.), president of the Atlanta Newspapers Division of Cox Enterprises, Inc.; James Cox Kennedy (r.), general manager; H&S tax partner Hardy Williamson (2nd 1.); and audit manager Steve Coulter (1.). The Constitution is on the stands in the morning, and the Jour­ nal is published for afternoon distribution. Mr. Kennedy is the grandson of the late James M. Cox, former Governor of Ohio and founder of the Cox newspaper chain. 2 MAS manager Bill Gaik (standing) offers presentation on "Effects of EDP on the Auditor's Study and Evaluation of Internal Control" at breakfast training meeting held to discuss current developments in accounting and auditing. Seminar was given at the Royal Coach Motor Inn in Atlanta. 3 The first step in the delivery of printed checks from the John H. Harland Company is always by air as employee Terry Hayes tosses stamped and addressed boxes into mail bags sur­ rounding him on three sides. Watching an almost flawless performance are (1. to r.) H&S partner Jim Curry; Robert R. Woodson, executive vice president of Harland and an H&S alumnus; Harland chairman J. William Robinson; senior assistants John Robinson and Sloan Woodson; and seniors Thorn Peters and Melanie Morris. Harland operates twenty- seven plants in various parts of the country, producing checks and other printed materials. growth there has really been gratifying. We've had solid advances in our audit, tax and MAS clientele as well, but I think what we've seen in small and growing businesses proves conclusively that putting the right people in key po­ sitions and then mapping and imple­ menting a broad, effective program brings the kind of results we want." Administration is definitely one of the strong points of Curtis Cadenhead.