Staff Spotlight: Brett Sinsabaugh

Navigating a non-traditional career path: From construction to public accounting

From early in his life, Brett Sinsabaugh, one of Keiter’s newest partners, saw two possible career paths. While in high school, Brett’s dad, a rehabilitation counselor, who worked with injured and disabled individuals to find jobs, gave Brett the same career assessments he would give his clients. When completing these tests, the two options that would continue to come up were law enforcement or accounting. When Brett entered the next stage of life, he explored both options. Ultimately, accounting became the career and passion that Brett has pursued for the past 12 years.

Construction career by day – Accounting student by night

Brett began his higher education at Christopher Newport University (CNU), where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology.

To meet the requirements of an accounting career, Brett set off to pursue his Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting at Virginia Commonwealth University. At the same time, Brett worked for a construction company as a member of the safety department. This job, mixed with his studies, created many long nights. His days began traveling around Virginia where he completed construction site inspections. He then headed to school in the evenings, where he finished his nights with three-hour classes. Despite the challenges, Brett was motivated to continue to pursue a career in accounting as he saw it would offer stability for himself and his newly started family.

Transition to a full-time career in public accounting

After finishing his Post Baccalaureate, a colleague of Brett’s recommended Keiter as a next step in his career. This would be the first of many word-of-mouth recommendations. In the coming months, multiple individuals around Richmond mentioned and spoke highly of Keiter. This included clients of Keiter, as well as former and current staff members and partners.

After researching Keiter and other public accounting firms, Brett found Keiter offered opportunities that other firms did not, including an entrepreneurial approach to career growth. Those differentiators led Brett to join the Keiter team as a Business Assurance & Advisory Services Associate. His drive, ambition, and collaborative spirit helped him grow in his career. After developing his technical skills, he began to engage with business development opportunities through networking and niche specialization. He found his background in the construction industry provided him with unique industry insights to benefit the Firm’s construction clients. He joined the firm’s Construction industry niche team sharing his industry knowledge on the Firm’s blog and in presentations.

A balance inside and outside the office

Brett credits Keiter with creating space for him to get a footing in his accounting career, while also being with his growing family. Through constant communication with his mentors and performance coaches, he built a schedule that fit his needs. He was able to balance time with his clients and family, while also engaging in health supporting activities like tennis and running.

An entrepreneurial-minded career path

In 2023, Brett was promoted to Partner. An achievement in his career that he enjoyed reaching through the career path options available at Keiter. As a partner, he takes a leadership role in multiple Keiter niche teams. He focuses on providing value-added assurance and employee benefit plan audit services to clients, most notably in real estate and construction, as well as manufacturing, distribution and retail, membership organizations, and trade associations. Yet, regardless of the industry, Brett looks forward to building a relationship with his clients. He finds the most purpose in his work when he can both advise, and learn, from those around him.

Brett endeavors to grow his professional reach both within Richmond, and across the Mid-Atlantic. He looks forward to sharing his knowledge and skills as an Opportunity Advisor to help businesses reach their goals.

Keiter is your firm for career development and relationship building. To learn more about a career at Keiter, view our current entry-level and experienced positions.