Meet BE Director, Josh Morrison

Josh is a Director based in the Richmond office. He joined BE in November 2021 with the acquisition of Mitchell Wiggins. He had been at Mitchell Wiggins since graduating from Virginia Tech in 2011 and then joined BE as a Director in the Assurance area.  Josh works with closely-held for-profit businesses in a variety of industries, including construction, manufacturing and distribution, and others, providing accounting and assurance services. He also specializes in providing audit services to employee benefit plans.

He earned his Bachelor’s and Masters degrees in accounting from Virginia Tech. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA).

We interviewed Josh to get to know him, outside of his profession, and we were surprised to learn that his wife is also a CPA who has worked in both public accounting and private industry.  They have heated debates on the latest accounting standards updates around the dinner table, as can only be expected. He says it is honestly nice to have someone to bounce off accounting-related questions from time to time.

Where are you from and where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Yorktown, VA, in the same town where the British surrendered to American forces, paving the way for American Independence! My mom is a retired CPA (mostly in private industry and as a civil servant) and my dad was a machinist at the Newport News Shipbuilding where he worked for 40+ years. So I have a deep respect and appreciation for blue collar and white collar workers alike. I am an oldest child with a younger brother and sister. I still have many of the oldest child traits to this day. Just ask my wife. I attended Virginia Tech and after graduating moved to Richmond, VA to begin my career in public accounting.

What do you like to do in your free time and who do you like to spend it with?

Most of my free time is spent with my wife and two daughters (4 and 1). We spend a lot of time outside whether that be in our backyard tending to our summer garden or enjoying the beautiful scenery throughout Virginia. We head to the mountains fairly regularly for hiking and other outdoor activities. We also started raising backyard chickens in March 2024 so that’s been an experience in itself. They say chickens are a gateway to homesteading and perhaps that will come true one day! You can also find me at the gym before work, running, golfing, and doing whatever I can to stay active and moving.

What's the next place on your travel bucket list and what will you do there??

We are slowly ticking off visiting National Parks in the U.S. We’re currently at 17 and counting. I’d like to visit Glacier National Park in Montana followed by some of the National Parks in California (Yosemite, Sequoia). I’ll squeeze out as many hiking miles as possible from my wife and girls before they start complaining! I prefer active vacations over passive vacations and have been known to have some pretty detailed itineraries. We also do a beach vacation every year, which isn’t quite as active as a National Park trip!

What's the last book you read or what is your favorite book/series you ever read and why?

I read on my Kindle pretty much every night, usually reading 15-20 books every year. Most of them are fiction in the mystery, thriller, and suspense categories. The latest series that I read was The Terminal List series by Jack Carr, which currently has 7 books. If you enjoy military and political thrillers, give it a try! One of the best business-related books I’ve read is Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win, which is an excellent book on leadership.

If you starred in your own hero action movie, what would be your superhero name and superpower?

I’m not even going to attempt to come up with a superhero name, but my superpower would be based on those of The Flash (super speed, time travel, speed reading, etc.).

What is one food you can’t live without and why??

Peanut butter. Perhaps I got it from my dad who carried a PB sandwich along with a pack of PB nabs to work for lunch nearly every day of his career but it’s a highly versatile and delicious food. Some of the best desserts are peanut butter based.

If you knew you were going to be stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you bring with you?

Aside from the cliché answers of my wife and two girls, some type of solar-powered desalination kit for access to drinking water, a sturdy knife with an included flint fire starter, and waterproof shelter of some sort.

Why did you choose a career in public accounting?

I never intended on majoring in accounting entering college but took an accounting class and realized I had a knack for it. Probably doesn’t hurt that my mom was also a CPA, so it was probably in my blood. I enjoy working in public accounting because of the variation in the work, being able to work with a wide array of clients and doing something different each day.