WILLIAM R. PIROLLI, a retired partner formerly with DiSanto, Priest & Co., was named an Industry Legend by the Rhode Island Society of Certified Public Accountants during the society’s 2023 annual reception. He was recognized for his contributions to the CPA profession and the local business community.
What does being named an industry legend by the society mean to you? It is a capstone to my volunteer career. I’ve been volunteering both with the RISCPA and on a national basis. I recently retired from DiSanto Priest last year, so it’s a capstone of a career in a profession that has been very good to me. It’s an honor to stand on the stage with the likes of Jack Renza, who was my accounting professor at CCRI [Community College of Rhode Island]. Jack encouraged me to go on to Bryant [University] and become an accountant. To share the stage with him is great.
In what ways in the last year have you helped support the business community and the CPA profession? On a national basis, I’m an immediate past chairman role with the [American Institute of Certified Public Accountants], as was Ernie [Almonte] before me. That was a big role, very busy in supporting the accounting profession not only here locally but also across the country and around the world. … There [was] lots done to help small businesses here in the state.
COVID-19 had a major impact across the board. How did you in your role as a CPA help small businesses stay afloat through the health crisis? The accounting profession as a whole during [the pandemic] was on the front lines of COVID-19 relief. We had a seat at the table with the [U.S.] Treasury Department, the IRS and we helped pump that money into the economy. That was $7 trillion that came into the economy. I’d like to think that every dollar had passed through an accountant’s hands somewhere, helping their clients apply for COVID-19 relief and grants. There was a tremendous amount going on and accountants were at the forefront of understanding something that had never been done before in history. It came with a myriad of rules and regulations that all needed to be translated for small businesses. We were part of that team along with the local bankers who ran loan programs.
Are you looking to stay involved in the CPA community while retired? I’ll still continue to volunteer in some form at the national level. Once you’ve become chair, you become an ambassador for life. [AICPA] will call on me from time to time and I’m happy to continue volunteering. I just accepted a position with a consulting company that consults with CPA firms all over the country. I’m going to dedicate some time to that. It’s something that I’ve done throughout my volunteer career, which is really working with CPAs and firms becoming more successful in running their own practices. I’ll be doing a lot of teaching and coaching, how to become a trusted business adviser, running their practice more effectively. I’m going to be coaching on how to develop new partners.
