Rick Whipple CPA
CEO
About Rick
CPA License: Colorado #5486
Rick’s passion for small businesses has taken him all the way to the White House. In 2012, he met with Presidential Senior Advisor Valarie Jarrett in the White House to discuss how federal policies affect small businesses. On behalf of small businesses nationwide, Rick has engaged with and lobbied numerous senators on four separate trips to Washington. These efforts, coupled with Rick’s tireless work on the local level to promote Denver area small businesses, led him to being named a finalist for the National Small Business Association’s Small Business Advocate of the Year Award in 2018.
Rick’s career in public accounting began in 1978. He was a co-founder of WhippleWood CPAs in 1981 and became its CEO in 2004. His experience as an entrepreneur and small business owner over the span of 40 years is vital to his success as a CPA and small business advisor. Yet Rick understands strategies that may have once worked, or worked for him, won’t always produce the same results for his clients. “I have to be open to new knowledge and be able to listen intently to a client’s challenges to find a solution that works best for them,” Rick explains.
Rick spends his spare time with his wife and two teenage children. By being a good mentor to his kids and to his employees at WhippleWood, he hopes to make the world a little better every day.
Education
- University of Denver (DU)
- Masters in Tax Law
- University of Colorado
- Bachelor of Science in Business
Professional & Community Involvement
- Member American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Member Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants
- Former Chair of the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce,
- Chair of the South Metro Denver Economic Development Group
- Board Member of the Denver Better Business Bureau
- Chair of the board of Colorado Lending Source
Awards & Recognition
- Finalist Small Business Advocate of the Year Award in 2018
- Named a “hero” by the Colorado Society of CPAs at its 2018 CPAs Make a Difference Celebration.
