Expansion beyond
the Midwest
From 1966 to 1975, the number of offices nearly doubled and staff nearly tripled, giving the firm a broader Midwestern platform without losing the client-centered mindset that had fueled its rise. By the late 1970s, the firm had begun to expand beyond the Midwest, though the region remained central to its ethos.
“We’ve always had a culture where we’re competitive and we want to win, but never at the expense of our colleagues. We work together to get ahead. It’s often associated with our strong Midwestern roots, but we have people from across the country and around the world who all embody this same spirit.”
The firm expanded westward with mergers in Wyoming in 1972 and California and Nevada in 1977, signaling that its aspirations had outgrown a purely Midwestern identity.
In 1978 the firm executed an especially consequential merger. “We were dominant in Iowa, and we had some offices elsewhere, but the merger with Broeker Hendrickson was the first step to doing something substantial outside of Iowa,” says Doug Opheim, who served as the firm's COO, CFO, inaugural Foundation Board Chair and honorary historian. “It not only broadened the geographic footprint but also gave the firm its first major metropolitan market, Minneapolis—an important strategic step toward becoming a larger regional competitor.” The merger gave the newly minted McGladrey, Hendrickson & Co. greater scale, visibility and access to larger markets.
The next major transaction, with A.M. Pullen & Co. in 1984, marked another turning point. The deal extended the firm’s reach into the South and Northeast—Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and New York—while helping it surpass $100 million in revenue that same year. Headquartered in North Carolina, A.M. Pullen brought a broader geographic platform that positioned the firm for more sustained growth. The significance of the combination was reflected in the firm’s evolving identity when it became McGladrey & Pullen in 1987.
In 1989, the firm launched the McGladrey Network, a group of independent firms that expanded its coverage across the United States. Deb Lockwood, a former leader of the network, notes, “As the network’s membership and internal team resources grew, so did its value to the members and McGladrey.” The network helped member firms share best practices, collaborate on client opportunities and contribute industry knowledge, insights and niche expertise, while also strengthening the firm’s standing in the profession, supporting expansion activity and helping identify future merger candidates.
As the firm continued to expand regionally and nationally, it built capabilities to serve clients with international operations. In 1979, the firm joined an international network of accountancy firms in 21 countries, which took the name DRM (Dunwoody Robson McGladrey). Membership gave RSM access to shared resources, best practices and international referrals—benefits for handling inbound work from foreign companies and for supporting RSM clients operating internationally. In 1993, the network adopted the name RSM International, representing three leading firms—Robson Rhodes, Edouard Salustro & Associates, and McGladrey & Pullen.
By the 1990s, the accounting profession was consolidating rapidly, with the largest firms merging and expanding their reach. That broader shift in the market underscored the strategic choices McGladrey & Pullen would soon face about scale, capital and national relevance.
