Edward Kitrosser

For Edward Kitrosser, managing partner of the San Diego office of Moss Adams LLC, accounting and entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand.

Kitrosser ran his own accounting practice for more than a decade. He credits these responsibilities at the helm for bolstering his management skills and developing the entrepreneurial instincts he uses now in day-to-day operations.

"It teaches you to be very businesslike in the way you do things," said Kitrosser. "There's more than just serving clients; there's running a business."

Seattle-based Moss Adams is now the 12th largest accounting and consulting firm in the United States, and the largest headquartered in the West, according to the company's Web site.

Kitrosser's San Diego office employs 60 people and handles a wide range of business assurance, tax and accounting services to both public and private companies. The firm's niche is in serving nonprofits, construction, manufacturing, distribution and high-tech companies with an emphasis in the life sciences.