Greg Anton: a competitive spirit drives the founding partner of Denver CPA firm.

• Author: Bronikowski, Lynn
• Position: EXECUTIVE EDGE

GROWING UP IN MASSACHUSETTS, GREG ANTON WOULD take a 30-second ride on a ski lilt to zip down a 300-vertieal-foot run at Blue Hills ski area. He would read about Colorado in ski magazines and dream of someday skiing here.

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So when it came lime to go to college he set his sights on the University of Northern Colorado, where he earned a bachelor's degree in accounting, would go on to become a founding partner of Denver-based Anton Collins Mitehell LLP and be named to Accounting Today's 2011 100 Most Influential People in Accounting.

"I always had a vision early in life that I would own my own business," said Anton, 48, whose firm grew from 30 people in one office in 2002 to 90 people working today in offices in Denver, Greeley and Boulder. "My dad left corporate America to open a gourmet food lousiness. We watehed his love for that business, but We also observed the turmoil in difficult economic times. And at the end of the day I gained an appreciation for en-trepreneurialism from him."

Today, Anton enjoys helping clients achieve their goals while also taking on the challenge of serving as chairman of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants during its 125th anniversary year.

"Having started the CPA firm, you really gain a lot of knowledge of what it's all about to run a business," Anton said. "In order to achieve success, you have to be willing to take on and conquer challenge. You'll never find success unless you are willing to put yourself out there and be willing to put yourself in a position where you may fail."

From the third grade, when he was diagnosed with dyslexia. Anton has known challenge. He doesn't talk about it much and only recently disclosed it publicly at his AICPA inauguration last fall

"That was an impactful thing in my life, but it also provided me an opportunity," Anton said. It lias provided me with a...