Rusty Pickering Featured in the Birmingham Business Journal’s WorkForce Development Series
Richard Brock, left, Dana Morse, Rusty Pickering and Stanely Funches at the WorkForce Development Series #2.
Rusty Pickering, CPA, CSC, Warren Averett’s Director of Recruiting, was recently featured as a panelist for the Birmingham Business Journal’s (BBJ’s) WorkForce Development Series.
The BBJ’s WorkForce Development Series is a series of insightful panel discussions designed for local business leaders.
On Thursday, June 12, 2025, Rusty participated as a panelist for the second session, Personnel in Professional Services, which evaluated the professional services industry and discussed creative solutions for worker shortfalls.
Rusty spoke about the shortage of accountants in the accounting industry and how Warren Averett has stayed ahead of the curve. He emphasized the importance of building an organizational culture where employees feel valued and celebrated and discussed the ever-evolving role of accountants.
When asked if poaching is still an issue in the accounting industry, Rusty responded: “Poaching will always be prevalent in the accounting field—whether it’s in corporate accounting or public accounting. Having been poached from Warren Averett by a larger company, I can speak from experience. I eventually came back because, at the end of the day, I liked the people. I believe the best way to combat poaching is to create an environment where people are happy, where they can thrive and where they feel motivated and challenged each day—whether that’s to become a better tax accountant or simply a better human being. We deal with poaching in 2025 the same way we did in 2005: by creating a place where people want to be.”
Rusty became Warren Averett’s Director of Recruiting in 2012. He oversees the internal recruiting for all of the firm’s office locations and works with external clients, specializing in executive recruiting for accounting/financial positions, information technology and office/administration roles. Rusty has over 15 years of experience in audit and recruiting, gained through his work at Warren Averett and across the client industries the firm serves.
Warren Averett’s Executive Search & Recruiting Services Team offers comprehensive services so you can focus all your time and energy on your core business. Our professional recruiters have deep industry experience and extensive business networks, specializing in recruiting for the accounting and finance, engineering and IT industries.
Learn more about Warren Averett’s Executive Search & Recruiting Services or our Birmingham CPAs and advisors.