Sing Along With the CPA

I went into the school auditorium. It was dark and quiet. I began playing. I looked up and there was a crowd watching me perform. It was quite exhilarating.

Howie Kutcher's childhood almost sounds like a Neil Simon play or Woody Allen movie. He grew up an only child in Brooklyn. His dad, Marvin, was a professional drummer who played at presidential inaugurations and at Carnegie Hall; his mom, Natalie, was a homemaker. Musicians and other creative types often visited the Kutcher household.

"My parents always encouraged me to play an instrument," says Kutcher. "But they said I shouldn't make it a career because it's a tough life.” Kutcher decided to major in accounting at Baruch College. "I've always liked quantifying, sorting and putting things in order," says Kutcher.

After receiving a B.B.A. in accounting in 1981, Kutcher worked in public accounting, but he noticed a dearth of recruiters in corporate taxation. "There were maybe 20 of these recruiters in the country, and I also had a few ideas about how to enhance the process," he notes.

So, in 1990, the Briarcliff Manor, NY, resident started his own tax recruiting company in the New York metro area. "It was tough in the beginning," says Kutcher. "But I tirelessly networked, built a database and have been active on social media. These days, all I do is recruiting."

When he's not matching tax accountants with companies looking to add personnel, Kutcher likes to stay in shape by playing tennis and walking. "I've walked a mile every weekday for 10 years, even if I was sick or there was a blizzard outside," states Kutcher.

Kutcher's original passion, playing the piano, nearly fizzled before it got a chance to blossom. "When I was in grade school, practicing Bach and Beethoven every day got boring," says Kutcher. "However, I got a new piano teacher who was a hippie, and he introduced me to The Beatles, Billy Joel, Elton John and other rock musicians, and it renewed my interest in playing."

These days, Kutcher gives his time playing at schools, nursing homes and private parties. "One day, I played kids songs at a nursery school at 8:00 a.m., then at 8:00 p.m. I played show tunes at a nursing home — talk about the circle of life."

"It's a great feeling when you play at a nursing home and you see someone who is frail and sullen one minute and smiling and tapping his toes the next."