{"id":5442,"date":"2025-09-03T14:13:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T18:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/?post_type=perspective&p=5442"},"modified":"2025-09-10T14:35:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T18:35:58","slug":"mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma","status":"publish","type":"perspective","link":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/","title":{"rendered":"MGO Stories: From Rock Covers to Real Talk on Tariffs, Audits, and M&A"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Simon Dufour<\/a>, Assurance Partner and National Manufacturing and Distribution Leader at MGO, sat down with Bill Penczak<\/a>, the firm\u2019s Chief Revenue Officer, for a deep dive into tariffs<\/a>, audit strategy, and how to help clients thrive in uncertain times.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill:<\/strong> Let\u2019s start with the fun stuff first: by day, you’re an audit partner but your not-so-secret passion is your band.  Tell me about your gig earlier this week.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon:<\/strong> We were playing at the Harp, a bar in Newport Beach. An Irish bar and pub.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill:<\/strong> So, what kind of stuff do you all play? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon:<\/strong> A little bit of everything \u2014 rock, classic rock, country, punk, pop, even hip hop. Yeah, we do a Nelly song. We ended up playing until 12:30 AM that night \u2014 which is late for us old folks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill<\/strong>: Impressive. Now, shifting gears \u2014 you work with several manufacturing clients. What are they telling you about how tariffs are now, or could potentially, impact their business? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon<\/strong>: Honestly, it\u2019s one of the biggest disruptors they\u2019re facing. Tariffs throw a wrench in long-term planning. A lot of clients had diversified out of China, moving production to countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, or Bangladesh… only to get hit with new tariffs there, too. It makes supply chain strategy feel like a moving target. One of my apparel y clients was doing great shifting manufacturing across countries. But now their strategy\u2019s wiped. They might not make it through the year.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill<\/strong>: That\u2019s brutal. So, you\u2019re telling me it’s not just a China issue anymore? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon<\/strong>: Exactly. Tariffs have become a much broader, more unpredictable challenge. One apparel client had a solid multi-country sourcing strategy, but when U.S. tariffs expanded beyond China, their margins collapsed. They went from thriving to barely surviving, just like that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill<\/strong>: That\u2019s rough. How do you advise clients to respond <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon<\/strong>: There\u2019s no silver bullet, but flexibility, nimbleness, is key. We\u2019re encouraging clients to build sourcing redundancy. Think \u201cChina-plus-one\u201d or \u201cChina-plus-two.\u201d It\u2019s also about monitoring policy shifts closely, so they\u2019re not blindsided. We help them plan for every scenario and understand where their risks are concentrated. But as with most things, uncertainty is the biggest challenge. Companies don\u2019t know when or where tariffs will hit, so planning can become almost impossible.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill<\/strong>: Are there clients that are weathering this well? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon<\/strong>: The ones who\u2019ve invested in agility \u2014 like tech-enabled supply chains, diverse vendors, adaptable logistics \u2014 they\u2019re more resilient. But even they\u2019re feeling the pressure. Tariffs are just one part of a much larger uncertainty picture, and you\u2019ve got to stay sharp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In today\u2019s volatile global trade environment, manufacturers<\/a> need more than a Plan B. Let\u2019s talk<\/a> about how MGO can help you stay agile, mitigate risk, and drive growth. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Simon Dufour, Assurance Partner and National Manufacturing and Distribution Leader at MGO, sat down with Bill Penczak, the firm\u2019s Chief Revenue Officer, for a deep dive into tariffs, audit strategy, and how to help clients thrive in uncertain times.\u00a0 Bill: Let\u2019s start with the fun stuff first: by day, you’re an audit partner but your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5485,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"perspective_topic":[61,120,22,317,313],"perspective-type":[42],"class_list":["post-5442","perspective","type-perspective","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","perspective_topic-audit","perspective_topic-ma","perspective_topic-manufacturing","perspective_topic-mgo-stories","perspective_topic-tariffs","perspective-type-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMGO Stories: From Rock Covers to Real Talk on Tariffs, Audits, and M&A - MGO CPA | Tax, Audit, and Consulting Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Manufacturers who\u2019ve invested in agility like tech-enabled supply chains, diverse vendors, adaptable logistics are more resilient. Tariffs are just one part of a much larger uncertainty picture, and you\u2019ve got to stay sharp.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MGO Stories: From Rock Covers to Real Talk on Tariffs, Audits, and M&A - MGO CPA | Tax, Audit, and Consulting Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Manufacturers who\u2019ve invested in agility like tech-enabled supply chains, diverse vendors, adaptable logistics are more resilient. Tariffs are just one part of a much larger uncertainty picture, and you\u2019ve got to stay sharp.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MGO CPA | Tax, Audit, and Consulting Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mgocpa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-10T18:35:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MKT001034_MGO-stories-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"806\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/\",\"name\":\"MGO Stories: From Rock Covers to Real Talk on Tariffs, Audits, and M&A - MGO CPA | Tax, Audit, and Consulting Services\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MKT001034_MGO-stories-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-03T18:13:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-10T18:35:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"Manufacturers who\u2019ve invested in agility like tech-enabled supply chains, diverse vendors, adaptable logistics are more resilient. Tariffs are just one part of a much larger uncertainty picture, and you\u2019ve got to stay sharp.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MKT001034_MGO-stories-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MKT001034_MGO-stories-2.jpg\",\"width\":1536,\"height\":806},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"MGO Stories: From Rock Covers to Real Talk on Tariffs, Audits, and M&A\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/\",\"name\":\"MGO CPA\",\"description\":\"Tax, Audit, and Consulting Services\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MGO CPA\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mgocpa-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mgocpa-logo.svg\",\"width\":134,\"height\":32,\"caption\":\"MGO CPA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mgocpa\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"MGO Stories: From Rock Covers to Real Talk on Tariffs, Audits, and M&A - MGO CPA | Tax, Audit, and Consulting Services","description":"Manufacturers who\u2019ve invested in agility like tech-enabled supply chains, diverse vendors, adaptable logistics are more resilient. Tariffs are just one part of a much larger uncertainty picture, and you\u2019ve got to stay sharp.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"MGO Stories: From Rock Covers to Real Talk on Tariffs, Audits, and M&A - MGO CPA | Tax, Audit, and Consulting Services","og_description":"Manufacturers who\u2019ve invested in agility like tech-enabled supply chains, diverse vendors, adaptable logistics are more resilient. Tariffs are just one part of a much larger uncertainty picture, and you\u2019ve got to stay sharp.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/","og_site_name":"MGO CPA | Tax, Audit, and Consulting Services","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mgocpa","article_modified_time":"2025-09-10T18:35:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1536,"height":806,"url":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MKT001034_MGO-stories-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/","name":"MGO Stories: From Rock Covers to Real Talk on Tariffs, Audits, and M&A - MGO CPA | Tax, Audit, and Consulting Services","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MKT001034_MGO-stories-2.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-03T18:13:50+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-10T18:35:58+00:00","description":"Manufacturers who\u2019ve invested in agility like tech-enabled supply chains, diverse vendors, adaptable logistics are more resilient. Tariffs are just one part of a much larger uncertainty picture, and you\u2019ve got to stay sharp.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MKT001034_MGO-stories-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MKT001034_MGO-stories-2.jpg","width":1536,"height":806},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/perspective\/mgo-stories-from-rock-covers-to-real-talk-on-tariffs-audits-and-ma\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"MGO Stories: From Rock Covers to Real Talk on Tariffs, Audits, and M&A"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/","name":"MGO CPA","description":"Tax, Audit, and Consulting Services","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#organization","name":"MGO CPA","url":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mgocpa-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mgocpa-logo.svg","width":134,"height":32,"caption":"MGO CPA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mgocpa"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/perspective\/5442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/perspective"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/perspective"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"perspective_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/perspective_topic?post=5442"},{"taxonomy":"perspective-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mgocpa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/perspective-type?post=5442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}