Andrew Grossnickle’s career path is increasingly rare in the 21st century: he has worked for the same company for more than two decades. Grossnickle ’02 began as an intern at Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates the summer after his junior year at Bridgewater College and worked his way up to partner in the Virginia public accounting firm. Along the way he earned a master’s in forensic accounting from Florida Atlantic University. He currently manages the audits for municipalities and nonprofit organizations across the commonwealth and provides tax preparation services to a wide range of clients.
“Bridgewater professors instilled in me that having an internship was important,” Grossnickle says. “I was offered a fulltime job at the firm during my senior year, and now I lead their Fredericksburg office.”
Grossnickle grew up in the Frederick Church of the Brethren in Frederick, Md., and had older relatives with BC connections, but says that it was the financial aid package he received that led him to attend Bridgewater. Thanks to the merit- and need-based aid he received, Grossnickle says that it was more affordable for him to attend BC than a Maryland state college.
While at BC, Grossnickle played a year of tennis and lots of intermural sports. He was also active in the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Club at BC. During his senior year, Grossnickle and other students in the Club won the SIFE Regional Championship and competed in the national tournament in Kansas City, Mo. At the tournament the Bridgewater SIFE team gave a presentation on 13 different projects they completed such as teaching children about money management and the value of saving.
“It was my first time at a conference and that was a great experience to have as an undergraduate.”
Throughout his time at Bridgewater, however, Grossnickle says he was focused on gaining an education that would help him get a job after graduation. Although he had considered a career in teaching, he ultimately decided to pursue a degree in business administration, with a concentration in accounting.
“Business interested me. And it was important to be able to get a good job right out of school and stand on my own two feet,” he says.
Grossnickle says he remembers two BC professors particularly fondly. One was the late Manown (Buck) Kisor Jr., Associate Professor of Business Administration from 1989-2005, from whom Grossnickle took a personal finance class that he describes as one of the most impactful classes he took in college. The other was Dr. Arthur Gumenik, Carman G. Blough Associate Professor of Accounting, Emeritus.
“Accounting can be a little dry, but Dr. Gumenik made it entertaining and always told good stories,” Grossnickle says.
It was just a few years after graduation that Grossnickle began giving back to his alma mater. Philanthropy is important to his family, which includes his wife and two children, and Grossnickle has been part of the committee raising funds for Connections: The Campaign for Bridgewater College.
“I wouldn’t have been able to go to Bridgewater without the financial aid I received,” he says. “I want to make sure that other students can have the same opportunity.”
Grossnickle says he is particularly excited about the plans to renovate the old Alumni Gym on East College Street into a new Center for Career Development. The new Center will include a flexible event space, offices and meeting rooms.
“In today’s day and age when some people are questioning the value of higher education, I think it is particularly important for a college to be able to help transition students into careers,” Grossnickle says. “The new Center for Career Development will be an awesome centralized space for career fairs and networking meetings and other things that will help make that happen.”
Originally published in the Bridgewater College Annual Report of Donors, 2023-2024.
– Heather S. Cole
