Meet Matthew Mahalak, VP of Accounting and Finance

Vice President of Accounting and Finance Matthew Mahalak says he heard great things about Phoenix Innovate (PI) long before he started working here in December 2022, and it’s been even better than he expected.

He says it has been gratifying to use his skillset to help optimize and consolidate various accounting processes and programs, particularly those related to the following milestones:

• Phoenix Innovate had invested in or acquired three businesses in less than one year: One Point of Anderson, Indiana, in December 2021; ComSpec International of Bingham Farms, Michigan, in December 2021, including its EMPOWER Student Information System product; and UN Communications Group of Carmel, Indiana, in November 2022.
• This came on the heels of the February 2021 acquisition of Avanzado LLC of Farmington Hills, Michigan, which dissolved soon afterward.
• The names of One Point and UN Communications Group were changed to Phoenix Innovate with a goal of branding all the companies as PI to solidify messaging and optimize communication with clients.

Before coming to PI, Matt was employed as a staff accountant at a marketing company in Dearborn. From there, he began working as an accountant at a managed service provider company in Southfield, where he worked up to the role of financial controller. 

“With Matt’s experience from his former employer, he was able to bring invaluable insight and direction for the consolidation of our disparate MIS/ERP and financial systems,” says EVP-COO Michael Spalding. “His added experience with private-equity acquisitions is helping steer our reporting and data analytics efforts as well.”

Matt came to PI after he heard that CEO Kirk Vercnocke was looking for an accountant to assist in the rapid growth of the company.

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but having that phone call with Kirk just confirmed that he’s a very easy person to talk to,” Matt says. “In my early conversations with him, I could tell that he really cared about the company, really cared about the employees and that he was doing it all for the right reasons.”

Matt's experience and skillset make him the right choice to lead our accounting team during this phase of our evolution, Kirk says.

“Matt came to us in the middle of a terrible tragedy on a human level that resulted in chaos in our Accounting and Finance Department," Kirk says. "A long-term team member had a terrible health event that ended her ability to work with us. Matt came in and, due to a combination of the right temperament, knowledge, skills and relationships with prior coworkers, was able to not only pick up the ball and reconstitute the department, but also impart substantial improvements. I can’t imagine anyone performing better than Matt! Not only has he done great things for the department and Phoenix, but he’s been a great addition to the culture and leadership team, great to work with!”

Matt says it has always been important to him to work somewhere that is both challenging and fun, as it is at PI.

“Every place I’ve worked has had great people,” he says. “Honestly, it’s just gotten better and better. Phoenix is at the top of the list.”

Matt has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a Master of Science and Accounting, both from Wayne State University in Detroit. While at WSU, he played baseball and contributed to a conference championship during his sophomore year.

A lifelong resident of Wyandotte, Michigan, he and his wife are raising a 7-year-old son, a 2-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old chocolate lab. During their spare time, they enjoy hockey, football and baseball, and he coaches Little League baseball and basketball.