Join us as we profile the lives of young professionals in the Huntington community.
By Jean Hardiman
HQ 100 | WINTER 2018
While many young people grow up with aspirations to leave home for new adventures, that was never the case for Mendy Aluise, an accountant with Somerville & Company, P.L.L.C.
This active 35-year-old stays busy with plenty of adventures right here in her hometown of Huntington. Not only has she worked diligently to help local businesses through her accounting work, but also encourages other young professionals to take ownership of their city and bring about positive changes.
“Leaving Huntington wasn’t a consideration for me,” Aluise said, who has been with Somerville & Company since graduating from Marshall University in 2004. “I’m very close to my family, and almost all of my family and friends still live in Huntington.”
“I love how Huntington has both a big city and small town feel. This city has a strong sense of community, and people here genuinely care about one another.”
She certainly cares, and she demonstrates it both through her career and through a busy volunteer schedule that supports programs involving young professionals, the accounting profession, Marshall organizations, end-of-life care, and even fitness and character development for elementary school girls.
As for how she decided to go into accounting as a profession, she points to her father. “My dad was an accounting major at Marshall, so I decided to see what it was all about,” Aluise said, who graduated from Cabell Midland High School in 2000 and is the daughter of John and Middy Aluise.
“After taking some accounting courses in high school, it felt like a good fit for me. I grasped the content, but still found the work to be challenging. I had also heard that there were a lot of career opportunities in the field of accounting, which is very attractive to a college student.”
The best thing about the profession, Aluise said, is that it challenges her and continues to change. With clients that range from manufacturers to retailers to healthcare professionals and nonprofits, “I don’t walk into the office and do the same thing day after day,” Aluise said.
And she enjoys tackling the numbers, a task that many find intimidating.
“Accounting and finances scare most people,” Aluise said. “My goal is to make my clients’ lives less stressful by taking care of their accounting needs no matter how big or small.”
When she’s not pouring over figures, she might be found running at Ritter Park, at a Marshall game or on a golf course.
“We’re fortunate to have such a beautiful park in our city, and I constantly take advantage of it. It helps me relieve stress and counteracts the fact that I sit at a desk all day,” Aluise said. “I also enjoy attending Marshall sporting events and I’m currently trying to learn how to golf. Golf is very frustrating, but I love it.”
She also keeps busy at a number of volunteer efforts. Aluise is the 2018 chairwoman of Generation Huntington, a committee of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce that aims to attract, retain and develop young leaders in the area. Professionally, Generation Huntington has provided opportunities for Aluise to enhance her leadership skills and make new business contacts. Personally, she said, it’s helped her gain confidence and meet new friends.
She’s also the second vice president of the Marshall University Alumni Association and a board member for the Marshall Artists Series, Hospice of Huntington and Girls on the Run of the Cabell and Wayne Counties, which helps third- through fifth-graders take steps toward running a 5K, as well as focusing on character development.
Aluise also has served with the Chamber’s Women 2 Women Committee, the West Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, of which she is a past president, and she has been actively involved with her firm’s efforts to support the accounting program at Marshall University. While a Marshall student herself, she served as an intern at Somerville & Company before joining the firm as a CPA.
“My hope is to enhance the organizations that I’m a part of and to encourage others to be more involved,” Aluise said. “I’ve met some very special people throughout my professional and volunteer efforts that I look up to as mentors. I hope to impact others in that very same way.”
That being said, she strongly encourages young professionals in Huntington between the ages of 21 and 45 to join Generation Huntington and benefit from monthly lunch meetings, networking events and community service opportunities.
“We’ve experienced some growth lately and would love to obtain even more new members,” Aluise said. “Also, for those involved in organizations that are looking for young professionals to add to their boards, please contact our group, and we can help you find somebody to serve. We’ve got some very talented young individuals who are interested in volunteering and being more involved in the community.”
