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Houston is a bright and booming, growth-oriented city that has shed its cow-country image and turned into the corporate showplace of the great Southwest. As evidence of this, more than 150 companies have moved corporate headquarters, subsidiaries, divisions or branch offices to Houston in the six-year period prior to 1974. With these moves, more than 8,000 executives and management personnel entered the city's corporate arena. Between 1950 and 1970 the population of metropolitan Houston more than doubled. It now stands at nearly two million, ranking Houston in sixth place among the country's major cities. What's more, the population is young and modern in outlook. The median age is only twenty-six, providing what many Houstonians consider a more rigorous and talented work force than is found in other large cities. The spirit of optimism so prevalent in the area today can be traced back to the speculative birth of the city. In the spring of 1836, the famed battle of San Jacinto, in which General Sam Houston and his Texian troops defeated Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's army, cleared the way for the establishment of the Republic of Texas. Just four months later, the brothers Augustus and John Allen, enterprising land speculators from upstate New York, bought 6,642 acres of land for $1.40 an acre and staked out a townsite on the muddy banks of Buffalo Bayou. Shortly thereafter, when General Houston became the first president of the Republic of Texas, the city named in his honor became the first capital. Cotton, so well suited to the simmering Brazos River bottomlands, sparked the initial economic growth of the area. When the famed Spindletop gusher blasted Texas into the oil business in 1901, and other prolific fields were found in the Houston area shortly thereafter, the economy boomed. Houston's businessmen soon felt the need for a shipping outlet to the Gulf of Mexico. By the linking and dredging of three natural waterways, Buffalo Bayou, the San Jacinto River and Galveston Bay, a fifty-mile ship channel was made. This foresight has enabled Houston to become one of the world's major seaports, ranking third in the country in total tonnage and still undergoing extensive capital improvements. It was foresight of a similar nature that contributed to the feeling of spaciousness in the downtown business area. When the brothers Allen laid out the city, they wanted, in spite of criticism, streets that were wide enough for a wagon to turn around in, thus avoiding the congestion that plagues many other growing cities today. Haskins & Sells' presence in Houston goes back to 1937, when an office was opened there largely for the convenience of handling participating work for clients of other offices. Up until 1963, less than half of the practice was originating. H&S merged that year with the prominent firm of Phillips, Sheffield, Hopson, Lewis & Luther, which had a large local practice and a significant tax practice. Today more than 75 percent of the Houston office practice is originating. Tax work now comprises about 20 percent of the total practice. Small business services are becoming more and more important, and the Management Advisory Services group is growing rapidly. The home of H&S in Houston is the twenty-sixth floor of the Houston Natural Gas Building in the heart of the central business district. The growth of the practice has made it necessary to lease half of the twenty-fifth floor and the Tax Department has moved to new quarters there. The partner in charge in Houston is youthful and energetic Robert J. Cruik-shank, a man whose progressive outlook and enthusiasm are reflected in the office's exceptionally high morale and professionalism. "We put a lot of emphasis in our office on communication with our staff and on recruiting and development," Bob says. "We believe that if we keep our people aware of our efforts and desires, they can address themselves to helping us achieve our goals and, in turn, the goals of the Firm. As for recruiting, our livelihood depends upon our ability to hire bright, aggressive people who can provide top-quality service for our clients and who can eventually become the leaders of our Firm. We are also establishing programs to ease the burden upon our people in making the transition from college to the business world. "I have been involved in recruiting for many years and have always believed one of its biggest rewards to be the satisfaction that comes from participating in and monitoring the professional development of our people. The techniques and attitude necessary to recruit well can also be very useful in dealing with clients and in managing an office. "We try to encourage independent and creative thinking by attempting to implement new ideas that will benefit the office and the practice. For example, partner Jim Dunn and our librarian Jo Susa came up with the idea of having classes in office English for secretaries and clerical people. Jo has two classes of a dozen women or so each that she teaches one morning a week. The classes are well prepared and well received, and I'm sure they will be helpful in our continuing efforts toward clear and concise communication." Bob Cruikshank grew up in DeQuincy, Louisiana, and his entrance into the accounting profession was somewhat Office Profile ,^<4^K^i2^**,jar" USTOTC "...for a place in the sun.'