Roy Spagnolo had a very clear goal when he opened his Griffith accounting practice in 1997. He knew the most important thing was genuine personal service.
 
He wanted clients to know who their accountant was and that he would work to understand every part of their business. That philosophy has not changed with next year’s 30th anniversary of the business on the horizon.
 
“My aim is to give personal service,” Roy says.
 
“Anyone can do a tax return. It is more the relationship. You should have a relationship with the client and work like a partnership together.
 
“They know their business better than anyone else, and then you work together to achieve more.”
 
The first Roy Spagnolo & Associates office was simple but effective. “It was just a little house converted into an office near the former Jondaryan Club in Griffith,” Roy recalls.
 
After gaining 13 years of industry experience in public practice,he knew it was time to branch out on his own locally, and he was very clear about the sort of firm he wanted to build.
 
That approach became particularly important when the GST arrived in 2000.
Businesses that might once have seen their accountant primarily around tax time suddenly needed more regular advice, reviews, and assistance.
 
Roy and his team responded by running seminars and helping local businesses understand the changes.
 
“It gave us a bit of a springboard because, in a country town, business is just word of mouth,” Roy says.
 
Some of the clients Roy had advised before establishing his own practice came with him while others arrived through recommendations.
 
As the years passed, some relatively small local businesses became major enterprises. As a result, Roy Spagnolo & Associates firm grew with them.
 
Casella Family Brands in Griffith is a great example.
 
“They were only small as well,” Roy says of the early days. “That was like 30 years ago.”
 
Today, Casella’s is one of Australia’s great wine success stories with their famous global brands, including [yellow tail].
 
The company’s portfolio spans several regional and premium Australian wine estates, such as Peter Lehmann Wines, alongside spirits, fortified wines, and beer.
 
“We’ve grown together,” Roy says. “It is terrific to see Casella’s international success.” Agriculture has provided much of the foundation and reviews for Griffith’s Roy Spagnolo & Associates.
 
“We’re in an agricultural area,” he says. “You’re predominantly agricultural-based, and then it is helping services to the agricultural businesses. This can include machinery sales, logistics, or manufacturing.
 
“From there it has expanded to other things, but this is the foundation we are built on.”
 
As the client base expanded, so did the expertise, experience, and networks sitting behind the firm. If the firm has access to knowledge that could benefit local businesses and the community, Roy is keen to bring it to Griffith and the region.
 
That has meant arranging for specialists and experts to visit the region. This has resulted in sharing information and using professional networks to connect people who might otherwise never meet.
 
“We’re trying to promote Griffith and be ambassadors for it,” Roy says.
 
That commitment to regional business is now being carried forward by Roy’s business partner, Mark Farronato.
 
Like Roy, Mark’s understanding of business began around the family table long before it became a profession.
 
He grew up in Griffith watching his Nonno and father in business and working from a young age with them.
 
“I saw the value and appreciated the support they needed and expected from their business advisers,” Mark says.
“I’ve taken that and treated all my clients on that basis.”
 
Their professional careers may have taken different routes, but the principles underneath them are strikingly similar: family, integrity, and hard work.
 
“That complements Roy’s way of doing business,” Mark says.
 
“We share a similar upbringing and those core principles in business, family, and life. That’s why we work so well together.”
Mark also left Griffith for a time to develop his career before ultimately bringing that experience home.
 
 
He is now a Fellow Chartered Accountant, Fellow CPA, and Chartered Tax Adviser and has received national recognition for his work.
 
Roy also values something beyond Mark’s qualifications and awards. A fresh perspective,” he says.
 
“I think Mark combines the people skills but also the knowledge and experience that he brought from the city back to the country and implements it in the country.”
 
Mark, meanwhile, has spent years watching the way Roy approaches a problem, reviews the options, and, crucially, knows who to bring into the room.
 
“Probably the biggest thing that Roy does better than anyone is networking and leveraging a network,” Mark says.
 
“His ability to bring people together to be able to achieve outcomes, get around problems, and get a solution is fantastic.”
 
And as Roy and Mark review where their own profession is heading, they see enormous change ahead.
 
 
Artificial intelligence and technology will increasingly take care of mundane processing and allow accountants to extract greater value from data.
 
What it cannot replace is the human side, which is the conversations, judgement, and understanding of a family business.
 
As Roy Spagnolo & Associates moves towards its 30th anniversary in 2027, the firm has changed enormously from the little converted house where it began. But the principles have not.
Work hard. Build relationships. Act with integrity. Share knowledge. Help solve problems. And use the success of the business to continue to review the community and help build it.
 
“We’re trying to promote Griffith,” Roy says.
 
Almost 30 years later, it remains an effective review of what the business is there to do.
.

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Roy Spagnolo's Business Philosophy: Relationships Come First

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Rocco (Roy) Spagnolo Reflects on Almost 30 Years in Business: Roy Spagnolo & Associates Chartered Accountants

Rocco (Roy) Spagnolo shares the business philosophy of relationships, integrity, personal service, and an ambassador for the region of Murrumbidgee that has guided his Griffith accounting firm since 1997. He reviews each business with the utmost respect and provides expertise, guidance and strategic insight to help their businesses grow and prosper.



Relationships Have Always Come First for Rocco (Roy) Spagnolo

As Roy Spagnolo & Associates approaches its 30th anniversary in 2027, Rocco (Roy) Spagnolo says the principles behind the Griffith accounting practice remain much the same as when he opened the doors in 1997.

His original goal was straightforward: provide genuine personal service and develop relationships that allowed an accountant and the client to work together.

“Anyone can do a tax return. It is more the relationship,” Roy says.

It’s a philosophy shaped not only by business, but by family, Griffith, and almost three decades of working alongside regional businesses.

Growing Alongside Griffith Businesses

Beginning in a converted house near Griffith’s former Jondaryan Club, Roy Rocco Spagnolo Accounts practice grew through relationships, recommendations and the success of the regional businesses it advised.

Agriculture has remained an important foundation, with the firm’s experience expanding alongside clients into industries including wine, machinery, logistics and manufacturing.

Over the years, that journey has included working alongside remarkable regional businesses such as Casella Family Brands, the home of [yellow tail] wine, and Peter Lehmann Wines.

Like Roy’s own business, these companies demonstrate what can be achieved when regional businesses combine hard work, vision, innovation and a commitment to the communities in which they operate.

Their success has reached far beyond the regions where their stories began. They have become magnificent ambassadors for Griffith, the Riverina and regional Australia, while building flourishing businesses that provide employment, opportunity and economic benefits for their communities.

For Roy, this connection between successful businesses and successful regional communities is important.

“We’re trying to promote Griffith and be ambassadors for it,” he says.

That philosophy has included bringing specialists to Griffith, sharing knowledge, and using professional networks to connect people, solve problems, and help regional businesses grow.

Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo Reviews Are A Glowing Example of Mr Spagnolo's Work Within Regional Australia's Individual Business Growth.

"Roy and his team have grown with Casella Family Brands and provide invaluable advice in assisting with our business success. We have relied on his expertise in consulting, advisory and taxation services to support all our needs. His team of skilled professionals has made sure that all of our companies are covered for taxation and statutory matters."
– John Casella, Casella Family Brands

"We have been client of Roy Spagnolo & Associates for over 25 years. Roy and the staff have been a valuable partner to Calabria Family Wines and has always been reliable and efficient in completing all our taxation needs."
– Bill Calabria, Calabria Family Wines

"Roy and his team acknowledge that their clients are more than just numbers."
– Karl Stefanovic 

"Roy Spagnolo is the most knowledgeable guy I know. He is there for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and he will go out of his way for anyone."
– Vic Lorusso (ten - MIX106.5)

A Philosophy Built for the Future

Technology and artificial intelligence may transform accounting, but Roy believes conversations, judgement and understanding people and family businesses cannot simply be replaced.

For almost three decades, Roy has seen first-hand how regional businesses can grow from ambitious beginnings into organisations that create jobs, opportunity and lasting economic value.

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Roy Spagnolo’s Business Philosophy: Respect and Growth

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How Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo Helps Regional Businesses Prosper

Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo’s business philosophy is simple: respect the people behind every business, understand their goals and help them grow with confidence.

A personal approach shaped by family, Griffith and almost three decades in business.



A personal approach shaped by family, Griffith and almost three decades in business.

For Rocco (Roy) Spagnolo, a business is never simply a collection of figures on a balance sheet. Behind every business are people, families, employees, ambitions and years of hard work.

That understanding has shaped the Roy Spagnolo business philosophy since he established Roy Spagnolo & Associates in Griffith in 1997. It begins with respect, listening carefully and taking the time to understand where a business has come from, where its owners want it to go and what may be standing in their way.

Business Advice Starts with Listening and Comprehensive Review of Current and Future Objectives

Good advice cannot begin with assumptions. It begins by sitting down with people, hearing their concerns and understanding what they are trying to achieve.

Roy describes that approach clearly:

“We work hard to make sure clients feel valued and aren't just a number.”

The quote appears in the online account of Roy Spagnolo and the Spagnolo family story, which explains how his early experiences in the family winery helped shape his understanding of business, service and relationships.

That personal attention continues through the accounting, taxation, business advice, financial advisory, and consulting services provided by Roy Spagnolo & Associates. 

The firm’s own website describes an approach based on spending time with clients, anticipating their needs, and supporting their growth. Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo Reviews on the website speak for themselves of the respect, gratitude and high standing within the Accounting and Business community as well as Regional Communities.

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