The entrepreneur’s consultant
Greg Rosica’s (BSAc ’86, MAcc ’88) passion for helping business owners and entrepreneurs inspires his work with EY and the Gator100.
As a young man, Greg Rosica (BSAc ’86, MAcc ’88) spent a lot of time in his orthodontist’s Boca Raton office. Not only did he have braces twice, in high school, he also worked in the office after school helping staff take impressions of patients’ teeth with dental molds.
Based on those experiences, Rosica came to the University of Florida thinking he would be an orthodontist. Upon taking his second core biology class, though, he quickly changed his mind.
Rosica had always seen business as another option for his degree, but it wasn’t until he discovered accounting that he found his true calling.
“I realized that I could do a lot with a degree in accounting in any area, no matter what business I would end up in,” he recalled.
After earning his master’s degree in accounting with a focus on tax, Rosica joined one of the then-Big 8 accounting firms, Arthur Andersen. Years of dedicated effort within the firm’s Tampa office propelled him to Partner in 1999.
While the firm’s 2002 closure pushed Rosica to look for his next move, he knew he wouldn’t take a step without the team he had built within Arthur Andersen. Prioritizing a new company where he could keep everyone together, Rosica found the perfect match with another top accounting firm, Ernst & Young. In the 22 years since, Rosica has remained with EY, where he currently serves as Tax Partner within the company’s private client services practice.
For Rosica, developing his team has always been a top priority, no matter the firm.
“I want to be obsolete in the future,” he joked. “When I took [my current role] in New York, I had a few goals. One was to serve clients and the other was to develop our people.
“If I was able to do those things, then I’d say I was successful in my role.”
In his current position, which he took on in 2018, Rosica bounces between his home in St. Petersburg and his office in New York City every week. While the little over 2,000-mile round trip takes time, Rosica doesn’t see it as a burden. Working with multigenerational families to help them make the best tax decisions, whether that be for their businesses or consulting around private aircrafts or yachts, makes the weekly travel worth it.
Throughout his entire 35-plus year career, Rosica has focused his work with a group of people he finds particularly inspiring, entrepreneurs.
“I’ve always enjoyed working, ultimately, with the person whose situation that we’re impacting personally,” he explained. “It’s all about the people and the life-long relationships. When you’ve known someone for years, you hear everything about their lives and how you can help them over time.”
Rosica’s dedication to assisting business owners and entrepreneurs played a significant role in a University of Florida program that he’s been involved with since its inception, the Gator100.
The Gator100, which honors the 100 fastest-growing Gator-owned or Gator-led businesses in the world, is now in its 10th year. Rosica recalls the initial conversations with the university and how his background experience would ultimately help build the foundation of the Gator100 list.
While he still gets nervous every year if enough people will apply to be considered for the list, Rosica is excited to see that more and more people submit their businesses to possibly be named to the Gator100.
“What amazes me the most is that there are new companies always applying to be on the list,” he said. “The reach and footprint of the Gator Nation is so strong, so it’s great to see companies from across the nation and world on the list.”
For Rosica, giving back to his alma mater has been an important belief long before the Gator100 was established. What started out as regular visits to campus to recruit students to join EY’s ranks has since turned into positions on the Fisher School of Accounting Advisory Board, the Warrington Business Advisory Council, the UF Advancement National Foundation Board and, along with his wife Holly, leaders on the UF Parents & Family Leadership Council.
“My degree allowed me to succeed, so I wanted to give back,” he explained. “It’s a great opportunity to give back to young people today the same way that others did before me. I encourage anyone to consider getting involved with UF, and if they don’t know how to give back, then talk with people that already do, or with the teams at UF who can help.”
Rosica and his wife’s dedication to the University of Florida, unsurprisingly, flowed to their three daughters, all of whom are also Gator grads. Like when their girls were young, the family still gets together for Gator games and fishing trips, one of their favorite pastimes. As someone who grew up around the water, Rosica is glad the family can connect in places around Florida and the Bahamas to fish together, especially for some of his favorites, wahoo and mahi-mahi.
“I tell my wife, ‘I only do it to feed the family,’” he joked of their fishing trips.
