As managing director and president of the New England practice of UHY Advisors, an accounting firm with nearly 160 offices worldwide, Natarelli oversees day-to-day operations and is actively involved in client service.

"When I took my first accounting course at Quinnipiac, I knew right away that was what I wanted," he says. "I enjoyed understanding how different businesses work, and I figured that I would always be learning something new."

Natarelli provides services that range from performing audits to consulting on refinancing and on corporate acquisitions and mergers, to executing forensic examinations on construction contractors and acting as an expert witness in arbitration and litigation related to construction claims.

"I want to help people personally and in their businesses, and I speak in plain English," he said. "Lots of good certified public accountants can do your taxes. But not everyone can tell you how to confront management issues or how to save money. Our philosophy is that the client is buying the whole firm; we are there to give them the attention they need," Natarelli said.

"Sometimes that means telling them something they would rather not hear, but our role is to be the shepherd of all their financial transactions," he said.

When hiring, Natarelli often turns to his alma mater. "We get 75 percent of our hires from Quinnipiac," he said. "I find the smaller classes and the personalized attention are central to teaching the interaction skills that we want our employees to have," he said.

"I always preach that, in our business, our biggest asset goes home at night."