2018 Modesto Bee 20 Under 40 Honoree | Chad A. Van Houten

FAVORITE QUOTE OR SAYING, WHY?

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

It starts with self-reflection as to whether you need to make changes in your life and then finishes with a call to action to let your positive change influence the world around you. Whenever I hear myself complaining about something, this quote pops in my head and I think to myself: “Do I really have the right to complain about this if I haven’t put any thought or action in to changing it first?” This often then leads me to either stop complaining or to do something productive to induce change.

COMMUNITY OR PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:

I grew up in Escalon and attended Ripon Christian Schools. I decided to venture to the Midwest for college where I obtained both a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Bachelor of Science in Public Accounting from Calvin College. A couple of years later, I received my CPA license followed soon after by my Master’s in Taxation from Golden Gate University (one of the top programs in the country.) By the time I was 30, Grimbleby Coleman saw enough in me to add me as a shareholder and I continue to work for this amazing company.

I have served as President for the San Joaquin Chapter of the California Society of CPA’s (about 1,000 members) and founded its Emerging Executives Committee and started the CalCPA Annual Business Forum, both of which aim to help develop young professionals into leadership roles. I always felt honored to give back to the profession that has blessed me so much.

Some of the nonprofits I’m currently involved with are Priceless Treasures Thrift Stores and Community Hospice. At Priceless Treasures, I serve as Treasurer and I am committed to their mission of supporting the Sierra Salem homes for adults with developmental disabilities and raising tuition funds for students at Ripon Christian, my alma mater. I recently joined the Community Hospice board as a director. What an amazing organization that provides such an important service in our community. I am excited to support their mission of providing compassionate and quality care, education and support to terminally ill patients and their families, regardless of ability to pay.

I am also a graduate of the Modesto Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Modesto program (Class of 2016/17). You might have driven across our community project downtown as we raised money to fund the Intersection of Art project in front of the Gallo Center for the Arts.

YOUR LIFE CHANGED WHEN:

If we’re blessed to live long enough we’ll probably experience several events that significantly impact our life whether they be positive and negative.

Certainly, one of the more impactful events in my life was a negative event and that was when my older sister was killed in a drive-by shooting. She was an amazing person and I still deeply miss her. It changed my perspective on so many things, including forgiveness, the frailty of life and the power of Christ’s love.

Equally impactful and positive are when I married my wife and when I became a parent. My wife and I have two kids (ages 2 and 5 months) and the responsibility that comes with being a parent definitely changed my life.

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW MOST ABOUT YOU?

There’s a quote from Francis Chan that goes like “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”

While I want to be successful in business it is not what I want people to know most about me. I want people to know that I’m a Christian and hopefully that would be self-evident in how I live my life. Secondly, I want to live a life where my wife and kids are proud of me and they too succeed in the things that truly matter.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT LIVING HERE?

After spending four winters in Michigan, the weather is hard to beat but I’ll go with the people. I am continuously in awe of the amazing things people are doing here in our community. The generosity and the willingness to serve this community is humbling and I’m proud to be a part of it.

WHY IS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IMPORTANT?

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” – 1 Peter 4:10

So not only do I believe we are called to serve one another but I feel like why wouldn’t you want to do what you can to make the community you live and work in the best place possible for you and your family?

There are so many ways to get involved and serve that you are bound to find a way to use your gifts to give back to this wonderful community that we are a part of here in Modesto.

This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 8:01 AM.