20 under 40: Ian Grimbleby

Favorite quote or saying, why?

The saying that first came to my mind was the Golden Rule: Treat others how you want to be treated. Whether a Christian or not (as this is a Bible verse – Matthew 7:12), when I think about community, work, friends, family/parenting – it applies to all!

Community or professional highlights:

I grew up in Modesto, left to attend California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, then became a CPA while working for Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Los Angeles and Scotland. I returned to Modesto in 2010 to work at Grimbleby Coleman CPAs. Since then, I am a graduate of the Modesto Chamber of Commerce Leadership Modesto program, member of Modesto Rotary and board member of Love Modesto since it became a nonprofit organization in 2014. In 2015, I started a “craft” coffee-roasting business (Bean Counter Coffee Roasters).

Your life changed when:

Life, and my perspective on life, changes all the time. I would say my life changed when I became a dad (my wife and I now have three kids – ages 6, 4, and 8 months). Being a parent is very rewarding and difficult at the same time. It changes your perspective on most decisions, as it is not all about “me” any more.

What do you want people to know most about you?

This is a tough one … probably that I really enjoy family time with my wife and kids as well as anything that involves coffee!

What do you like most about living here?

I like living in Modesto, as it’s a small enough city that you can still know your neighbors or run into people you know downtown at the coffee shop or at local events. This type of “community” is difficult in bigger cities.

Why is community involvement important?

Community involvement is what makes Modesto “home” to me. Community involvement is serving and supporting nonprofits for me, but also supporting locally owned small businesses and finding fun things locally to do. For example, I host EuroSunday Modesto, which is a free “cars and coffee” event for European cars (8-10 a.m. on the third Sunday of every month at Village Baking Co). We are all individually responsible for making Modesto a better place.

This story was originally published August 21, 2016 at 5:36 AM with the headline "20 under 40: Ian Grimbleby."