Brent Gow, CPP, who has faithfully served PayrollOrg for nearly 40 years in various volunteer roles, was honored with the Board of Directors Award today during the 42nd Annual Payroll Congress Opening General Session.

Gow, who is the Managing Partner at BRGow and Associates, LLC, attended his first Payroll Congress in 1988, and he was hooked.

"A brief thought to reflect on my 46 years of payroll and my passion for this profession — I reflect on so many who have helped me through these 46 years. There’s so many in this room who were supportive," he said.

PayrollOrg Executive Director Dan Maddux said in his presentation that Gow was so impressed with the organization, and Payroll Congress itself, that he began asking what he could do to help.

“Since that first offer, he has faithfully served PAYO for 36 years, helping to fundamentally shape both the organization and the payroll industry,” said Maddux. “His philosophy to keep learning every day and his passion for seeing payroll professionals flourish led him to be an industry trailblazer, pioneering foundational methodologies for global payroll, business continuity planning, and much more.”

Of course, no one could have accurately predicted the impact he would ultimately have on the payroll industry, especially in payroll education.

He was instrumental in the development of the CPP certification program, now the most recognized credential in the payroll industry, as well as the first generation of PayTrain®, the leading online payroll training program.

He also helped write the curriculum for programs on preparing for year-end, mergers and acquisitions, and vendor relations management, and spent more than 30 years teaching those courses as an in-demand instructor on PayrollOrg’s National Speakers Bureau. In fact, Gow created vast portions of our overall educational curriculum that are not U.S.-specific.

But Gow was also renowned for his ability to lead.

For many years, he met with government leaders at the IRS and SSA as part of a Payroll Work Group to help simplify reporting processes and provide insight from a payroll perspective.

Gow served as PayrollOrg’s Vice President for four years before becoming President-Elect in 2011. After a very successful Presidency, he continued with over a decade of impactful participation on PayrollOrg’s Board of Directors, before concluding his final term at this year’s Annual Business Meeting, which was held on April 30.

Gow has always had the unwavering support of his family. He is a proud father of two daughters, Kelsie and Stacy, and his wife, Cindy, has always enthusiastically supported his volunteer efforts for PayrollOrg. In fact, she herself has been a long-time volunteer on PayrollOrg’s Welcoming Committee at Payroll Congress.

"I was provided the opportunities to educate, flourish and learning all the peripherals that go with it. I challenge each of you to dig deep and get the passion for payroll," said Gow.

PayrollOrg has been privileged to have Brent as a friend, mentor, and leader for nearly 40 years. Brent’s immense knowledge, dedication, and contributions have helped PayrollOrg and the payroll industry grow to where they are today.

Bryan Kirk is the Senior Writer and Editor of Membership Publications for PayrollOrg. Emily West is a freelance writer and reporter from Nashville, Tennessee.