Originally published on December 01, 2019.
Phil Bateman, armed with a talent for math and a goal to help business owners manage their enterprises and to excel, came to SUU in 1987 from Cottonwood High in Murray, Utah.
At SUU, he learned many of the vital aspects he needed for a career in accounting, but Phil was not all work and no play, “[I] loved the outdoor element in Cedar,” he says. “Being less than an hour from somewhere like Zion or Cedar Breaks was amazing.”
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master of accountancy, Phil moved to the Vegas valley, where he has lived and worked ever since. As a shareholder with Hilburn & Lein, CPAs, he functions as the audit and quality control partner for his firm of four shareholders and 16 employees. He supervises some 400 attest engagements annually, and also performs business consulting and provides tax preparation services for an ever-growing client base. In addition to his day job, he serves on six nonprofit boards and enjoys the opportunity to help people and to use his talents, formed at SUU and honed in his profession.
Professionally, Phil is most proud of being a CPA and CFE while serving his community, but personally, his pride and joy is being a husband to fellow SUU alum Kim (’97) and father to their three well-loved children.
He says that when not in demand at the firm, he loves traveling, hiking, and backpacking along with all manner of activities with his family.
