Reflections on Business, Judgment, and Leadership
From the diamond to the boardroom, Ren Cicalese draws on decades of experience advising leaders to explore how perspective, awareness, and judgment shape meaningful action. Seeing The Whole Field turns business experience into lessons in seeing the field, anticipating moves, and making decisions strategically.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ren Cicalese
CPA, PFS, CGMA
Ren Cicalese is the Managing Shareholder of Alloy Silverstein, a regional CPA firm, and part of the Alloy Silverstein Group, which also includes Abacus Payroll, Alloy Silverstein Financial Services, and Alloy Edge.
Ren has spent more than four decades advising business owners, executives, and families on accounting, tax, payroll, and financial matters. His work has focused less on technical compliance alone and more on helping people make better decisions—before problems surface, costs compound, or opportunities are missed.
Ren began his career in public accounting in the late 1970s and joined Alloy Silverstein as a tax-season temporary employee. Within weeks, he transitioned to a full-time role, became a partner at age 29, and has served as Managing Shareholder for more than 25 years. Today, he continues to work closely with clients and internal teams, believing that experience, judgment, and communication are as important as technical accuracy.
Over the years, Ren has worked alongside hundreds of business owners across industries and generations. He has seen firsthand how businesses grow, how they struggle, and how well-intended decisions can quietly go wrong when made without enough context, conversation, or perspective. Many of the lessons he shares were not learned from textbooks or regulations, but from real situations faced by real people.
Ren is known for his direct, practical approach. He believes advisors are paid for their opinions—and that honest guidance, even when uncomfortable, is part of the responsibility that comes with experience. He also believes strong relationships matter: knowing clients beyond the numbers, understanding their families, and being present when decisions carry real consequences.
Outside the office, Ren is a lifelong golfer and former college baseball player. He often draws parallels between business and sports, where success depends on awareness, preparation, and seeing more than what is immediately in front of you. That philosophy is the foundation of Seeing the Whole Field, a monthly essay series where Ren shares perspective on business, leadership, and decision-making shaped by decades of experience.
