Partner Spotlight: Rick Fisher

As a child, Managing Director Rick Fisher had aspirations to become a doctor one day. He grew up a couple hours west of Nashville, Tennessee, and opted to attend Mississippi State as a pre-med student on a football scholarship. After a long first year of chemistry lectures and labs, however, Rick decided to transfer to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and pursue accounting.

“Science was not my thing,” Rick shares. “My thought was to take over my father’s [construction] business once he retired. I believed accounting would provide a good overall business education.”

After college, a classmate landed a job in Nashville with a local business management firm called Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy (FBMM). When the firm had an opening, she referred Rick.

“Their firm was hiring and I thought Nashville and the music business sounded interesting,” he says. “It’s kept my interest throughout my career.”

Rick met his wife Rosemary, a Nashville native, shortly afterward. Rick credits her for pushing him to pursue his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license. Looking back, Rick has some advice for new college graduates contemplating the CPA for themselves.

“If you think it’s something that you want to do, don’t delay sitting for the exam,” Rick advises. “When I finished school, the last thing I wanted to do was to continue studying for the exam. Much at the urging of my wife, I bit the bullet and pushed through to pass.”

Five years into his tenure with FBMM, Rick was introduced to renowned Music Manager Gary Haber of Haber Corporation through a friend. At the time, Gary had a small but growing presence in Nashville – and Rick seized the opportunity to learn and grow.

Through the years, Rick continued to scale the ranks of Haber Corporation’s Nashville office. After Gary’s passing in 2014, Rick remained with the firm when Haber merged with Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman (GRF) and became Managing Director.

He notes several factors shaped his decision to stay, including its collaborative environment in which knowledge and other ideas are shared between office locations.

“Having worked at other firms, some of the more important differences that I notice are the resources available within GRF. We have experts in royalties, foreign and domestic taxation, touring and insurance – all important aspects of our clients’ lives – and they are all a phone call away,” Rick says.

In the age of COVID-19, Rick has been able to enjoy more time in the great outdoors. He and Rosemary have three remaining children at home who share his passion for kayaking, fishing and other outdoor activities.

The “Partner Spotlight” series introduces our firm’s Managing Directors, highlighting their continued learning and development through the years. We hope their stories serve to motivate and inspire the next generation of Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman leadership.