57 days to go CHAS SUPPORTThe favorite time of the year has finally arrived.

“And every year, at the end of tax season? ” he says. “It’s like I have a new breath of life.”

A Champaign accountant and attorney — like his father, Dan — Holder holds the three titles of President of Holder Wealth Management, Partner at Holder Law Group, and Associate CPA with Daniel E. Holder & Associates, Inc.

The 2004 Centennial High graduate earned his bachelor’s degree in finance/accounting from the University of Virginia and his law degree from Washington and Lee.

Holder took the time to answer questions from Editor Jeff D’Alessio in the 116th episode of our weekly quick read spotlighting the leaders of organizations large and small.

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My business model is… my father. He is proof positive that respect, integrity and a hard work ethic are the keys to success, that life is not won in a sprint; instead, it’s a long-distance race.

The hardest thing about being a leader is… having to zig when others want to zag.

My philosophy on meetings is… listen completely and try not to interrupt. Effective meetings are good too.

I can not live without… my boat. This is my happy place.

But the winters are long.

I’m thrifty in this… I usually try to fix things before replacing them.

My one unbreakable rule in the workplace is… you must have respect for yourself and others.

The biggest business risk I’ve ever taken was… start my own legal practice. It paid off.

The last luxury I allowed myself was… last year for my birthday, when I bought a watch. A Grand Seiko GMT.

Three adjectives that I hope my employees would use to describe me are… diligent, intelligent and fair.

The most beneficial college course I took was… Business Law, at the University of Virginia, undergraduate business school. It was taught by an older veteran professor/lawyer and the class was mostly based on practical knowledge.

I still find myself relying on the teachings of this class in my own practice today.

I’m up and at them every day by… 5:30 a.m. or earlier. young children.

My exercise routine involves… trying to do three 45-minute Peloton races a week. Matt Wilpers and Emma Lovewell are my favorite instructors.

The worst job I ever had was… picking balls from shrubs and trees when I was a kid. It was a punishment for bad behavior. It only lasted a few days.

On a scale of 1 to 10, the impact of the pandemic has been a… 5, primarily due to the strain COVID has put on relationships between friends and family.

COVID is a politicized issue, and the pandemic has brought people’s political divisions to the surface — and then amplified those divisions.

As a result, relations frayed to varying degrees.

For me, that was the hardest part. With very young children – our youngest is a ‘pandemic baby’ – we were already somewhat socially reclusive, so the waves of quarantine weren’t too disruptive.