Andersen built a small auditing firm into one of the largest accounting consultancy operations in the world. Andersen capitalized on the passage of federal income tax laws in the early decades of the twentieth century to build his business initially. He was one of the first firms to conduct an extensive college recruiting program, and he committed significant funds to ongoing education and training. Andersen was known as one of the country’s foremost authorities on accounting, and his reputation for integrity was widely heralded.