LA Times Studios recognized Blueprint CFO’s Jim Downes for fractional CFO expertise and turnaround consulting leadership on this year’s Banking and Finance Visionary list.
LOS ANGELES, CA – GHJ, a national advisory, tax and accounting firm, is proud to announce that Blueprint CFO’s Jim Downes has been named one of the 2026 Banking and Finance Visionaries by LA Times Studios. This recognition highlights professionals shaping Southern California’s financial sector through leadership, innovation and measurable impact for clients and communities.
“Jim has spent his career helping business owners make critical financial decisions and address transformative periods of change,” said GHJ’s Advisory Services Practice Leader Anant Patel. “Now under the GHJ umbrella, he and his team at Blueprint continue to deliver unmatched, strategic insight and guidance that clients trust when the stakes are highest. This recognition is a direct result of the impact Jim has on businesses across California and beyond.”
Jim is a veteran Chief Financial Officer (CFO) services advisor, who has supported business owners and management teams for more than 20 years. Over the course of his career, he has worked with more than 200 companies to optimize their finance function. Jim founded Blueprint CFO, a fractional CFO firm that joined GHJ in 2025. The partnership brought Blueprint CFO’s highly personalized financial strategy services to GHJ’s deep bench of expertise across tax, audit and assurance, advisory, and search and staffing solutions. Today, the Blueprint CFO team provides capital strategy and cash management, strategic planning, expense and profitability management, fractional CFO services and more.
“I’m honored to be recognized among this year’s banking and finance visionaries,” Jim said. “For me, the most rewarding aspect of this work is helping business owners adopt a future-focused approach to accounting by using financial insight to both understand the past and guide smarter decisions for the future.”
JIM DOWNES, TENURED FINANCE LEADER
In his role, Jim, CPA, CTP, specializes in fractional CFO services and turnaround consulting, working across middle-market and privately held businesses. He is currently the host of the Future Focused Entrepreneurs podcast series, which explores entrepreneurs’ leadership journeys.
Blueprint CFO, backed by the strength of GHJ’s comprehensive suite of services, is a trusted collaborator for growing businesses seeking financial clarity and strategy without the cost of a full-time CFO. The fractional CFO team works with clients throughout Southern California and the country. Further, Blueprint CFO has been recognized nationally by Accounting Today as a Best Small Firm to Work For and a Best Place to Work in SoCal by Best Companies Group.
The LA Times Studios annually ranks professionals in the commercial banking, investment banking, asset/investment management, lending, private equity and professional services sectors for their contributions in the banking and finance industries. This honor demonstrates GHJ’s deep commitment to driving client-centric results across its service areas.
About GHJ
GHJ is a national independent advisory, tax and accounting firm that partners with businesses and nonprofit organizations to deliver clarity and confidence. Since 1953, GHJ has combined deep industry expertise with an entrepreneurial spirit to help leaders achieve their strategic goals.
GHJ is headquartered in Los Angeles and serves clients nationwide, backed by its own dispersed workforce. With nearly 300 professionals and 26 partners, the Firm provides senior-level expertise with deep industry capabilities in food and beverage, media and advertising, entertainment and nonprofit.
GHJ is a top-ranking firm in the U.S. and member of HLB International. Through this global network, GHJ offers seamless access to resources in over 150 countries while remaining fiercely focused on client success.
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