Two years ago, I was working in food service. I was a greeter at a restaurant, dealing with long lines, wiping grimy hand prints off of glass doors, and cleaning the restrooms at the end of the night (which once involved me picking food out of a urinal in the men’s restroom. With gloves on, of course!) Little did my Georgetown-College-Sophomore-self know, an opportunity that would change my life was just on the horizon. Well, actually, on the balcony.
Fast forward to December 2016. I’m at church. The sanctuary is decorated with trees and garlands in celebration of Christmas. I’m socializing after the service in the balcony seating when a man named Randy Shank approaches me. I’ve known Randy for a little while now, sung in his Sunday School class occasionally, but what did he want right now? He then asked me if I’d like to come work for him. I asked him what he did, and he told me accounting. Uhhh….do I look like an accountant to you?! You’re talking to the girl who is studying to be an English teacher and who had a terrible time in her MAT111 statistics class (how I got a B in that class is a mystery even Sherlock Holmes couldn’t crack). Accounting? I know nothing about accounting!
Now, this sounds too good to be true, right? What kind of maniac would hire a 20 year old college student studying English and education to work at an accounting firm? Well, turns out he wasn’t that crazy after all…
Accounting is Randy’s area of expertise, I’m just here to make his job go more smoothly. Randy designed his own program using Excel that makes detecting mistakes easier. Being out of balance is something that doesn’t just slip away or go unnoticed.
Not only is Randy a bit of an Excel genius, but he also knows the ins and outs of tax law. I’ve personally seen the look of shock on people’s faces when he tells them how much money they could be saving tax-wise if they’d only categorize it correctly. It’s hundreds of dollars, and I can say this for a fact because Shank & Company does my taxes!
Not only that, but Randy has a heart just as big as his laugh. He is such a giving person. He treats his clients and his employees like family. Ask any of his clients and they will be able to tell you at least one story of how he has helped them, financially or personally. Far from a stone-cold accountant in a lifeless cubicle, Randy helps breathe life, enthusiasm, and understanding into the accounting profession.
You may do your taxes by yourself, you may use a large accounting firm with no individualization, or you may just have a family member do your taxes. Whatever your method is, I want to sincerely encourage you to check out Shank & Company, CPA. This is a quality company that will save you more money in the long run.
We serve you. We help you. We celebrate you—the people.
