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Firm Profile
Call it philosophy, vision, or just the way we are: we serve each of our clients to the utmost of our ability, we treat our colleagues with respect, and we proudly support the communities in which we live.
Click around and get to know us a little better!
The Executive Team
Rachel G. Young, CPA, CGMA MAcc
Chief Executive Officer &
Strategic Consultant
Kolbe: 8-7-2-3
Rachel is the Queen of governmental & nonprofit auditing, financial reporting regulation, and governance. She is a proven strategic planning advisor. Her free time is family time - there's nothing better than a day with her husband, Josh, & their 2 children, Edy & Silas.
Dennis E. Sherrin, CPA, CVA, CFF, CGMA
Chief Value Officer &
Strategic Consultant
Kolbe: 7-3-8-2
Dennis has spent 30+ years guiding businesses to achieve their goals (including ours!). He's a Kolbe Team Building Consultant & was recently tapped to sit on the Governing Council for AICPA because he's always looking to the future. He loves exploring the outdoors with his wife & rescue dog.
Earl Blackmon, CPA, CGMA
Shareholder & Financial Consultant
A successful LSS Greenbelt consultant, a Wealth Management Advisor, and 35+ as an accounting consultant to boot! Earl specializes in healthcare, retail & real estate industries. He enjoys camping with his wife, Lisa, visiting with his grandchildren, & watching sports - Go Jags! & Chop On!
Diane Anderson
Chief Operating Officer &
Strategic Relationship Consultant
Kolbe: 9-6-3-2
Diane is here to get you rocking & rolling with the right team members to start reaching your goals. (Not-so) hidden talent? She's banking & capital expert. Speaking of rock & roll... she and her husband love going to concerts & traveling to Napa and/or Lake Tahoe.
Of Counsel
Xavier Hartmann, III, CPA
A founder of the firm, Xavier paved the way for us to be here to serve you today. Now he occasionally offers consulting & litigation services, but mostly prefers to spend his time in New Orleans eating good food and watching great sports.
Sally Wagner, CPA
A relationship expert and accounting whiz, Sally knows her way around a tax return & still occasionally shows off her skills while training younger staff. She loves meeting up with friends for dinner, working out at the Y, and traveling to see her niece in Texas.
Rucker Taylor, III,
CPA, CGMA, MAcc
Although his favorite place to be is in NC watching his son coach baseball, Rucker can occasionally be found helping our younger staff learn & grow into successful CPAs.
Our Team
Nancy Bell
Director of Internal Strategy
Guess who's back? Back again? It's Nancy! After a few decades hiatus to work for the government, Nancy has returned to take over our HR and Firm Administrator duties. Besides making sure we get paid and coordinating with all our vendors, Nancy also loves K-Pop, her family, and making the most delicious smelling lunches our kitchen has ever produced.
Crissy Bonifay
Payroll Supervisor
Kolbe: 7-7-3-3
Crissy has been with our firm for 22+ years. She's developed an expertise in payroll and now offers those services and advice to clients. A Mardi Gras enthusiast, Crissy is one of the original founders of the Mystics of the Bay Krewe. She also loves reading, watching The Walking Dead and Supernatural, and hanging out with her family.
Heather Brackin
Project Coordinator
Working from Birmingham, Heather assists with a huge range of tasks from arranging client meetings, to coordinating big projects, and tracking our many internal initiatives. Some of her favorite things are: her husband, their kitties, and growing orchids.
Yvonne Bryars
Customer Service Specialist
After a short time away, Yvonne has returned to reprise her role as a customer service specialist in Fairhope! She's the first friendly face you see when you visiting and her knowledge of our firm and clients makes her a true asset. In her free time Yvonne loves to be with family and go bargain shopping!
Taylor Clinkenbeard, CPA
Strategic Analyst
Kolbe: 6-7-2-6
Taylor has a unique aptitude for identifying trends in numbers. Maybe that's why she's so great at training clients who want to understand cloud software. Some of her favorite activities include going to the beach, being outside, & Netflix binging.
Carly Corte, MAcc
Strategic Analyst
Kolbe: 7-8-2-3
Carly excels at performing internal control analysis, audits, compilations and reviews for small companies, government agencies, 401k’s and not for profit organizations. She loves cats, pickles, going to the beach, & watching Crimson Tide football.
Amanda Green
Customer Service Specialist
Kolbe: 6-6-4-4
17 years ago, Amanda started right in the middle of a tax season and decided to stick around. That was lucky for us! She makes sure your problems are resolved while providing support to our team. She enjoys spending time with her son, Wesley, & volunteering with the Fairhope Fire Explorer Post 5058 program.
Josh Jensen, CPA
Strategic Advisor
Kolbe: 8-5-3-3
A remote employee working in Mississippi since 2007, Josh perfected the WFH model long ago. His expertise serves business clients with a primary focus in the construction industry. Josh enjoys traveling, Saints football, golfing & being with his family.
Becky Jones, CB
Senior Accounting Specialist
Kolbe: 7-7-4-3
The CB behind her name stands for Certified Bookkeeper. Her expertise runs deep and as a Certified QBO Advisor she also provides training for clients who would like to understand and use Quickbooks Online. Becky enjoys being with her husband, going to the beach, and shopping (specifically for shoes!).
Cheri Kriner
Director of Internal Strategy
Kolbe: 7-7-2-5
Cheri performs the vital tasks that keep every single person here operating from day-to-day. This ranges from developing & implementing firm policies to making sure our light bulbs are changed. When not at work, you won't find Cheri "hanging out" - she'll be outside kayaking, biking with the Slow Bicycle Society (yes, that actually exists), hiking, or volunteering for the Mobile Symphony Orchestra.
Ellie LaPorte
Analyst
Kolbe: 7-8-4-2
A recent graduate from the University of South Alabama, Ellie joined Avizo after completing a spring internship. She is now part of our team developing expertise in our tax, assurance, and client accounting services.
Hayley Lowe
Analyst
Kolbe: 4-2-9-4
Being hands-on in assurance, tax, and client accounting isn't something everyone can do, but Hayley makes it look simple. In her free time, she loves going to the beach and hanging out with her family.
Karen McKinney
Strategic Advisor
Kolbe: 8-6-3-3
With 30+ years of accounting experience, Karen's expertise lies in navigating complex business compliance and planning for healthcare, retail, and construction entities. She loves being a grandma, spending time with family, and celebrating Mardi Gras.
Jacky McLain
Senior Accounting Specialist
Kolbe: 7-8-3-3
Jacky is an expert at preparing financial statements and enjoys researching tough issues for business owners. She expresses her creativity through making stained glass pieces and crocheting. She & her husband, Mike, love spending time with their 6 grandchildren and dog, Chloe.
Shelby Pate
Customer Service Specialist
Kolbe: 5-7-7-2
A true relationship-builder, Shelby adores the clients she works with. She takes time to get to know you and make sure you’re taken care of every time you come to visit. She is also a lover of exotic birds and is a volunteer board member for both CACC vet tech advisory board and for the South Alabama’s Cage Bird Society.
Marian Pekelder, CPA
Strategic Advisor
Kolbe: 8-3-6-2
Business owners can rely on Marian for answering questions with practical, well-researched advice. Around the firm, everyone knows she can whip up a response to an IRS notice in her sleep. Outside of work, you’ll often find her working in her yard, camping with friends, or tending to her horses, cats, and dogs.
Kim Pendley
Strategic Analyst
Kolbe: 8-8-2-3
If you’re a business owner and your books are a mess – Kim can fix it. She has 25+ years of experience in nonprofit & governmental accounting and financial reporting as well as individual taxation (specifically LLCs or rental property). She enjoys spending time with her family and her dog, Cocoa and is a big fan of Nebraska Huskers football. Actually, she loves to watch most sports – including football, basketball, baseball, and WWE.
Jill Rector
Billing Specialist Lead
Kolbe: 7-4-4-3
Dedicated to continuous improvement, Jill is always listening to client and employee feedback to make our billing process as efficient as possible. As a remote employee she resides in Destin, Florida with her husband and grandson. Jill has a lot of fun remodeling furniture, watching Alabama football, and going to church.
Kirsten Robertson Owens, CPA
Strategic Analyst
Kolbe: 9-5-3-2
As an auditor, throughout the year Kirsten meets with clients to assist with their annual audit and address any concerns they have. As a mentor, Kirsten is very involved with our interns to assist with their training and coaching during their time with our company. She likes to boat, fish and hunt. When not outside, you’ll find her hanging out at home with her husband and their 2 dogs and 1 cat.
Erann Thompson
Director of Advisory Services
Kolbe: 8-7-2-3
Erann works side-by-side with business owners to find the right combination of accounting cloud applications to develop efficiencies & profitability for your business. Erann and her husband live in Foley with their son and nephew. Together they all enjoy boating, fishing, and anything on the water.
Chris VanArsdale
Strategic Analyst
Kolbe: 8-5-4-2
Chris maintains expertise in litigation support, international taxation, and complex entity and fiduciary taxation services. He is an avid fan of the Atlanta Braves, New Orleans Saints, and South Alabama Jaguars. He also enjoys traveling, especially if the destination has a brewery... or three.
Javier Ahumada
Analyst
KOLBE: 8-3-4-4
Javier graduated from the University of Mobile. After working three years in New York, he returned to Alabama and joined our team. As part of Avizo, Javier assists with tax, assurance, and client accounting services. He enjoys playing tennis, outdoor activities, and hanging out with his family in his free time.
Elizabeth Zimmerman
Strategic Analyst
KOLBE:4-6-3-7
Fairhope native, Auburn University alum (War Eagle!), and public accountant with over 6 years of experience. She navigated from Dallas, TX, to Park City, UT, before finding her way back home. Elizabeth is passionate about water activities like scuba diving, sailing, and kayaking.
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