Dalyce Cooper, John Tempest, Amanda Finke, Brett Pudwell and Hayden Beck (not pictured) are the five new principals to join the team at EBT Chartered Professional Accountants.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
When you picture an accountant, what do you see?
If it’s a number-crunching bore in an over-starched shirt you dread to visit because dealing with finances is stressful and confusing, then you’re definitely not alone.
Taxation, audits, bookkeeping, financial planning… these aren’t terms that spark confidence in most people, and those of us intimidated by such things might view someone who isn’t as a robotic, emotionless figure, who must be deriving their passion from an unnatural place.
If any of this is actually true however, someone forgot to tell the folks at EBT Chartered Professional Accountants, because it doesn’t take a long conversation to see that this firm is full of professionals whose love for what they do isn’t just genuine, it’s contagious.
“Honestly, the thing that attracted me to EBT more than anything was the culture,” says John Tempest, one of five new principals to join as part of a recent expansion. “I had a few friends who worked here before I did, and they just raved about how good the staff was, how good the work was, how challenging it was and, really, just the whole environment.
“It’s a fun place to work and that’s really what drove me to come here.”
That simple feeling of enjoying the workday is a sentiment found throughout the staff, which creates quite an infectious atmosphere.
“The people here are just so much fun,” says Amber Courtoreille, human resources and office manager. “On top of being a dedicated group, that really sticks out here.”
Enthusiasm for the work has always been a driving force behind the growth at EBT, which has enjoyed a steady climb from its early days in the 1970s as van der Sloot and McPhail, to its 1998 rebranding as EBT – named after founding principals Curtis Ensminger, Todd Beck and Dan Thompson.
The recent addition of five new principals – Tempest, Amanda Finke, Brett Pudwell, Dalyce Cooper and Hayden Beck – brings EBT’s total to 13, a number made necessary following a recent merger with Pinnacle Financial Services out of Swift Current. EBT, which has clients well beyond southeast Alberta, already had an established southern Saskatchewan clientele that will now enjoy a new level of convenience and care.
“We have quite a decent size book there,” says Courtoreille. “But there was a real opportunity to grow that and we didn’t have the space, so when the opportunity with Pinnacle arose, it was simply the perfect fit. The stars really aligned.”
It’s safe to say Hatters, and beyond, expect a strong level of trust when putting their finances in the hands of another, and EBT has for decades made it a priority to build those bonds with clients. They must be doing something right because EBT has become the ideal firm for retiring or exiting accountants to send their own clientele, and you’ll struggle to ring an endorsement louder than when it comes from your competition.
“We’re are a trusted adviser,” says Courtoreille. “They know that we do good work and they know we’ll take care of their clients.
“One of our standout factors at EBT is our client care. We fully understand and appreciate that we wouldn’t exist if we didn’t have the clients we have.”
Many use an accounting firm when tax season rolls around, but EBT’s clients tend to take advantage of a long list of services, from financial planning, to consulting to a full-scale assist on agricultural operations. Understanding the full needs of families and the community is just natural at EBT because families from the community is exactly what makes up the staff there.
That’s why EBT is so community driven, whether it be ensuring the financial security of clients, or collectively working as a staff to raise donations for charitable efforts, or hosting food drives, or supporting youth sports – the community’s success is their success.
“We have so many people here who are family, multi-generational, who truly believe in this community and their clients,” says Tempest. “So we give back where we live, and I truly believe that’s a cornerstone of our office and something we try to build our culture around.
“It’s not about being flashy – the people here just do it naturally.”
*sponsored content produced for EBT Chartered Professional Accountants*
