DEVELOPMENTS CORPORATE CORNER

In January, Kerkering, Barberio & Co. welcomed three new shareholders to their leadership team—Kathleen Martin, CPA; Ashley Salter, CPA; and Erin Hentrich, CPA. The firm is majority woman-owned and has been named the Best Public Accounting Firm for Women and for Equity Leadership by the Accounting MOVE Project for the past eight years.

Q. What’s most exciting about the accounting industry today?

We really can help business owners and people make the best decisions possible when it comes to their finances and taxes. Being on the front line, we’re often the first people who are finding out about upcoming business decisions and potential situations and work collaboratively with our clients to guide and advise them. That’s exciting!

- Kathleen Martin, CPA

Q: How is the Sarasota community good for business owners?

I’m a Sarasota native and there’s a reason I never left. We’ve got so many nonprofits in the area and it’s clear that the people of Sarasota are committed to making it a better place. It’s also the ‘small big city’ feel that makes our community a great place to live and work. It’s easy to build connections and word of mouth through relationships.

- Ashley Salter, CPA

Q: What’s one thing a business owner can do to strengthen their relationship with their accountant?

Communication is key to maintaining a strong relationship with your CPA. We love to be proactive rather than reactive. Share your 1-year, 5-year and longer business plans so we can work with you to achieve them, either through building out a great team of professionals (accounting, insurance, wealth management, etc.) to support you or by working with you on tax planning and strategies, or succession planning.

- Erin Hentrich, CPA