Welcome to the fourth installment of our “Perkins Milestones” anniversary series, which explores our employees’ career paths and their time at Perkins. (If you missed our other anniversary posts, check out our blog to scope them out.)
At a young age, Kimberly developed a desire to help people thrive and a love of real estate and community building. Her family, starting with bare land, built a variety of different businesses on their farm: donut shop, convenience store, and an ice-cream parlor to name a few — all in addition to the production and care of 20,000 chickens, horses and cows. Growing up surrounded by entrepreneurs, Kimberly was raised with a can-do attitude and keen interest in business.
While attending Oregon State University to study business, Kimberly’s father suffered a massive stroke, so she put her studies on hold to assist her mother with the financial aspects of the family’s businesses. Years later, Kimberly is still helping businesses with their finances. Her kind and friendly nature makes everyone feel like family. For 20 years Perkins & Co has been fortunate to have this caring and clever dynamo on our team. We recently asked her to reflect on her time at Perkins, and here’s what she had to say:
Q: How did you first hear about Perkins?
My professors in college recommended Perkins as a good alternative option to the Big 4.
Q: What attracted you to Perkins?
I was attracted to the size of the firm, the people and the firm’s reputation.
Q: What was your first project at Perkins & Co and in what industry was it?
When I first started at Perkins, I was doing both audit and tax work. However, the most memorable projects are from my time as a senior. Tim Kalberg was my supervisor, and we worked on tax returns for a premier new & used store fixture supplier and a prominent high-rise commercial office building in downtown Portland. At the time, those were two of the most complex returns to prepare; they involved crazy work papers to track the various book/tax differences and reconciliations of accounts. The work was further complicated by the fact that Tim used Lotus and 12 column paper work papers, while I only knew Excel. Our team for these projects definitely burned the midnight oil to make things work and ensure the projects were completed on time.
Q: What do you like most about working at Perkins?
I adore the people — both internal at the firm and the clients. We have a smart group and great teams to work with. We also have awesome clients. The sophistication of the interconnected services we can provide allows us to do a better job and make our work more fun! It’s great to be able to simply walk down the hall and get answers to, or brainstorm about, complex or unusual issues.
Q: What’s your best memory at Perkins (so far)?
That’s a tough one. Some of my favorite memories include the family picnics and the fun activities we do as a firm. Back in the day, Cheryl Perkins, our former president, hosted family picnics at her house where people could water ski and the kids giddily played in the mud. I also enjoyed playing on the city league softball team and participating on our firm’s Hood to Coast teams for five consecutive years.
Also, let’s not forget the delirious moments in busy season. After you’ve worked very long hours you say and do some silly things—like wearing one blue shoe and one black shoe to work—and can’t help but laugh at yourself.
Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew before entering “the real world” about the accounting profession?
To be honest, I wish I had known how rewarding a career at an accounting firm could be. You’re surrounded by smart, dedicated, creative (yeah, who ever thought accountants and creative would be in the same sentence), and, surprisingly, very competitive people. You often hear only about the long hours you’re expected to work during busy season.
Q: What advice would you give to younger accountants or individuals entering the accounting field?
Know yourself and what drives you. Learn the business of accounting and what makes a firm successful and you, too, will be successful. You’ll be surprised how important soft skills are versus technical ones.
Q: What do you look for in a candidate who’s looking to join Perkins &Co?
Personality. For me it’s important that a candidate has a sense of humor — it gets us through some crazy times, as I mentioned earlier. Someone who’s naturally curious and self-motivated is extremely important too. Be motivated to learn for yourself and to learn about the clients and their needs; that’s why we do what we do…to help clients reach their goals and build their legacy.
There’s no doubt Kimberly is a legacy-builder; we’ve had the benefit of experiencing that first-hand! Kimberly has been integral to building Perkins’ reputation as the go-to firm for the accounting needs of local commercial real estate and construction businesses. Her focus on real estate building a community versus just a building gives her work depth and breadth. She brings skill, experience and a lot of heart to everything she does. Thank you for your great work, Kimberly!