CPAFMA Michigan Star Quality

Getting to Know our MCPAFMA President Kristine Latchaw

What was your favorite food when you were a child?
Green beans and mushroom soup – yes, I know that it is now called green bean casserole, but I didn’t know that until my mid-twenties.  In college I would heat up a can of green beans and mushroom soup for dinner.

Which super power would you like to have? 
I love this question because I truly have spent my entire life wanting two magical ability – the first would be the ability to stop time.  Mostly because I love to sleep but hate missing out on life, so whenever I am tired, I could stop time and sleep to my heart’s content and then start time back up when I wake up.  In writing this, it seems I should just want to not need to sleep, but who doesn’t love a warm, snuggly nap in the middle of the day.  My second magical ability would be a magic portal that could transport me to wherever I wanted to be.  So I could live in Hawaii, but use my two index fingers to draw a magic portal in space, walk through and “ta-da”, I am at work in Lansing, Michigan.

When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? 
I love to read.  This is my down time and escape from stress.  I am currently working my way through the second Game of Thrones book.

What do you usually do when you meet someone for the first time? 
I look at their teeth.  I have always admired nice teeth.

Where did you spend your last family vacation? 
We took our three kids for several days to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  We stayed at the Grand Traverse Resort for one night and then at the Homestead for several nights.  We had a blast.  The weather was projected to be wet, but it was gloriously sunny.  We were able to hit all of our favorite spots – North Bar Lake, Sleeping Bear Point, the Dune Climb, Cherry Fleck ice cream in Glen Arbor, lots of time at the pools and watching beautiful sunsets.

Other things:

• Title – Director of Administration, Maner Costerisan, 3 years
  
• CPA with now over 16 years of experience
  
• Husband – Casey; Kids – Gavin, 9; Rylan, 6; Kendall, 2
  
• One cat – Parker – named after a kid on As the World Turns.
  
• Favorite Restaurant – Ukai (Japanese Steakhouse), Favorite Color – Pink and Purple, Favorite Music – Country or Smile FM, Favorite Movie – Never Been Kissed and Labyrinth
  

Getting to Know our MCPAFMA Vice-President Ty Robbins

I started working for Dental Business Services located in Bay City in January of 2004.  We are a CPA firm that specializes in accounting for Dentists.  I have been the Firm Administrator at Dental Business Services since 2005.  I have been a member of CPAFMA since 2014 and will serve as Vice President from 2016 – 2018.  I enjoy the knowledge that the group has and the fact that you can bounce ideas off one another.  It is nice to know that there are others that deal with the same issues that I do and that there is a support group out there to help.

I have been married to my extraordinary wife Carianne for 17 years.  We have 4 children; Andrew 16, Calista 13, Annabelle 8 and Faith 6.  When I am not working I am very involved with my children’s schooling at Midland Christian School, where my wife is head of the school.  I enjoy spending time with my family and friends at Midland Evangelical Church and I am a Bassoholic.  I fish in about 15 to 20 bass tournaments a year.  Fishing is a great passion of mine that I share with my two youngest daughters Annabelle and Faith.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
If I won the lottery I would retire from the accounting industry and fish.

Which superpower would you like to have?
I would like to be able to control the weather!  I could fish whenever I wanted and could create as many snow days as I saw fit!

What is your favorite season?
My wife and I enjoy Autumn, beautiful weather, deer hunting and great smallmouth fishing up north.

What sound do you love?
Birds chirping outside my window and the sound of little feet running through the house!

Getting to Know our MCPAFMA Immediate Past President Tiffany Taft

I’ve been a member of AAA since 2008, and can’t imagine how I would do my job some days without the support of this group. I stepped into the role of Firm Administrator with no prior knowledge of the job. The cumulative knowledge base is amazing. They (the other members) impress me every time there is a need for information.

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my family. My kids are 19 and 13. My daughter is a sophomore in college studying dental hygiene. My son is in 7th grade and dreams of video games and football. We love outdoor activities, camping, boating, hiking, hunting, running – if it happens in the great outdoors, we will try it. Recently, my husband and I have taken up obstacle course races, like the Warrior Dash or Gladiator Run. What an adrenaline rush! Almost like Firm Administration – but without the pencils

Which super power would you like to have?
I’d like a combination of flying and invisibility. Flying would give me the ability to get places faster. And being invisible is self-explanatory! LOL

What would you do if you won the lottery?
I would pay off my church’s debt on their building. I would pay off all my debt and that of my parents. I would put money away to reimburse my kids for their college tuition after they graduate. And then I would travel everywhere.

Where would you go in a time machine?
First I would go to the New Testament times to meet Jesus. And then I would go to Walnut Grove to Little House on the Prairie! If I could do anything I want, that’s what I would do – I would live like the Ingalls’.

Advice you would give your younger self.
Be nice. Share what you have – knowledge, money, time, stuff. Laugh. A lot. Say yes whenever you can, no is way too easy. Find joy in every day. Read more.

If you were on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?
My Bible (timeless reading), sunscreen, and a hat.

Getting to know our MCPAFMA Treasurer Samantha Rice from McMahan,Thomson & Assoc., PC in Midland.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
If we are talking a large jackpot and not just a million dollars, I would deposit ALL the money that I won and live off the interest… that way the money could always be passed down in the family. I would build the house of my dreams on my newly purchased 100 acres of land with a private lake, travel as much as possible, donate and volunteer at my church as well as other non-profits, and use my money to assist my family.

Is there intelligent life in outer space?
I do think that there is other life in outer space. I have never seen any or ever really believed in people's accounts of aliens but I think that it is very narrow minded to think that we are the only ones living in the entire universe. The sun is a star that makes life possible on our planet and there are millions of stars in the solar system that could do the same for other planets out there! Maybe one day I will be proven right and won’t get looked at like a crazy person.

What is your favorite season and why?
Spring - everything is coming alive again and 50 degree weather feels warm enough to wear shorts!

What was the last experience that made you a stronger person?
Losing a loved one is always difficult, but a couple of years ago I lost my step-daughter to cancer at age 8. Although it is a heartbreaking subject I feel that her battle has had the most significant impact on me as a person. This experience has definitely made me question life but has ultimately brought me closer to God, I am not afraid to leave this world anymore and anytime I have a struggle I think of what she had to go through and it makes it seem minimal. She had a heart of gold and brought joy to everyone she met, I hope that I can do that same and make her proud.

Getting to know our MCPAFMA Secretary Kim Beare from Fenner, Melstrom & Dooling, PLC in Birmingham

I began working for Fenner, Melstrom & Dooling, PLC in 1998 and became a member of AAA in 2009. I cannot say enough how great this group is as a knowledge base and resource for not only me but the partners at my firm. I only wish that I had learned many years earlier of this group!

I am married to Les Beare. He is a wonderful, loving and Godly man that I truly adore with all my heart. We have a lot of fun together and we look forward to retiring some day in Florida.

Craziest thing you have ever done?
The craziest thing I’ve ever done is Parasail with my husband in the Pacific Ocean just off the island of Maui. I was torn between maybe having a little fun, but then when I realized just how high up we were it became a little nerve racking!

What do you do for fun?
I love to sew. When my daughters were young, every Easter and Christmas I would make them (& their dolls) matching dresses. I always looked forward to making their Halloween costumes too! Seeing that my girls are grown young women now, my sewing habit has moved to more of a quilting focus. Recently I made a Doggy Quilt and donated it to an Animal Shelter in Paw Paw, Michigan. They used the quilt in a raffle to raise over $1,000 towards the medical care of the dogs.

What song is included on the soundtrack to your life?
Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky is my absolute all-time favorite orchestral suite. Even though he originally wrote the piece for piano, I most prefer the arrangement by Ravel for orchestra!

Getting to know our MCPAFMA Marketing Chair Trudi Koskinen

I’ve been a member of CPAFMA since September of 2015. Prior to joining the chapter, I tagged along to a few meetings over a two year time frame with a co-worker. I quickly realized that regular attendance would be extremely beneficial to my own professional development and that of my firm, Fenner Melstrom & Dooling, PLC ~ “FMD”. I currently lead the administrative team at FMD; our office is located in Birmingham, Michigan.

Beyond work I consider myself to be an outdoor enthusiast. I grew up in the small town of L’Anse on the shores of Lake Superior in the UP of Michigan. My husband Mark also grew up in the UP. Our love for the great outdoors brings us “home” whenever our work schedules will allow. We have dreams of one day retiring up North but until then we are completely occupied with our daughters, Karli and Morgan. When we are not hitting the slopes or golfing 9 super slow holes (the girls are learning), you can find us running to soccer, swimming, Girl Scouts and gymnastics!

What sound do you love?
I love the sound of laughter, it is the sound of true happiness!

What is your favorite season and why?
My favorite season is spring. I love wearing rain boots, jumping in puddles with my girls, the smell of worms and the sight of flowers breaking through the ground.

Which sport do you most enjoy actively participating in?
I love to play volleyball. My senior year my high school team went 20 – 0, it was an amazing season! I still play volleyball on a ladies league weekly. I am not as fast as I used to be and do not hit the ball nearly as hard but I laugh and truly enjoy my “me” time on the volleyball court.

What is your favorite all-time movie?
My favorite movie is Annie. I could recite and sing on the top of my lungs the movie/sound track for you.

Where is the farthest you have ever traveled?
In 2008 my brother Erich and his then girlfriend Tatum sold most of what they owned and headed to Europe with their backpacks and laptops. In 2011 I traveled to Switzerland with my father and my sister to visit them; they are now happily married and Swiss citizens. I have strong ties to Switzerland, I am 50% Swiss. My paternal grandparents were born in Switzerland and came to the United States as young adults.

Getting to know Eugene Gascho from Nietzke & Faupel, PC in Pigeon

I grew up nearby on a small farm with a dog “Frisky”, a BB gun, and a scooter. The dog and BB gun are long gone. The 1954 Cushman scooter is alive and well, recently restored by my brother. Agriculture is in my blood, and one big reason I enjoy working at Nietzke & Faupel, PC as we work primarily with AG clients throughout the Great Lakes states.

For the past 14 years I’ve enjoyed working here as the firm administrator / IT guy. Prior to this, I did construction work, managed rental properties, and worked in a couple non-profit organizations: Youth for Christ and the Community Book Store. I’ve always enjoyed working with teams to make things function better. I didn’t know much about public accounting businesses when I started here at N&F. In 2007 I found out about AAA. I wish I had sooner! Our firm has greatly benefited from AAA and the Michigan Chapter members. The spirit of helping each other improve our firms is amazing.

What was the first thing you bought with your own money?
My first serious money went to Heathkit for a ham radio kit. It took 100 hours to solder the individual transistors and parts in place. Unfortunately, it took another 100 hours to find and fix the one part that was in the wrong place! Talking with strangers around the world was easy by Morse code, but conversations with a microphone was a stretch for an introverted 13 year old. Little did I know how much all this would benefit me for the rest of my life.

What is a favorite family trip?
A family trip west to the big mountains with our four young children tops my list. Many great memories, but some were terrifying! Like hitting a mule deer on a curve in the mountains, going through a hailstorm in a canyon, and busting a tire on a rock failing from a mountain. Our poor van barely made it home, wired together with coat hangers and one headlight. A favorite memory on the trip was sitting with my wife Suzanne on a large boulder on the side of Pike’s Peak while the kids were off exploring. It was a beautiful time of observing what God created.

Miscellaneous.

• Favorite quote: Fix something every day.
  
• Blessed to have: An amazing wife and loving family.
  
• Favorite reading: The Bible (light for my path) and books about how things were created.
  
• Favorite groups I’m a part of: My church family. My workplace family. Rotary Club, Sunshine Boys (a life-long early AM Bible study group), Hunger Relief Project (local farmers and AG suppliers who grow crops on 300 acres with donated time, equipment, and inputs which are sold to fund long term solutions to hunger around the world).