Tax season might be over for the year, but that doesn’t mean staff at Robbins and Company Chartered Professional Accountants have slowed down too much.
“We acquired Reid Hunter back in January, and the office has been in Powell River under various names for about 30 years,” says Daryl Robbins, principal accountant at Robbins and Company. “Powell River now has access to the expertise across all four of our offices, which means we’re able to deliver some new services to Reid Hunter’s clients and the rest of Powell River.”
The company has offices in Courtenay, Parksville and Nanaimo, as well as Powell River, and expert accountants in each office are available to the others.
“There are seven chartered professional accountants with different specializations in the offices on Vancouver Island, and we’re able to refer clients with more complicated needs to them,” says Susanna East, branch manager of the Powell River office. “For example, one of the accountants specializes in estates, and another is a tax expert. Becoming part of Robbins and Company means our clients have access to more intellectual resources to really cater to their accounting needs.”
In addition to personal and corporate tax preparation, full-cycle bookkeeping, financial advice and financial planning, Powell River residents, businesses and nonprofits can now come to Robbins and Company for assurance services, including audits and review engagements.
“We can offer these services in Powell River due to the resources we have, while still remaining committed to personalized service and a forward-thinking approach to accounting,” says Daryl. “We like to say we’re a full-service accounting firm with a small-town heart. We really focus on the communities we are a part of, and our goal is to take care of the people there. You’ll definitely see our name around Powell River more and more.”
While tax season during COVID-19 presented some challenges, the staff rose to the challenge.
“Because we have four offices, we were already mostly cloud-based with our operations,” says Daryl. “While the pandemic did force us to make some adjustments to our practice, it wasn’t a big jump for us from what we were already doing. We have a focus on technology, so we’re able to serve clients who maybe can’t readily come to the office or are in another community. It also means we’re ready for whatever the future may hold.”
With some restrictions being loosened in BC, clients are now able to come to the office and meet with accountants again. Screens have been installed and hand sanitizer is readily available.
“Our clients have been really great with all the changes that have happened over the last several months,” says Susanna. “We moved to a new office space last year, transitioned to Robbins and Company in January, and of course COVID-19 required us to make some changes to the way we approached tax season.
“Our clients have been so understanding and respectful, and from all the staff here, we’d just like to say ‘thank you, Powell River.’”
Daryl has his own words of thanks for the staff at the office.
“Most of the staff have been working at the office for years, in some cases more than a decade,” he says. “When the sign changed, they didn’t even blink, and just knew what to do. They’ve really focused on making sure our clients are happy and that they know the kinds of new services that are now available to them.”
Powell River residents and organizations can contact Robbins and Company with financial services questions at 604.485.9790 or powellriver@robbinsandco.ca.
