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CPA of Elizabeth Bystrom CPA, Ltd., in White Bear Lake
Ms. Bystrom is licensed as a CPA in the State of Minnesota and has spent 18 years explaining the Internal Revenue Code to people in such a way that they actually understand what she is saying. In 2010, her entrepreneurial voice finally grew too loud to ignore and she made the leap to small business owner. Ms. Bystrom went to work building from the ground up a boutique firm that specializes in small business and individual tax consulting. Her belief is that the right combination of good communication, good information and good advice is the foundation for good decisions. Today, her firm offers more than just the traditional tax preparation services, offering growth services such as tax planning, business coaching and QuickBooks training. Ms. Bystrom leverages her professional experience and the latest technology to maintain a work/life balance that suits both her clients and family alike. Her experiences as a spokesperson for the MN State Society of CPA’s, as well as her side hustle as a snow board instructor add a richness to her unique brand. Ms. Bystrom’s natural approachability, combined with her open and honest style has allowed her to build a practice unlike any other. Her collaborative process in dealing with her clients provides them with the opportunity to be tax-aware and make smarter decisions in all areas of daily life.

John W. Schmehl, a Dilworth Paxson LLP partner, advises clients on tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions; spin-off, split-off, and split-up transactions involving the tax-free division of assets; structuring executive compensation plans, including advice on golden parachutes and §409A deferred compensation issues; preservation of net operating losses and §382 studies; insolvency and bankruptcy planning, including forgiveness of debt issues; §1031 like-kind exchanges; S corporations; formation of limited partnership and limited liability companies; and state and local tax issues. With four years’ experience as an IRS trial attorney, Mr. Schmehl continues to advise clients in tax controversies from audit to appeal to litigation, both in the United States Tax Court and in tax refund litigation in District Court or the Court of Federal Claims. He also advises on private letter rulings and technical advice, and on IRS collection matters, and he works with the firm’s Corporate Investigations/White Collar Group to defend fraud and criminal tax investigations. As an IRS District Counsel attorney, Mr. Schmehl advised revenue agents, revenue officers and special agents in civil, collection and criminal tax matters. He graduated cum laude with a B.A. degree in Psychology from Muhlenberg College in 1975. Mr. Schmehl earned his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, where he was the editor of the Dickinson Law Review and a recipient of the Edwin Polisher and Prentice-Hall Awards in Taxation in 1978. Mr. Schmehl received his LL.M. degree in Taxation from Temple University School of Law in 1982. He was recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 2004-2017.

Stephanie Searles Vogel is an associate in Dilworth Paxson’s Tax, Employee Benefits, and Trusts & Estates departments. She represents individuals, small and large businesses, and tax-exempt entities in a broad range of tax areas, including tax planning, trusts and estates, and employee benefits issues, as well as charity and foundation governance issues. Ms. Vogel previously served as a senior associate and as an experienced associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Philadelphia, where she worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions Tax Group with large, multinational, corporate clients. Her legal pro bono experience includes working on various tax law cases for low-income clients and also preparing Pennsylvania and federal tax returns. Ms. Vogel has worked on cases with Philadelphia VIP, PVLA and Pennsylvania SeniorLAW Helpline. She graduated cum laude with a B.A degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009. Ms. Vogel is a graduate of Villanova University School of Law, where she received the Dean’s Merit Scholarship and the Dorothy Day Award for Pro Bono Service and served as president of the Tax Law Society. During law school, she externed for Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Hey of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She received her LL.M. degree in Taxation from Villanova University School of Law in 2015. Ms. Vogel was recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2016-2017.

Matthew I. Whitehorn is a partner in Dilworth Paxson LLP’s Tax Group, chair of the Employee Benefits Group, and chair of the Pro Bono Committee, and he was the 2016-2017 chair of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). Mr. Whitehorn works with clients on a broad range of benefits matters and has spent over 25 years focusing his practice on ERISA issues. In addition to ERISA and retirement plan fiduciary requirements, he regularly addresses benefits issues such as: Affordable Care Act compliance, governmental and tax-exempt employer pension and 457(b) plans, employee benefits in bankruptcy, compliance reviews of qualified retirement plans, and non-qualified deferred compensation plans and compliance with Code Section 409A and Code Section 457(f) requirements. Mr. Whitehorn is a member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans as well as the IRS Mid-Atlantic Area Pension Liaison Group. He is co-chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association Employee Benefits Committee and a member of its Pension Committee. Mr. Whitehorn was recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 2014-2017. He graduated with a B.A./M.A. degree in History from Johns Hopkins University in 1981. He earned his J.D. degree from Villanova University School of Law in 1984. He received his LL.M. degree in Taxation from Temple University School of Law in 1987.

Nicholas Koontz is an associate in Dilworth Paxson’s Tax and Trusts & Estates departments. Mr. Koontz previously worked for the Interpublic Group of Companies focusing primarily on international tax matters. He earned his J.D. degree from the University of South Dakota graduating with Sterling Honors. During law school, he served as production editor for the South Dakota Law Review and as a graduate research assistant for Professor Allen Madison. Mr. Koontz received his LL.M. degree in Taxation from New York University in 2018. His legal pro bono work includes tax controversy and tax return preparation for low-income clients.

John W. Schmehl, a Dilworth Paxson LLP partner, advises clients on tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions; spin-off, split-off, and split-up transactions involving the tax-free division of assets; structuring executive compensation plans, including advice on golden parachutes and §409A deferred compensation issues; preservation of net operating losses and §382 studies; insolvency and bankruptcy planning, including forgiveness of debt issues; §1031 like-kind exchanges; S corporations; formation of limited partnership and limited liability companies; and state and local tax issues. With four years’ experience as an IRS trial attorney, Mr. Schmehl continues to advise clients in tax controversies from audit to appeal to litigation, both in the United States Tax Court and in tax refund litigation in District Court or the Court of Federal Claims. He also advises on private letter rulings and technical advice, and on IRS collection matters, and he works with the firm’s Corporate Investigations/White Collar Group to defend fraud and criminal tax investigations. As an IRS District Counsel attorney, Mr. Schmehl advised revenue agents, revenue officers and special agents in civil, collection and criminal tax matters. He graduated cum laude with a B.A. degree in Psychology from Muhlenberg College in 1975. Mr. Schmehl earned his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, where he was the editor of the Dickinson Law Review and a recipient of the Edwin Polisher and Prentice-Hall Awards in Taxation in 1978. Mr. Schmehl received his LL.M. degree in Taxation from Temple University School of Law in 1982. He was recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 2004-2017.

Stephanie Searles Vogel is an associate in Dilworth Paxson’s Tax, Employee Benefits, and Trusts & Estates departments. She represents individuals, small and large businesses, and tax-exempt entities in a broad range of tax areas, including tax planning, trusts and estates, and employee benefits issues, as well as charity and foundation governance issues. Ms. Vogel previously served as a senior associate and as an experienced associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Philadelphia, where she worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions Tax Group with large, multinational, corporate clients. Her legal pro bono experience includes working on various tax law cases for low-income clients and also preparing Pennsylvania and federal tax returns. Ms. Vogel has worked on cases with Philadelphia VIP, PVLA and Pennsylvania SeniorLAW Helpline. She graduated cum laude with a B.A degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009. Ms. Vogel is a graduate of Villanova University School of Law, where she received the Dean’s Merit Scholarship and the Dorothy Day Award for Pro Bono Service and served as president of the Tax Law Society. During law school, she externed for Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Hey of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She received her LL.M. degree in Taxation from Villanova University School of Law in 2015. Ms. Vogel was recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2016-2017.

Matthew I. Whitehorn is a partner in Dilworth Paxson LLP’s Tax Group, chair of the Employee Benefits Group, and chair of the Pro Bono Committee, and he was the 2016-2017 chair of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). Mr. Whitehorn works with clients on a broad range of benefits matters and has spent over 25 years focusing his practice on ERISA issues. In addition to ERISA and retirement plan fiduciary requirements, he regularly addresses benefits issues such as: Affordable Care Act compliance, governmental and tax-exempt employer pension and 457(b) plans, employee benefits in bankruptcy, compliance reviews of qualified retirement plans, and non-qualified deferred compensation plans and compliance with Code Section 409A and Code Section 457(f) requirements. Mr. Whitehorn is a member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans as well as the IRS Mid-Atlantic Area Pension Liaison Group. He is co-chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association Employee Benefits Committee and a member of its Pension Committee. Mr. Whitehorn was recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 2014-2017. He graduated with a B.A./M.A. degree in History from Johns Hopkins University in 1981. He earned his J.D. degree from Villanova University School of Law in 1984. He received his LL.M. degree in Taxation from Temple University School of Law in 1987.

Rachael High Chamberlain is an associate in the Lexington office of Frost Brown Todd LLC and practices in the area of tax law with an emphasis on state and local taxation. She has experience in the areas of property tax, sales and use tax, and income tax. Ms. Chamberlain has also assisted with several nonprofit entities’ tax projects and, she assists clients with general business transactions. Ms. Chamberlain is a 2011 graduate of Transylvania University, and received her degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2014. She currently serves as chair of the Tax Section of the Kentucky Bar Association.

Nelson D. Rodes IV is an attorney and associate in the Louisville office of Frost Brown Todd LLC. Mr. Rodes’ practice focuses on civil and criminal tax litigation matters as well as the tax implications of general business transactions. He has counseled clients on various issues involving federal and state income taxes, employment taxes, sales and use tax, real property taxes, and tax incentives. Prior to joining Frost Brown Todd, Mr. Rodes was with Ernst & Young where he was a senior in the firm’s National Tax Department, focusing primarily in the area of state and local transactional tax, assisting clients with the tax consequences of mergers and acquisitions and post-transactional planning. He also served as a summer law clerk for the Hon. Joseph R. Goeke of the United States Tax Court prior to earning his LL.M. degree in Taxation. Mr. Rodes is a graduate of Centre College and received his J.D. degree from the University of Kentucky and LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University.

Richard B. Woods, Jr., is a partner in MCM’s Tax Services Department and leads the Federal Tax Group. His practice focus is providing business and individual tax planning and compliance to closely held businesses and their owners, with emphasis on C corporation/shareholder issues, consolidated multi-state tax returns, mergers and acquisitions, partnership and S corporation issues, and real estate matters. Mr. Woods has been active in public accounting since 1996 and was formerly associated with a national accounting firm for over five years. He is a member of the firm’s Insurance, Manufacturing and Financial Institutions Service Teams.

Squire & Co., PC, Salt Lake City, UT
Mr. Allfrey is a certified public accountant and partner at Squire & Co., PC, based in Orem and Salt Lake City, UTtah. He holds the designation of Global Chartered Management Accountant from the AICPA. Mr. Allfrey’s practice focuses on individual and business tax planning, consulting, and compliance for business owners and closely-held companies. Additionally, he works in retirement plan design and compliance issues for plan sponsors and participants. Mr. Allfrey is a graduate of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant’s Leadership Academy and currently serves on the AICPA’s Tax Practice Management Committee and as an AICPA Council Member representing Utah, where he is a member of the Board of Directors at the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants. He is a frequent presenter for the AICPA and UACPA on the latest tax issues and tax practice operations.

Squire & Co., PC, Salt Lake City, UT
Mr. Beaudoin is a Certified Public Accountant and partner in the CPA and advisory firm of Squire and Company, P.C., of Salt Lake City, Utah. He previously practiced with Pinnock, Robbins, Posey & Richins, P.C.; KPMG Peat Marwick; and with the Private Client Group of Wells Fargo. Mr. Beaudoin also holds the Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) designation from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) practitioner. His 34 years of practice has focused on income tax and estate planning and compliance for high-wealth individuals and closely-held companies. Mr. Beaudoin is past president of the Salt Lake Estate Planning Council and of the Utah Chapter of the Financial Planning Association. He graduated cum laude from Brigham Young University with a Master of Accountancy (Taxation) degree. He is a frequent speaker on income and estate tax planning matters.

Hope and Faith Zimmerman, licensed architects and sought after speakers, run Zimmerman Architects, in Denville, New Jersey. After graduating first and second in their class, they went on to start their own, now 25-year old, firm where they specialize in custom residential projects of all sizes. They were featured guests on the TV show, “New Directions for Women” and their published works include a featured project in a nationally-distributed coffee-table picture book, Waterfront Homes, as well as projects in numerous magazines and newspapers. To find out more visit www.ZimArch.com or call 973.625.4001. When you work with Zimmerman Architects, you are Building with Hope and Faith.

Mr. Wheeler manages architectural services for Farnsworth’s Springfield, Ill. office. He has served as project manager and design architect on a multitude of projects in both the public and private sectors. His 30+ years of experience as a registered architect have helped him hone his design sense and given him a wealth of experience to draw from for each new project he takes on.

Mr. Jones, P.E., is president of Hartech Engineering, which was founded in 2007 as a multi-discipline civil engineering consulting firm providing infrastructure, development, and municipal design services for the public and private sectors. Bringing over 30 years of engineering expertise along with specific state-of-the-art, computer-aided technology to achieve efficient, cost saving design solutions, he also provides hydrology and hydraulic studies and reports along with general civil engineering support for prime consultants to PennDOT or local municipality projects. Mr. Jones is a licensed pilot and studied Military Civil Engineering while serving in the U.S. Air Force and continues his master’s education locally through Penn State. He is also a registered professional engineer in the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Arizona, and Georgia.

Mr. Jones, P.E., is president of Hartech Engineering, which was founded in 2007 as a multi-discipline civil engineering consulting firm providing infrastructure, development, and municipal design services for the public and private sectors. Bringing over 30 years of engineering expertise along with specific state-of-the-art, computer-aided technology to achieve efficient, cost saving design solutions, he also provides hydrology and hydraulic studies and reports along with general civil engineering support for prime consultants to PennDOT or local municipality projects. Mr. Jones is a licensed pilot and studied Military Civil Engineering while serving in the U.S. Air Force and continues his master’s education locally through Penn State. He is also a registered professional engineer in the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Arizona, and Georgia.

Mr. Jones, P.E., is president of Hartech Engineering, which was founded in 2007 as a multi-discipline civil engineering consulting firm providing infrastructure, development, and municipal design services for the public and private sectors. Bringing over 30 years of engineering expertise along with specific state-of-the-art, computer-aided technology to achieve efficient, cost saving design solutions, he also provides hydrology and hydraulic studies and reports along with general civil engineering support for prime consultants to PennDOT or local municipality projects. Mr. Jones is a licensed pilot and studied Military Civil Engineering while serving in the U.S. Air Force and continues his master’s education locally through Penn State. He is also a registered professional engineer in the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Arizona, and Georgia.