Don B. Cotner, CPA/ABV

Don established this firm in 1974.  He has spent more than 35 years providing accounting, tax and management consulting services to closely held businesses and individuals.  He was accredited in business valuation by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 1998.  He has provided business valuation services since 1992.

Don attended Ohio University during 1970-1973 and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration - Concentration in Accounting.

Don served with the United States Army during 1967-1969 and with the United States Army Reserve during 1980-1992.

 

Donald B. Cooley, CPA

Don received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio University in 1985 and moved to Cincinnati, working in the tax department of Deloitte & Touche.  He returned to the area in 1991 to work for Don Cotner and became a partner in 1993.

Don has taught intermediate accounting and accounting ethics as an adjunct instructor at the University of Rio Grande and numerous seminars to the public on tax and business issues for the Internal Revenue Service and Small Business Development Center.   Besides the firm's normal work with closely held businesses, Don works extensively with local attorneys to ensure that clients have an estate plan that will accomplish the goals they have set.

Don and his wife, Beth have two daughters attending University of Cincinnati and a son at Athens High School.  He is a board member of the O'Bleness Hospital, the Athens Rotary Foundation and The Athens Village.

 

Garett W. Clark, CPA

Garett worked at the firm as an intern while earning his Bachelor of Business Administration - Concentration in Accounting from Ohio University in 1997.  He worked for Esarey, Kirsch & Esarey, CPA in Cincinnati for a year before rejoining the firm in 1998.  He became a licensed CPA in 1999 and a partner in the firm January 1, 2009.  He works with clients in a wide range of industries as well as non-profit organizations.

Garett and his wife, Jennifer live in McArthur with their son, Gavin.   He enjoys golf, traveling, and spending time with family.

Garett currently serves as treasurer for the Vinton County Chamber of Commerce. 

 

Brenda K. Sharp, CPA

Brenda graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Rio Grande in 1996 and went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude from Ohio University with a Master of Science of Accountancy - Concentration in Taxation.  After graduating from Ohio University, she joined the firm much to the delight of her family who thought she might become a professional student. 

Brenda has taught intermediate accounting at Ohio University, computer applications for business, introductory and advanced tax at the University of Rio Grande as an adjunct instructor.  Brenda has also taught introductory and advanced QuickBooks seminars throughout southern Ohio. 

She has been a QuickBooks ProAdvisor since 2002, certified in Point of Sale during 2003 and added certifications for Enterprise Solutions and the Advanced ProAdvisor designation when they became available in 2007. 

Brenda lives in Oak Hill with her husband, Rick and an agoraphobic cat, Jessie.  She loves to spend her vacations traveling (usually to a beach) and spends most of her free time spoiling her grandkids, reading, or researching her family's history.

 

Michelle Steele, CPA

Michelle Steele is originally from McArthur, but now resides in Gallipolis, Ohio with her three children.  She graduated from Ohio University in Athens with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with majors in Accounting and Business Pre-Law.  She has been a CPA since 1995. 

Michelle understands the anxiety some people feel about income taxes, and works to help clients understand and become more comfortable with their particular tax situation.  She especially enjoys helping people with their tax problems.  

Personally she loves sports and used to play, but stays on the sidelines these days and watches her kids play. 

 

Sharon Chaney

Sharon began working with DOS based QuickBooks and has been a QuickBooks ProAdvisor since 1999.  She recently added Point of Sale, Enterprise Solutions, and Advanced ProAdvisor to her impressive list of certifications.  She joined the firm in 1990 as a bookkeeper and really enjoys her role in the firm as the "Queen of QuickBooks".  She spends a large portion of her workday in QuickBooks acting as an outsourced bookkeeper for some clients, setting up company files for new clients, consulting with clients and other staff members that have unusual QuickBooks problems, and providing training to clients that are new to QuickBooks or want to begin using additional features.  She also provides trouble-shooting services to Quicken users.

Sharon lives in Hamden with her husband, David and three spoiled cats.  Their 34 year marriage has resulted in two daughters, one son-in-law, and two grandsons.  She enjoys going to concerts (especially Truth & Salvage Company), traveling, shopping, and spending time with her family.

 

Pat Harris

Pat moved from Columbus to Vinton County in 1993.  She joined the firm October 1, 2000 after spending 20 years as a bookkeeper for several different types of businesses.  She specializes in taking care of clients' payroll tax issues - payroll tax preparation, handling payroll tax audits for clients, and making sure that clients find the best possible workers compensation rates available to them.

Pat lives in McArthur with her husband, Gary.  She has three children, one son in Columbus and a son and daughter in McArthur.  She loves to travel, read, and substitutes playing Nintendo DS for her previous habit of smoking.   She spends a great deal of her free time caring for an elderly neighbor.

 

Tessa Zinn

Tessa was convinced to take a bookkeeping position with the firm in 2002 because the partners were impressed with the bookkeeping services she was providing to her both her husband, John, who was a self-employed contractor at the time and her father, Dave, who installs phone systems.  Tessa computerizes accounting records for several clients that haven't made friends with a computer yet, assists many clients with tracking and paying their payroll and sales tax liabilities, and reconciles bank accounts for numerous clients.

Tessa and John will be celebrating their 25^th wedding anniversary this year.

Tessa loves to sing and is the choir director at Wellston Nazarene Church.  She has two sons, Seth is serving in U. S. Air Force and is currently stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington, and Christopher lives at home.

 

Judy Mace

Judy joined the firm in 1989 as a secretary/receptionist and is currently the McArthur office manager.  She schedules appointments for clients, prepares client payrolls, and reminds clients of upcoming due dates.  Judy also provides Notary services to our clients.  She enjoys helping clients and making sure the office runs smoothly. 

Judy lives in the McArthur area with her husband, Tom and son, Jonathon.  She also has two grown children, Heath and Haley.  She is part of a very large, close-knit family and enjoys fishing trips to Lake Erie, and watching Days of Our Lives.

 

Mandy Yates

Mandy graduated from Vinton County High School in 1994 and resides in McArthur, Ohio. She furthered her education at Tri County Career Center in Nelsonville, Ohio in Computerized Accounting.  Mandy joined the firm as a secretary/receptionist in August 1995.  At work, she enjoys helping clients with whatever they need.  

In her free time Mandy enjoys spending time with her family, playing with her nieces and nephew, spoiling her cat, and shopping with her sisters.