Trusting your money to the right adviser can mean the difference between apprehension and confidence in the future, between achieving your dreams and missing the mark. At Purk & Associates, a full-service CPA firm that works with businesses, nonprofits and individuals, clients can expect all the resources of a national firm, but with the intimate feel of a local operation, says Jennah Purk, president and founding shareholder.
The firm offers accounting, auditing, tax, consulting, valuation and wealth management services, and its client roster includes a wide range of industries, Purk says. “We serve entrepreneurs anywhere from the startup stage to well-seasoned businesses, and we serve both the business and the business owner across a plethora of capacities.”
Since its founding in 2009, the company has expanded from a team of 13 to 31; its growth largely has been fueled by positive word of mouth, Purk says. “There’s been a lot of consolidation in our industry in the past year, which has given a strong advantage to stand-alone firms like us,” she notes. “Entrepreneurs like to work with entrepreneurs, and that’s what we are.”
A close client-adviser relationship is made possible through a carefully curated team of experts, Purk explains. “Unlike our competitors, we handpick our team,” she says. “That’s why it is second to none, and made up of the most accomplished professionals in the industry, all working together for the good of the client.”
A team of three experts services each account, which means clients can expect continuity and real-time solutions, Purk says. “When I or my partners are not sitting at our desks, the client can still reach people and get the answer they need when they need it,” she says. “We’re a completely digital house, which makes us available 24/7 to the client base. It’s not uncommon in other firms to have a partner bring you on board and then never see them again. That’s not how we operate here.”
And because Purk hires only experienced advisers, clients also never have to worry about being a training ground for new staff or having to trust their finances to new faces. “From the client’s perspective, it’s frustrating to have someone new on the team every year because of turnover and to have to spend time training someone new,” Purk says, adding that the turnover rate at Purk & Associates is less than 4 percent.
At the start of each new client relationship, Purk & Associates invests as much as 25 hours getting to know them. “Webelieve in buy-in, so when we approach a new engagement, there’s an investment on our part in terms of professional time,” Purk says. “Knowing the client as a person and what their goals are professionally and personally is vital. If you ignore those things, you’re going to miss the boat in terms of giving sound and solid advice. We don’t just look at the books. We look at the heartbeat and vision driving each client.”
Pictured: Purk & Associates partners Jennah Purk, Chris Madison and Bill Purk
Photo: Tim Parker Photography
[Purk & Associates, located at 1034 S. Brentwood Blvd., is a full-service CPA firm that works with businesses, tax-exempt organizations and individuals. Pictured on the cover: Partners Jennah Purk, Chris Madison and Bill Purk. For more information, call 314.884.4000 or visit purkpc.com.]