Daren Cardow and Victoria Berry have joined together to form the new practice of HBA Encompass.
THE merger of two well-known Coast accountants will not only create a bigger, better business, it is also proof of the progress the profession has made.
“We were looking to create some excess capacity to try and grow and meet the needs of our clients in the business management side of things rather than straight tax compliance,” HBA Encompass director Victoria Berry said.
“We had been growing that side of the business, but we needed some more depth so we could give our clients better services and advice to help them move their business onwards and upwards.
“That kind of work is where the younger generation want to be. So for us to move forward and keep being up-to-date, we’ve got to bring on those Generation-Y (accountants) and give them something interesting.”
Mrs Berry said luck also played a part in the merge.
“Our receptionist lives next door to a financial planner who is linked to Encompass and they were talking about merging and we got together,” she said.
“I did my CPA certificate with Daren (Cardow, from Encompass) years ago and we always worked well together.
“It was also about achieving economies of scale. We now have a better ratio of accountants to administration people, but it also provides an exit strategy over time for (HBA veteran) Barry Hely. It also helps us provide a developmental path for our staff.”
The new entity will be called HBA Encompass, and its 19 staff will all work out of an office in the Westpac building in Minyama.
“We’ve had a bit of interaction with the guys we’re merging with,” Ms Berry said. “But it’s worked out that a lot of things are similar, so it won’t be a monumental task when we merge.
“Our clients won’t notice any changes other than a new phone number and a new office and we really want to use technology to our advantage to help us to improve our efficiencies.
“Our motto going forward is that we are big enough to know all the answers, but still small enough to care.
“To me, that’s very important. I don’t want our clients to be numbers.”
Ms Berry said the business was on board as a consultant with the State Government’s Jobs Assist program, which offers up to $8000 worth of strategic advice to help businesses with 10 or more employees to retain jobs and create more employment opportunities.
“It’s a fantastic way to get an outsider in to have a good look around your business,” she said.
“We do the initial (Jobs Assist) assessment and then outsource follow-up work to specialist consultants.
“And all the results have been fantastic. Business owners are raving about the ability to get this assistance.”
