2015 Men of the Year Honoree: Jeff Shore

For Jeff Shore, being a leader means being involved and invested in others.

Shore, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Missouri State University, worked for 12 years with Elliott, Robinson & Co. LLP before helping launch BRS CPAs & Trusted Advisors. The firm has grown significantly since its start, and shareholder and co-owner Shore says that’s been possible because its leaders have worked to establish a client-focused culture.

“Working with my two business partners, we have grown our firm over the last nine years from a small, four-person firm to a full-service firm that employs 21,” Shore says of the company that ranked No. 7 on Springfield Business Journal’s 2015 list of the Area’s Largest CPA Firms. “This has been done by working together to provide the best client service, identify processes and procedures to make our firm more efficient and, ultimately, recruit staff that understand our firm culture and the importance of that culture.”

Shore’s professional career is supplemented by his service to various local nonprofits. From 1999 to 2005, he served on the board of Lake Country Soccer.

“During that time, we were able to increase our reserve funds, increase outdoor events, add an executive director and, finally, expand the building structure to add more space to hold more events and contribute additional revenue with minimal cost to increase net assets,” Shore says.

From 2005 to 2011, he was a member of the board of directors for Leadership Springfield. During that time the board refined its strategic mission and added a program for teachers. In 2011, he began serving on the board for the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools. When Jana Bachus came on as executive director, the administrators quickly realized an overhaul of the accounting system was needed.

Shore says their goals seemed impossible to an outside accounting firm, but they pressed forward as a team.

“We now have a very solid system. This benefitted the foundation by saving costs and providing immediate data regarding the status of the numerous funds we manage,” he says. “This ultimately streamlined the duties required by the staff, allowing them to do what they were hired to do – raise money and provide assistance to our primary benefactor, Springfield Public Schools.”

For Shore, leadership isn’t always easy or something that is demonstrated from the top down.

“As a supervisor, it is being able to answer questions, lead by example and find what skills they possess that benefits them the most,” he says. “Sometimes this requires that you push people out of their comfort zones with tasks that elevate their knowledge and abilities.

“As a business owner, it is always being available to assist your clients and lead your staff to provide the best services possible.”

Leadership is about more than service, he says. It’s about developing relationships.

“Relationships and working to be your best are two of the leadership qualities that I believe contribute to my success,” he says.