2015 Business Class Honoree: Elliott Robinson & Co. LLP

Growth and change have been big themes lately for Springfield-based accountancy firm Elliott Robinson & Co. LLP.

After four decades as a fixture in Plaza Towers Shopping Center, the company in November moved into a 14,000-square-foot standalone building in the ecofriendly TerraGreen Office Park on South Blackman Road.

Managing Partner Bob Helm says the new space – about 5,000 square feet larger than its former office – has been popular with employees, new recruits and clients alike. Most importantly, it gives the firm of 40 room to grow. That’s important because the company had 14 more staff members during the 2015 tax season than it did the year before, and it plans to hire a handful more by the end of the year.  

The $3 million building features 50 offices and four conference rooms, the largest of which can hold up to 64 people and can host community groups, board meetings and recruiting events, Helm says.

“Employee morale has been incredible,” he says. “Clients think it’s the best thing we’ve ever done.”

The added space comes at a time of steady improvement for the firm’s bottom line. Revenue was up 10 percent in 2012, 8 percent in 2013 and 13 percent last year, with revenue now over $4 million a year. In 2015, Helm says Elliott Robinson projects at least 15 percent growth.

And company profit growth has been even stronger, climbing 57 percent in 2012, 29 percent in 2013 and 26 percent last year. Helm says efforts to close the gap between estimated time spent serving clients and actual time working for them has boosted net income.

Elliott Robinson developed a couple key areas of focus that have supported recent growth: the nonprofit industry and tax-credit expertise for low-income housing and rehabilitation developers. On the nonprofit side, strengthening internal controls for clients makes them more resistant to fraud and can give donors confidence, and its newest service sector, the school audit market, is part of the company’s improved outlook.

A big part of the firm’s recent growth can be seen in a host of physical changes to Springfield’s downtown. That’s because Elliott Robinson has worked behind the scenes to offer tax-credit consulting for developers of projects including the Heer’s, Woodruff, McDaniel and Landmark buildings and Hotel Vandivort.

“It’s an indirect way to give back to the community,” Helm says of the firm’s tax-credit focus.

He says the company has become known as experts in the area, which has led it to serving developers in St. Louis, Kansas City, Iowa and New York, as well. Jacob Sanders, an Elliott Robinson partner who specializes in tax credits, was this March selected to serve on the Missouri Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee by the Missouri Bar Association.

“It shows that attorneys believe in him,” Helm says.  

Helm, himself, will on July 1 wrap up a one-year term as president of the Missouri State Board of Accountancy. Giving back is a big part of the company’s culture, he says. Firm employees serve on more than 20 boards of directors and devote time to over 50 charitable organizations.

“When you live it at the top, it permeates down,” Helm says.[[In-content Ad]]