Tell us about The Whitlock Co. It’s a full-service (certified public accounting) firm. We offer general accounting, auditing, assistance with tax planning and compliance, and file clients’ tax returns. We also have additional services, help to try and grow (clients’) assets and protect them. The other area is community banking, and services for them. We have about 30 employees.
What is your role as director of business development? My job is to help the company to effectively and efficiently develop business and grow. I’m out mainly looking at new customers … but I’ll also work with existing customers to expand the services we provide to them. I have more of an overview of the services, then as the company gets more interested, I bring in one of the partners to discuss the details and take it from there.
How do you determine which services a company might need? I try to find out what the company’s actually doing, where its strengths are … and what its goals are. Then I try to see if we can mesh some of our services to help meet the goals. We’ve got to face it – everyone’s got a CPA who’s working with them already, so I’m going to see if we can find something they don’t have or if they’re interested in going to somebody else because they’ve grown bigger, and we can handle some of the things that smaller CPAs may not be able to handle.
What is the company’s service area? We have an office in Joplin and an office in Branson. We’re seeking to grow to companies outside this area, probably in about a 200-mile radius. Some (clients) reach outside that, because we have an auditing business with community banks, so that reaches out farther (to) Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri, on the bank side. … There will be some traveling for me, but not a lot, except if I go to business meetings and seminars and things of that nature.
What do you think makes you a good fit for this job? My relationships with businesses in the community that I’ve developed through the years, probably starting in my City Utilities days. Part of my career there was in community relations, and I was out with the businesses a lot, trying to help them with any situations they had with (CU).
What’s your philosophy regarding networking and connecting with people? I try to listen to the people who I’m talking to, to really understand what they’re doing, and what their goal is in business and personal life, because that gives a good overview of the individual. And if there’s a way in which they need assistance, I try to help them out. If I can help somebody out, they can help me out in the future, in some way or another. I’ve always had that type of relationships, always tried to do what I said I was going to do and develop that confidence and trust in the people that I deal with. I’m going to continue to do that. … With the number of people and companies that come and go, it’s an ongoing job to stay connected, to see who’s coming in and who’s doing what.
How have you fostered relationships through your job changes in recent years? I’ve stayed involved in a lot of the different boards (for) nonprofits in the community, and that’s been a great enlightenment for me … and gives a better appreciation for the challenges we all have and how we can make it better. It also really makes you see what a great community we live in. It’s helped me stay connected with the community, too, because it’s amazing the type of individuals you get to meet and become acquainted with, who, in the business world, you may never become acquainted with.
Which groups are you involved with? I’ve been on the Developmental Center of the Ozarks board for nine years, and my term will expire in December. Other boards I’m on are the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools and the American Red Cross … St. John’s Institutional Review Board and Ozarks Honor Flight. [[In-content Ad]]
