Elliott, Robinson & Co. LLP managing partner Bob Helm in April was elected president of the Missouri State Board of Accountancy while serving a four-year term on the state board. The 100-year-old board operates as a unit of the Missouri Department of Insurance’s Division of Professional Registration, and regulates certified public accountants in Missouri, including the issuance of licenses and permits, publishing accounting policy, and investigating and disciplining CPAs.
Governor Appointment “I was nominated by a local attorney. The governor was looking for an appointee from this part of the state, and (Joe Carmichael) submitted my name and said (I) was a worthy person, so I went through that process. It has been very rewarding. My first board meeting was in December 2011, but actually, the interview process started five or six months before (with interviews) by the governor’s office and a Senate committee, and then (the appointment) goes before the full Senate. … Ven Houts, the former president, felt I was qualified to take over his position. I was nominated for that and voted by the members.”
CPA Complaints “When there are no cases that are confidential, we have hearings and things like that the public can attend, and then we have closed agenda items when we have issues we are dealing with that are not yet public. We deal with complaints filed against licensed CPAs. … If we get a complaint and a case is established, then we have to hear that and determine whether any further action is necessary. Probably 60 or 70 complaints get filed per year, and depending on the matter, it can be resolved by the staff. Sometimes, it has to go before the board, depending on the severity.”
Meetings, Meetings, Meetings “The statutes require that we hold six meetings per year. Some of them are in Jefferson City, but we’ve tried to visit at least one college campus per year. In 2012, we held a board meeting at Missouri State [University] here in Springfield. This year, we are going to Central Missouri State [University] to give college students an idea of what the board does. Our meeting in August is in St. Louis. … Statutes allow me to be compensated $70 per day for serving as president. Now, that’s on the days that I actually go do something as president. If I go to committee meetings, I get paid $70. If I go to board meetings, I get paid $70. … It is very much a volunteer position.”
President’s Goals “I’ve been a CPA since 1986. We work really hard, those who take our profession seriously, at [maintaining] our integrity and moral and ethical standards. It is my goal to keep those at a very high level. We operate our firm that way, and nothing irritates me more than to have other CPAs not do their jobs well. I’m a competitor – and there are many good firms in this city and I compete fiercely against all of them – but I want them all to do good work. … That’s what I bring – I want to carry on the standards that were set before I got there. There have been a whole lot of really good people to serve on the State Board of Accountancy, and I’m just a little, tiny piece of that.”
Problem Solver “This is my 31st year (at Elliott Robinson). I started in January 1982. I’ve been a tax guy most of my career. Right now, I am the managing partner, so I’ve given up the role of tax partner and now I manage a staff of about 30. … When I was a senior in high school, I took an accounting class. College was right around the corner, and I thought I’d take an accounting course and see how I did. I did exceptionally well in the class, so when I went to college, I thought this would be an easy way to get started in a career. Well, I found out that accounting in college was a lot harder than it was in high school. It was a challenge for me, but I stuck with it and never changed my major. I walked in as a freshman accounting major and left four-and-a-half years later with an accounting degree. A few years later, I became a CPA, and that’s what I’ve done with my whole career. I still very much enjoy it. I always tell my staff that we are professional problem solvers.”
This installment of Springfield Business Journal’s Architects & Engineers Project Report showcases 26 endeavors by area design and engineering professionals.
