Ozarks Profile

Shareholder and president, Samek, Fritz & Company, CPAs, PC. The firm was founded by J. Edward Samek in 1980 as J. Edward Samek, CPA. Fritz joined J. Edward Samek, CPA, in 1991 and became a shareholder in 1995, at which time the name was changed to Samek, Fritz & Co. The company now has five CPAs and six paraprofessionals providing tax planning and preparation for individuals, businesses and estates and accounting and payroll services, auditing, business valuations and management consulting. Fritz became a CPA in 1981. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a member of the Greene County Estate Planning Council.

Age: 38

No. of years in Springfield/area: Fritz, who grew up in Monett and now resides in Marshfield, has lived in southwest Missouri most of her life.

Education: Fritz graduated with honors from Monett High School in 1978. She attended Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg her freshman year and graduated summa cum laude with her bachelor's degree in accounting from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) in Kirksville in 1981.

Early career: Fritz worked several part-time jobs to fund her college education, and upon graduating, she was offered a position with the Missouri State Auditor's Office in Jefferson City. She stayed at the auditor's office for five years, where she audited the records of state agencies, counties and political subdivisions. In 1986, Fritz and her husband moved to Macon, where she opened her own CPA firm providing tax and accounting services to individuals and small businesses in the northeast Missouri area. She joined what later became Samek, Fritz & Co. in 1991 after she and her husband returned to their roots in southwest Missouri.

Current projects: "January through April are typically focused on tax-return preparation. Accounting and payroll services are performed year-round, but this time of the year we also perform less traditional services. We work with trusts and estates, we perform audits and reviews, we prepare tax returns for the fiscal year-end clients as well as extended returns. Valuable time is also spent participating in continuing education to keep abreast of current developments in tax, accounting and related business issues. Our client loyalty and growth has led to the need to expand our office facilities, and we are currently laying the groundwork for this expansion."

Management philosophy: "Our management philosophy is very tightly centered around our clients. We believe in providing the highest quality services to our clients. We believe this requires responsibility, integrity, dependability and sincere concern for our clients' interests. We feel our staff is our most valuable resource, and we believe our employees are of the highest caliber."

Spare-time pursuits: "Most of my free time is spent enjoying family activities."

Family data: "My husband Greg, is a conservation agent with the Missouri Department of Conservation. I have two energetic children: Danielle, who is 5, and Zachary, who is 1."

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