Name: Barb Harkins
Title: EA, Partner
Tenure: 16 Years (10 Years as Partner)
Hobbies: Gardening, Reading, Church, and Outreach Programs.
Marital Status: Married for 40 Years, 2 Kids, 5 Grandkids
Bio: Some people choose their career path because it’s what they’ve always wanted to do. Kids who grow up to be astronauts or teachers or professional wrestlers. Others do it because that’s where the money is. Maybe they’re a doctor or a lawyer or a movie star.
But other people, people like Barb Harkins, choose their career because as she said “I like numbers, they’re logical. They make sense to me.”
And so began Barb’s career with CPA Consulting Group, LLP.
Barb has been working in the world of accounting for more than 40 years. She received her undergraduate degree in business from Western State College, and received her MBA with a concentration in finance and accounting from Tulane University, in New Orleans.
Before working at CPA Consulting Group, LLP, Barb owned her own small accounting firm for more than 25 years.
“While my kids were growing up, I was able to be home and run my company from the house. I was doing monthly bookkeeping, payroll, and taxes for a variety of clients.” After her kids were grown,
before joining CPA Consulting Group, she made a brief stop at Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions, serving as the non-profit’s Deputy Director from 2002 until 2006.
In 2006, Harkins began working for CPA Consulting.
“I interviewed with Roger and Dick and a couple of days later, they offered me the job,” Barb shared. “I started in the position of tax preparer as one of the staff accountants and 6 years later, in 2012, became a partner.”
When asked why they asked her to be a partner she said “I guess they liked the work I was doing.”
Indeed, they did, because Barb has remained a partner, and a beacon of the consulting firm, for 10 years.
Now, her responsibilities vary.
“All of the partners take part in the day-to-day operations of the firm from Tax preparation to HR to office supplies. We want to make sure that the clients’ needs are met and the staff is supplied with the necessary resources to help us meet those needs.”
In the 10 years as a partner, and 6 years as an employee, Barb has been encouraged by the thorough training, attention to detail, and great work ethic. “We don’t just do the tax return, we plan with the client for the best overall results for their business.” Barb said, “it is like putting a puzzle together and in the end, you see the complete picture.”
One of the big things that differentiate CPA Consulting Group, LLP from its competitors is they cultivate actual relationships with their clients. The individuals who walk in the firm aren’t just looked at as dollar signs; they’re looked at as human beings with businesses to run and problems to solve. Another benefit is that there are always two people on a project. That way if a client calls, someone else is familiar with the project and available to answer questions.
Barbara Harkins has worked with numbers for much of her adult life. She likes them. She understands them. And, most importantly, she knows how to evaluate those numbers, facts and figures, to best serve her clients and the clients of CPA Consulting Group, LLP. CPA Consulting Group has many assets, according to Barb.
What she may not know, or realize, is that she’s one of the firm’s most important assets.