When you ask Lisa Mayer why she wanted to run her own accounting firm in Sarnia, her answer might surprise you. Of course she was good at math, so accounting was a solid fit. However, she always knew that she wanted to be her own boss. "My mom and dad brought me to the Sarnia Meat Packers as a kid and you could just feel the closeness of the small family business as a young child. They were so friendly and the community loved them. It was places like this that made me want to open my own business when I got older."
Mayer studied accounting at Ryerson University and spent six years working for an accounting firm in Toronto. "I worked at Fuller Landau in downtown Toronto after graduating and did my articling with them," she explains. "They were a really big firm but they were also the type of firm that got you involved. I still have a really great relationship with them. In fact, I lined up a job for one of my prior staff, Lisa Little." She remembers being singled out in Toronto for always talking about her hometown. "In Toronto they called me Woody Harrelson. His character from Cheers was from that small town in Indiana and he was always talking about it." It was no surprise to her colleagues that she planned to return home one day.
After six years with Fuller Landau, she moved to London to work for BDO, but after the birth of her first child, she knew that she wanted to move back to Sarnia permanently. She took her experience from the big firms when she started her own business. She describes how work at other firms gave her a chance to pick out the things she really liked and then applied them to her own practice.
In 2005 she bought the late Keith Carter's accounting practice in Sarnia. It was a smooth transition, in part because Carter and Mayer envisioned the same type of practice. "Keith's personality was similar to mine so the transition with his clients went really well. It was a great fit," she says. She also kept on his staff, including Cathy Ashikawa, who retired in 2013, and Jane Courtemanche, who still works with her. "Jane had worked for Keith and is still with me today. She's a great team member. Cathy is now retired and I miss her every day." She has also added staff members Ashley Wilson, Joscel Berglund, Vikki Johnson and Yvonne Beaudet.
Mayer believes strongly in the importance of balance in business. "I always wanted my work environment to be fun and professional. It has also differentiated me and allowed me to pull together a team that fits nicely," she says. The camaraderie amongst the staff is especially important during the busy season. "We have a lot of fun around here most of the time and we make the best of it during tax season."
For more information, call 519-332-8686 or visit their office at 375 Exmouth Street.
The coffee shop business has changed a lot since Gus Pantazis purchased the original Global Donuts at the five corners location on Ontario Street in 1980. He's been a part of that change. Born in Greece, Pantazis came to Ontario at a young age and was working as a baker for Mr. Donut in Toronto wh
The next time you are at the hospital, make sure you pop into Poppies, the cozy and eclectic gift shop located in the Atrium. Poppies opened in July of 2010 to coincide with the unveiling of the new Bluewater Health Hospital. "Two...
Sarah and David Blanshard met in England while studying to complete their doctorates at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic. After graduating in 2009, the couple moved home to Sarnia in 2014. "I was really homesick and exci...
Do you believe in destiny? Catherine Wilde certainly does. Cathy was simply looking for a summer job when she applied to Sarnias Fleck & Daigneault law firm in 1999 as a student. She got the job, and fast forward to today where Cathy is now the owner of the firm. I started here as a stud
George Stathis tapped out of his family's Sarnia-based restaurant business and took a different path, moving out west to become a driller on a drilling rig. Ten years later, he couldn't resist the temptation to get back into the kitchen. A cousin of mine called me and said he had a small rest
Over forty years ago, a group of women in Bright's Grove dreamed of a public art gallery that would support and inspire local and regional artists through exhibitions and education. Their vision was born at Gallery in the Grove and it continues to thrive and grow to this day. Located in beautiful W
Rayjon Share Care was founded in 1986 when Sarnia residents John Barnfield and the late Ray Wyrzykowski returned home from their first visit to Haiti. Heather Smith, Executive Director for Rayjon Share Care in Canada, explains that the original goals were simple. They wanted to raise awareness of
Growing up, Richard Beland was a huge music fan, even obsessive, he admits. "I listened to the Detroit rock radio stations and really got into classic rock. Led Zeppelin was my favourite. I spent a fair amount of time looking at music magazines too. Creem and Rolling Stone were popular magazines a"