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A New Era for Pickler Accounting Advisors

Writer's picture: Pickler Accounting AdvisorsPickler Accounting Advisors


"Indispensable..."


Webster defines the term indispensable to be the qualities of someone or something being essential, critical, vital; someone or something that is absolutely necessary.


At Pickler Companies, we believe steadfastly in the Principle of Indispensability. We strive each day to provide services to our amazing clients that are essential, critical, vital, and absolutely necessary for our clients to achieve their dreams and deliver peace of mind, whether through wealth advisory services, estate planning, or accounting services.


Over a dozen years ago, we created Pickler Accounting Advisors (PAA) as a means of providing excellence in tax preparation and accounting services. PAA would never have come into existence had it not been for the incredible Melissa House. Melissa was the rock-solid foundation that empowered everything we did for our clients at Pickler Accounting Advisors. Her strong and steady approach to client service and accounting excellence was unmatched. Melissa was my trusted partner in building a firm that delivered consistent excellence every day. Under her leadership, Pickler Accounting Advisors grew to be one of the most significant tax preparation and accounting firms in the Mid-South.


When Melissa told me that she needed to change directions in her life, I knew that her shoes would be incredibly difficult to fill. How do you replace someone who, for more than a decade, had been truly indispensable? But Melissa gave us a truly incredible gift by agreeing to remain a dedicated member of our Pickler Companies team, continuing to serve our clients on a limited basis. Her dedication to our clients remains steadfast to this day as she balances her personal commitments with the gift of her accounting talents for our firm.

Over the past two years, we have worked diligently to find that perfect person to lead Pickler Accounting Advisors to a new generation of excellence. We have been purposely cautious in our search, understanding that the person we select would face high expectations of professional skills and the personality to embrace the lofty standards of client service and communications that were the hallmark of Melissa House.


I want to personally thank each and every client for your patience, your loyalty, and your ongoing business relationship as we have gone through this process. I also want to thank the other members of our Pickler Accounting Advisors team who have worked so diligently to serve our clients over the past two years. Jane Stoner, Charles Cossar, and Sherry Ligon – as well as our Russellville team of tax professionals – have all worked tirelessly to serve your needs. Each member of this team is dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the standards of excellence upon which Melissa built our firm.


It gives me enormous pride to announce to each of you that today, Pickler Accounting Advisors is welcoming Charles E. Stanford, CPA – AKA Charlie – to our firm. Charlie will be assuming the position of Senior Accountant for our Collierville office, where he will be leading our team into a new era of excellence. Charlie brings to Pickler Accounting Advisors more than 25 years’ experience in public accounting. He joins us after having dedicated the past twenty years to running his own accounting firm, Stanford & Company, P.C., with offices in Memphis, TN and Washington, DC. Charlie has served as Controller for two major corporations as well as Senior Accountant for a National Accounting firm. Most importantly, Charlie embraces the Pickler Companies approach to client service and advocacy.


The responsibility to ensure that my clients have someone leading our accounting firm that could continue the legacy that Melissa House established has been one of my most significant challenges over the past couple years. I steadfastly believe we have found that person in Charlie Stanford. As each of you get to know Charlie over the next few months, I believe that you will feel the same.


We will be scheduling a meet-and-greet event in the next few weeks. Until then, Charlie can be reached at 901.316.0160 or by email at cstanford@pickleraccountingadvisors.com. Give Charlie a call or send him an email to welcome him to our Family! I truly believe that the Best has just gotten Better! Thank you to each of our incredible clients. The opportunity to serve as your Advocate and Advisor is our greatest honor. May God Bless each and every one of you.


Sincerely,


David A. Pickler

 
Meet Charlie

Can you tell us a bit about your background and experience in the accounting industry?

"I’m a 1984 graduate of the University of Memphis, with a dual major in finance and accounting. I worked in investment banking early in my career with a Memphis firm selling bonds to institutional investors. I then moved to public accounting and did stints with a national firm, the Memphis office of a large regional firm, then company controllership with two Memphis-based companies, and then established my own accounting firm after that."


What's your personal life like?

"Jennifer and I have been married 25 years. Our daughter, Mary-Catherine, is 14. Jennifer is a teacher at Hutchison School where Mary is a rising 9th grader, or as she insists 'freshman in high school.' I have a son, Holden, from my first marriage who is 32."


What do you most enjoy about working in accounting?

"I still very much enjoy the technical aspects of the profession."


What do you hope to accomplish in this role?

"I hope to be a crucial and integral part of the team and to expand the application of my skillset to a wealth management environment."


Who has inspired your career path most in your life?

"My dad – while he was not a CPA, he had worked on an accounting degree at night when he and my mother first moved to Memphis from the Mississippi Delta. He had an extremely high regard for the profession. He unfortunately did not live to see me become a CPA."


What is a goal you have for the next year?

"I'm working on getting back in shape and in good physical condition again."


What motivates you the most?

"Definitely being a father of a 14-year-old daughter."


What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?

"I am an avid woodworker and furnituremaker. I do my work entirely by hand other than for an electric lathe."


Who are your favorite sports teams?

"MLB: New York Yankees and also the St. Louis Cardinals (my mother let me stay home from school to watch one of the day games of the 1968 World Series). She was a huge Cardinals fan. NFL: New York Jets and the Tennessee Titans. College: Arkansas Razorbacks & the Memphis Tigers."


What is your favorite thing to do locally?

"We end up at museums, the botanic gardens, and art galleries a lot."


Do you have any pets?

"We have an Old English Sheepdog named Barkley."


What career advice would you give your younger self?

"You have less time than you think – advice I should have taken more to heart."


What’s your favorite restaurant in Memphis?

"Probably Folk’s Folly, but I miss The Four Flames and Justine’s. Yep, I’m that old."


What’s your idea of a perfect day?

"My idea of a perfect day is working on a cold, rainy day in a warm workshop listening to the sound of saws, planes, and chisels and everything is going perfectly and zen-like."


Lastly, what are you most looking forward to by joining the Pickler team?

"I'm looking forward to being an integral part of the team and applying my skills in what will be somewhat of a new environment for me."

 

To Learn More About Charlie, Click Here: Charles Stanford


1143 Halle Park Circle

Collierville, TN 38017

(901) 316-0160

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Pickler Accounting Advisors   |   901.244.4242   |   1143 Halle Park Circle   |   Collierville, TN   |   38017

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