Elevated CPA Provides Tax Services And Business Strategies

 When a Northeast Florida manufacturer needed to determine what they should be paying for raw metal, they turned to their CPA. When a tile company needed to know how to expand its work force, they turned to their CPA. When many micro to medium businesses on the First Coast need more than just tax reporting services from their CPA, they turn to a very unique firm in Clay County - Elevated CPA, owned and operated by Doug Benefield. With a quick review of a tax return, Doug can identify potential problems and saving strategies that justify why these smaller businesses, particularly those in the building trade industry, should hire his firm. Doug says his company is different from most CPA firms in that a client may only see their CPA just to do tax returns or to do an audit or a special project. Doug is on the phone everyday, in constant touch with his clients, addressing tax issues, and even more so, business strategies, something that most small businesses don’t have in-house. Even while having lunch with Doug, he was constantly checking his phone for calls for help from clients. If a business needs additional strategic help or someone to call at any time, they need Doug. He can be contacted at Doug@ElevatedCPASolutions.com or (904) 563-0060. Doug is on the left in this “Lunch with Les” photo.

Ed Lombard Serves The Community As Well As His Clients

 I had lunch with a friend of mine, Ed Lombard, who is a financial consultant with Agility Wealth Management, part of the Raymond James organization. I know Ed through Rotary. He currently serves as Assistant Governor for the Jacksonville Rotary District. What I like about Ed is his sincere feelings, not only for people in our community, but also for his clients. Ed spends a lot of time involved with Rotary projects throughout the community and he supports kids, such as his work with Providence School. But he also looks after the people who trust him with their assets. He helps individuals and families whether they are just starting out or if they are preparing for retirement. He doesn’t prequalify them by the size of their wealth but by what goals they have and how he can help them achieve their dreams. With his 20 years in the financial industry, he has seen a lot “quick buck” gimmicks. So he is very careful to protect his client’s money like it were his own. Knowing Ed like I do, you can’t help but think he is going to do the best for his clients and the people in our town. He can be reached at (904) 955-9998 or lombarded97@gmail.com. Ed is on the left in this “Lunch with Les” photo.

Utilities In For Radical Change In Next Decade

 I had the opportunity to have lunch with Patrick McGarry, an industry known energy consultant and Senior Director for Power Costs, Inc. (PCI), a national consulting firm to utility companies. Patrick explained that the energy industry has undergone some radical changes over the past 5 years and the next decade will be even more turbulent across the nation, including Northeast Florida. He sees higher fuel prices, rapidly changing energy portfolio towards intermittent renewable energy, like wind and solar, and the change over to electrification (such as plugging in electric cars at home), which could double or triple our demand for energy. He mentioned several issues that could affect Northeast Florida utility rates, such as problems utility companies have keeping a power balance back and forward with homeowners using and selling back solar power. He talked about the possibility of Time-of-Use metering, where electric use is charged to the customer, based on the time of day energy is consumed. Patrick, a 25 year veteran in the energy industry, also writes for national publications about energy issues. If you have an interest in current and future energy challenges, you can contact him atPJM3101@comcast.net. Patrick is on the right in this “Lunch with Les” photo. 

Nationally Renowned Newscaster, Mort Crim, Launches His Memoir

The nationally known newsman who inspired Will Ferrell’s role as Ron Burgundy in the movies Anchorman and Anchorman 2 lives right here in Northeast Florida. Mort Crim, the retired news anchorman from stations in Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago and Louisville may be retired from broadcast work but he is busy criss-crossing the country promoting his 8th book, a memoir of his broadcasting career, titled Anchored, A Journalist’s Search for Truth. As a journalist myself, I am in awe of the honors and accolades Mort has earned during his career, not to mention accomplishments such as having 4 nationally syndicated radio news shows; being the regular substitute for the Paul Harvey show; and anchoring ABC’s American Information Network, where he broadcasted Armstrong walking on the moon. From helping Walter Cronkite get out of a stuck bathroom stall to worrying about stepping on the toes of Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos while dancing (not knowing she had thousands of shoes at the time), his book is loaded with fascinating broadcast stories. But what may be the most intriguing is his struggle with his faith throughout his life. He was an evangelist at age 15 but he came to a spiritual resolve late in life. For autographed books, visit MortCrimSpeaks.com.

 

Customer Service Is Key To Success For Signorello Outdoor Lighting

 Daylight savings time just ended and we’re now back to earlier darker evenings. That’s when Tom Signorello shines. Tom, the owner of Signorello Outdoor Lighting, brightens his customers’ lives by using creative lighting to enhance the looks of homes, to provide additional night time security, and to help increase the owner’s property value. Not your your typical landscape/green industry individual (a Penn State grad and a great Rotarian), he puts his customers first. While he is extremely creative when it comes to designing and installing lighting, he backs his work by providing free light bulb replacement and a lifetime warranty for every job. Knowing Tom as long as I have, his dependability is only outperformed by his attention to people’s needs, whether it’s his customers or Rotary charity work. He has perfected a system for meeting with customers, walking the property and determining the homeowner’s desires, budget limitations, fixture needs and work schedule. Once Tom does the job, it doesn’t have to be done again. That the kind of guy Tom is. For residential or commercial lighting on the First Coast, Tom can be reached at (904) 415-3237. To see examples of his work, visit SignorelloOutdoorLighting.com. Tom is on the right in this “Lunch with Les” photo. 

Lift Jax Formed To Revitalize Neighborhoods Into Productive Business And Residential Communities

 The Historic Eastside, an area of Jacksonville, once known for manufacturing, that has access to rail, Interstate and the port, and a workforce living within walking distance of those now vacant facilities is known as “Out East,” (between Springfield and Talleyrand). There is a group of Jacksonville business and social services leaders (including Darnell Smith, Market President of Florida Blue, Aundra Wallace, President of JAXUSA Partnership, Michael Ward, former CEO of CSX), Michelle Braun, President/CEO of United Way of NE Florida and Ellen Wiss, Co-founder of READ USA) who have organized a special effort to lift Out East and other underprivileged neighborhoods in the city. Under the name of Lift Jax Inc., its mission is to eradicate generational poverty. They are implementing the Purpose Built Communities model, which contains 4 pillars (mixed income housing, cradle-to-career education, community wellness and long-term financial vitality) and hired social services expert David Garfunkel to implement the program. David is reaching out to the business community to create awareness of the organization, its mission and to help get Out East back to being a vital business and residential community. Visit LiftJax.org or contact him at david@liftjax.org. He is on the right in this “Lunch with Les” photo.

Hockey Team Owner Andy Kaufmann Expands Business During COVID

 We were at an Epping Forest lunch where our host Diane Pauly with Morgan Stanley and I had the opportunity to chat with Andy Kaufmann, Owner and CEO of the Jacksonville Icemen Hockey Team. I was concerned about how he was doing since he purchased the hockey team just before the pandemic. But COVID hasn’t stopped him. Since then he brought in Tim Tebow, Myles Jack, Reggie Hayward and other local individuals as investors. He purchased the Savannah expansion hockey team and he has set up a facility now known as Community First Igloo. The outstanding part about this is Andy, a local guy, is doing so much to use his business assets to help various charity groups in the area. Plus, he has developed a unique venue at the Igloo for business functions. The facility, renovation expected next August, will offer meeting rooms with catering, a 210 seat sports bar and team building opportunities. The hockey season starts with opening night on November 6. The season will feature the nationally televised Warrior/ECHL All Star Classic and Fan Fest in Jacksonville on January 17. There are plenty of opportunities for your business to participate in hockey promotions. Go to JacksonvilleIcemen.com for more info. Andy is seated between Diane and me in this “Lunch with Les” photo.