Staff

Carey enjoys meeting and working with diverse groups of people and, like any good accountant, she wants to be an asset (not a liability) to their organization.

She enjoys spending time with her family and friends and would show a visitor from afar her backyard. (Clearly she has a better handle on weed control than some of us. Are dandelions a flower?) She would also take visitors to see any of the numerous beaches, lakes, or oceans that make summer in the U.S. fun.  Finally if there was time, she would take you on a tour of the Grand Canyon. 

Megan has a BA Economics & Management from Albion College and an M.S. in Accountancy with an emphasis in taxation from Michigan State University.  According to her DISC profile, Megan is an Analyzing Implementer, which makes her very focused on the quality of work.

Outside of work Megan likes being outside, traveling, any type of water activity, and hiking.

Ask Megan to tell you about taking a tour of the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory, or better yet, ask Megan to take you on a tour of the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory. 

Angie keeps the whole place running smoothly and connects callers with the right expert on the Cole Gavlas team. She is a central piece of the communication engine at Cole and helps to get information to both clients and staff. In addition to her internal bookkeeping responsibilities, Angie has helped to keep Jeff Cole on time and in the right place for 15 years. She enjoys getting to know firm clients and spends her non-work time with her family or at the golf course.

If you were new to the U.S., Angie would want you to see the following three places:

• Torch Lake, Alden Michigan – to show what a beautiful State Michigan is
• Disney World – to show how creative we are
• New York City – to show the variety of lifestyles in our country

Stephanie records the transactions that keep businesses running. She helps clients get their bills paid, pay their employees, and even make deposits. She also works on financial statements and trusts. She enjoys  taming the "devil" that lives in the details and enjoys working with a variety of clients.

She enjoyed participating in the firm's Kaizen event and brainstorming about ways to improve internal processes. Ask Stephanie to tell you more about this "Kaizen" idea.

Don't look for Stephanie on weekends during football season - you'll find her glued to the TV taking in the latest Packers game. In the summer, she'll be hauling the family to the beach, and playing a card game called "Euchre" or one called "Hand and Foot" (which sounds something like "Foot in Mouth", which is the author's best game.)

Julie is a graduate of Western Michigan University and is a CSPM and SCOPE Advisor.   She spends her time helping clients see their business in a new light. She enjoys learning about new businesses and solving the occassional Quickbooks challenge.

If you want to get her fired up, just ask her to tell you about Kaizen and how it can be applied to business. And while you're at it, ask her about the Toast Video and "muda".

Julie and her husband enjoy vacationing, canoeing/kayaking, and spending time with friends and family (especially their 5 nieces and nephews).   

Jamie has a BBA from WMU and her role includes tax compliance and assisting clients with their accounting.  Jamie's DISC profile shows her to be a "Coordinator" and she plays sports - so that must make her a "Coordinated Coordinator".

She lists the following three places as her favorites: camping up north, Cedar Point, and the Rocky Mountains. 

Be sure to ask Jamie to tell you about the Kalamazoo Ultimate Disc League - but watch out she might try to recruit you for the team.  

Tracy helps clients pay the bills and collect from their customers. She enjoys the problem solving aspect of working on payables and receivables and finds that her tendency to be a perfectionist is an asset in her job.

Tracy enjoys accounting because it brings business information together. She says it's like solving a puzzle - all of the pieces of a business fit when you do it right and you can see the results when you finish.

She spends her time away from the office keeping up with her teenagers' numerous sports activities.

Mary is one of the people that helps to make it all come together at Cole Gavlas. She helps process returns and financial statements and greets clients who call or visit. 

Mary's style is a Coordinating Supporter according to the DISC assessment and her flexibility is an asset in her role.

If a visitor were to drop by, Mary would take them to visit the house she grew up in, the state of California, and Europe even though she hasn't been there yet.

Jack helps people take credit, specifically Research and Development Credit, for the work they've done to generate new ideas, processes, and products. He enjoys being out and about with clients and has been on more than 1,000 plant tours. Some of his favorite tours involved food and wine since he felt a duty to sample their wares (strictly from a quality control perspective.)

He is a CPA and an MBA and a veteran of almost 15 years in the profession. He joined Cole Gavlas to gain a new perspective on client service. Jack has enjoyed learning about strategic performance management and finding new ways to help clients add value to their businesses. He thrives on finding opportunities for refunds of prior year taxes when they exist.

Don't expect Jack to be hanging around the office. He'd rather be out on one of those plant tours or hunting deer on the weekends. But if you do happen to catch him, ask him to show you some of those Bon Jovi records he has left over from his days as a DJ at the roller rink.