By MIKE MCKENNA
There are certain people in life that you really need to be able to trust. People like your partner, your mechanic or your doctor come to mind. And if you own a business or run a nonprofit, a good bookkeeper will also top the list if you ever want to get a good night’s sleep
That’s why it’s great to have Chamber members like Pat Bowton and Wood River Bookkeeping around.
“It’s really important to know who your bookkeeper is and what they’re all about. Check their references and make sure they actually know what they’re doing. If you get a bad bookkeeper, you’re asking for trouble,” said Pat, and she should know. She’s spent a lot of her career cleaning up people’s poorly done books.
Pat began her bookkeeping career nearly 40 years ago helping Jane’s Artifacts at the old Ketchum location. Pat’s career has included working as the Director of Certification for the American Payroll Association in Texas and working for a half-dozen years recently with the highly-respected local CPA firm, Becker, Chambers and Company.
Pat has recently decided to go out on her own and is already thriving. Wood River Bookkeeping has a small staff and growing list of happy clients.
“It really has to be about the clients—what their needs are, what they’re concerned about. It’s our job to make those ‘pain-points’ go away and make sure things run smoothly,” Pat said. “The owners need to know that the finances are in order so they can focus on the other areas that they need to take care of to be successful.”
In addition to serving a variety of small- and medium-sized businesses, Pat has nonprofit experience, as well.
As is the case with any good bookkeeper, Pat is a self-confessed “numbers lover,” which is why she likes working with a variety of clients as well taking on special projects.
“I really enjoy working on special projects like commission reports, organic farm reports and audits,” Pat said. “There’s just so many things we need to know to be successful and looking at data in different ways can be very rewarding and satisfying. It’s great to help make things work better and give customers something they really need. I love it when a client says to me, ‘I’ve been wanting to do this for so long.’”
Pat grew up in the Treasure Valley and decided to move back to Idaho in 2013 after her husband—a Bronze Star recipient from his service in Vietnam—passed and she wanted to be closer to family.
“I really do love this place. It’s so quiet and peaceful. I love all the wildlife and being with my family,” Pat said. “I’m happy that I can offer financial services that help other local people be able to relax and enjoy life here and not have to worry about their books being messed up.”
To find out more about Wood River Bookkeeping, call (407) 496-7665 or email Pat@WRValleyBook.com.
Sign up for Hailey’s 19th Annual Turkey Trot at ValleyChamber.org.