Holiday Hours

Season's Greetings. Wishing you and yours a Merry Chirstmas filled with the warmth of loved ones, and with the promise of a prosperous new year.

 

We will be closed at noon on December 24th.  We will reopen on December 29th  and 30th with normal business hours, and will close again at noon on December 31st. We will then reopen on January 4, 2022.

During the period from December 24th, 2021 to January 4th, 2022, for the Aylmer office, items can be dropped off at any time during business hours into the drop-box provided. For the St. Thomas office, from December 24th, 2021 to Dec 31st,2021, please call during business hours, (519) 633-0700, to arrange with reception for dropping items off as the building will be closed to the public.

During the hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on regular business days other than as noted above, information can be dropped in the drop boxes provided at each location. Meetings and times to pick up information are by appointment only.

If you require any assistance, please call our administrative staff or any firm member during business hours.

Seasons Greetings!

GSE Annual Holiday Party 2021

Last week, Graham Scott Enns held their Annual Holiday Party to mark the end of a long year.

While things were a little different this year, it was still a great way to connect with friends and family, and to celebrate together, as best we can, this festive season!

Thank you to the Social Committee for planning such a fun and festive event!

Congratulations CFE Writers!

Graham Scott Enns LLP would like to congratulate all successful CFE writers on their incredible accomplishment!
We are proud to acknowledge our own successful writer, Eduard Aslani, who has completed this incredible career milestone. Congrats Eddy!

Wishing You All The Best

The partners of Graham Scott Enns LLP wish fellow partners Bill Luyks and Megan Siemens along with manager Michael Helder well, as they leave the firm to form a new partnership, Luyks Siemens Helder LLP.  While we have all greatly enjoyed working together over the years, the time has come to explore new opportunities to meet our mutual goals of providing excellence and quality in client service.

Clients currently working with Bill, Megan and Mike will be contacted over the coming days and weeks to discuss the best path forward to support their accounting and taxation needs.  The change will be effective January 1, 2022.

We thank all our clients for your support during this time of transition and look forward to serving you for many years to come.

Sincerely,

The partners of Graham Scott Enns LLP                   and                        The partners of Luyks Siemens Helder LLP

Michael Stover, CPA, CA                                                                                Bill Luyks, CPA, CA

Robert Foster, CPA, CA                                                                                  Megan Siemens, CPA, CA

James Frederick, CPA, CA                                                                             Michael Helder, CPA, CA

Michael MacKinnon, CPA, CA

Paul Schneider, CPA, CA

Derek Michell, CPA, CA

Ann Marie Perry, CPA, CA

Garth Howes, CPA, CA

Jennifer Buchanan, CPA, CA

Small Business Week

This week October 17-23 is Small Business Week.

Did you know that 98% of businesses in Canada are considered to be small businesses whereby they employ fewer than 100 paid employees?

GSE is a proud member of Elgin County’s small business community!

Springwater Picnic Lunch!

Earlier this week all Firm Members gathered on a beautiful fall day at Springwater Conservation Area for a picnic lunch, lawn games, and a walk. We’ve missed gathering as a large group over the last 18 months and enjoyed the opportunity to spend time together away from our computer screens.

Similar to many other employers, we are working on our new “normal” work environment, but what’s important to all of us is to maintain our culture and remain connected.

 

 

 

 

 

 

GSE Baseball Day

This past Friday, GSE held their first ever baseball game! This was a great opportunity to meet new staff, and to socialize outside of the workplace. This family friendly event brought together Staff, and Partners from both offices for some fun in the sun, followed by a tasty BBQ dinner! Congratulations Team 2 on your win! Thanks to the Social Committee for putting on such a great event!

 

Sometimes accounting is a walk in the (ball) park!

Good Luck CFE Writers

Today marks the most exciting time of year! The annual CFE begins today running for the next 3 days.
Best of luck to all writers this year, we all know the efforts you have put in over the last month of studying.
Trust in your own abilities and process.

A Day in the Life of a GSE Co-op Student

Name: Allison

Position: Co-op Student (1st term)

Why did you choose GSE: I chose GSE because of the supportive team environment, as well as the Buddy/Mentor program. I was also drawn in by the fact that I would be exposed to many different types of engagements, including Notice to Readers (NTRs), Reviews and Audits; this is very useful not only for my future schooling, but also in helping decide what I will want to do for a future career.

What is a typical day like for you: I will usually start the day out by checking my e-mails. After that, I will get to work on any files that I have on my plate, whether they are NTR, audit or review engagements.  Typically, I will spend my day agreeing account balances to supporting paperwork and adjusting them as necessary, as well as preparing financial statements and corporate tax returns.  If I have a question, I will reach out to either the manager on the file or my mentor, and we will have a quick discussion through Teams (video call or messages since I am working remotely), then I will get back to work on the file.

What type of work do you find most enjoyable: The type of work I find the most enjoyable is expense testing in an audit engagement. I enjoy data entry, which is required to make sure it is clear which expenses are being tested by agreeing the appropriate expense account, date, vendor, invoice/cheque number and amount.  I also enjoy the task of agreeing the invoice amounts and making sure the company’s controls are being used properly.  Sometimes there are cases when the control isn’t working, or the invoice does not match, and this requires additional testing, which can be a fun scavenger hunt.

What type of work do you find most challenging: The most challenging thing for me are the corporate tax returns.  While I enjoy doing them since I appreciate a challenge, there are many different schedules and rules to know. This can make the process quite tedious to make sure that you have everything entered correctly, and I often have questions, but through some searching around I can usually figure out what needs to be done.  When I am unable to figure out the problem on my own, the manager on the file or my mentor can help me out and explain it to me for future reference.

What is one thing you have learnt that you think would be useful for someone looking to join GSE to know:

I have learned that no question is a stupid question when it comes to working on a file.  Especially if you are starting with no real accounting work experience, everyone is happy to help you out to make sure that things are done properly, and you can do it on your own the next time you come across the situation.  Even if you feel like you should know the answer, or it has been explained to you before, it is better to ask if you are unsure to avoid confusion and more work later.

Looking for a New Career Opportunity?

Graham Scott Enns is currently looking to hire for a number of key positions, including, Intermediate Accountant, Senior Accountant, and Tax Manager. We are also looking for an Accounting Co-Op student to join our ever-growing team of professionals.

We are a mid-sized public accounting firm, and one of the largest accounting firms in Elgin County! As such, we are able to provide a wide variety of work experiences across a number of different sectors. Our clients range from agriculture to manufacturing, and from not-for-profit organizations to owner-managed businesses, which allows our staff to gain experience in many different industries.

Graham Scott Enns is an approved CPA Ontario training office, and is part of the Pre-Approved Program (PAP) for the CPA Ontario Practical Experience Reporting Tool (PERT). We have an official Training and Development curriculum to encourage on-going training and to meet your annual CPA Ontario CPD requirements. We also pride ourselves in our formal Mentor program to help support your personal and professional development as you continue to advance in your career. Staff also get ample face-to-face time with the Firm’s Partners, as well as Managers, who are all working to help you meet your career goals.

Work-life balance is something we value at Graham Scott Enns, and we encourage all staff to take time to rest and recharge. We have a paid overtime policy for the first 6 months of the year when the workload is heavier, and we have reduced hours over the last 6 months of the year when the workload is lighter, including an option for half-day Fridays, or even Friday’s off! There is also a Flex-time policy, and post-COVID, there will likely be some remote working options available.

If you are looking for a career change and are looking for an opportunity to grow personally and professionally, we would love to hear from you! Come join our growing team of hard-working professionals. Please apply to the Firm’s HR Manager at awoods@grahamscottenns.com and take a look at our Career Page for more information about working at GSE!