H appy to have such a wonderful and supportive family

A ware of the unique beauty and recreational opportunities we have in Whatcom County

R ewarded with having the BEST employees and clients to work with

T otally committed to the community

E nvironmentally conscious

If you want to be successful in your business, Julie is the person to have on your team!  With 36 years of business advisory experience, her expertise in accounting, business management, financial, retirement and transition planning is an asset to our Firm and to you, our clients.   Julie first joined the Metcalf Hodges team in 1975 as an honors graduate of the accounting program at Western Washington University. She spent several years auditing small business and not-for profit organizations and became a partner in the Firm in 1980. Over the years of working with small to medium size business enterprises, she began to focus on business advisory services. In 1990 she completed a two year full-time residency program at Willamette University, Atkinson Graduate School of Management earning an MBA, to enhance those advisory skills.
 

J ob is to help others succeed

U ndertakers make good husbands

L oves to read; life-long passion for learning

I nspired by women of wisdom and kindness

E xercises daily; not enough, but continues to work on it!

Stephanie Artino joined Metcalf Hodges in 1999 and became the Firm’s newest principal and shareholder in 2008.  Stephanie is the 19th CPA to be an owner in the firm since its inception in 1964. She continues the legacy of high quality and integrity in the profession and in her contributions to Metcalf Hodges as a business enterprise.

Stephanie’s passion is for business advisory services where she helps small to medium sized (SME) businesses grow and assists their owners in reaching their personal and professional goals.  Metcalf Hodges is a member of the largest international association of CPA and Chartered Accounting firms called RAN ONE, which has been a significant resource to these business advisory services. 

Stephanie is also an experienced and skilled accountant in all aspects of public accounting services. The depth of the Metcalf Hodges “bench” allows her to focus her attention to the needs of the clients as they present themselves.

A transplant to Bellingham, Stephanie graduated from Western Washington University with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting and minor in Business Administration.  In addition to her CPA license, she brings over 15 years of accounting experience to our team from both the public and private sectors.

Stephanie currently serves as treasurer for the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County and is a member of the Construction Financial Management Association, Bellingham/Whatcom County Chamber of Commerce and the Whatcom Referral Network. She is an Advisory Committee member for the Whatcom Young Professionals and Past-President of the Northwest Chapter of the Washington Society of CPAs. 

Stephanie has served on the Board of Directors and is a Past President for both the Mother Baby Center and the North Cascades Chapter of the American Society of Women Accountants. She also served as Chairperson for the Bellingham Technical College Advisory Committee for Business and Computer Information Systems.  In addition, she is a member of the Washington Society of CPAs.

Stephanie loves spending time with her 6-year old daughter Paige.  She also enjoys golfing, traveling, outdoor activities, exercising, reading and spending time with friends and family. She is also an official tri-athlete, having competed in the Lake Padden triathlon (recreational division, of course!) in June 2009.

S wimmer
T hinks big
E clectic taste in music
P ositive and optimistic, yet realistic when necessary
H as a love for romantic comedies (aka chick flicks)
A morning person
N ot a fan of heights
I s within walking distance of a golf course from home
E xcited about competing in Ski to Sea, canoe leg in 2010

R eads the Journal of Accountancy every month.

O nly CPA that does his own tax return in April.

N ever finishes a Sudoku.

O ld-fashioned

K nit, knit, purl…

S alsa is not food, it’s my dog!

A llergies – none so far

N ight owl

A nd going forward

David followed the traditional path to becoming a member of the team at Metcalf Hodges.  At 17, he joined the Army, where he served as a Vietnamese linguist with military intelligence in Thailand and Vietnam.  Recognizing that accounting was calling him, he joined the merchant marine and sailed the oceans.  With the tug of accounting growing stronger, David attended several colleges, testing majors ranging from chemistry to foreign studies before earning an honors degree in agriculture from Washington State University, followed by a BS in Accounting from Central Washington University.  David first joined Metcalf Hodges in 1979 and rejoined us in 1994 with the merger of his CPA partnership into ours.

David devotes substantial effort to looking busy at his desk as the person responsible for tax, valuation and litigation support services.  Meanwhile, he has found time to graduate from the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Foundation intensive two-year Leadership Development Program, present a syndicated radio commentary for ten years, serve as a twenty-five year faculty member of the Western Agricultural Banking School and give seminar presentations on agricultural tax planning, corporate management and facilitating change around the United States.

David's belief that "Only when we recognize that we know little, do we have the opportunity to learn much", has served him well as an instructor at the community college and university level in management, accounting and finance classes.  His passion for sharing knowledge and exploring ideas is incorporated in the service we offer our business clients.

In 1989, David was appointed by Governor Booth Gardner to serve on the Washington State Correctional Industries Board of Directors.  Throughout the 1990's, David spent 8 years as Board chair (retiring in March 2000) helping the business grow 5 fold in sales and 140% in targeted employment, making Washington a recognized national leader in prison work programs.  As a result, David claims to have spent more time in more prisons than any CPA (still licensed).

David and Teresa (who has exhibited 30+ years of patience and understanding) have built a beautiful, if a little different, family of seven children of all shapes, sizes and colors.  Now empty nesters (one daughter attends Western Washington University - but lives on campus), David and Teresa visit with kids and grandchildren, will forever be upgrading a 120 year old Victorian, travel a bit and spend time pondering the nature of the Universe.

D resses professionally (except Monday-Friday when Hawaiian shirts and jeans/shorts are mandatory)

A vid double bogey (*#@$%) golfer

V acuous (what words start with V?)

I diosyncratic

D resses professionally (see above)

As a child Deb spent her summers at her grandparents’ cabin in northern Michigan, and later her summers on a small island in Lake St. Claire.  Her desire was to work in forestry and wildlife management.  After a year of biology classes, she realized there weren’t many job opportunities in this field.  During her high school years, her mother had a small bookkeeping business that she worked at in the evenings at home.  When the workload got too heavy, Deb helped.  After high school, she took over the small accounts and put herself through college working as a bookkeeper.  So when it came time to change her career plans, the accounting profession was a natural choice.

After graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor in Business Administration, she stayed in Michigan for a few years before moving to the Northwest.  Deb joined Metcalf Hodges in January, 2003.  She brings with her 24 years of experience in accounting and auditing and taxation.  She especially enjoys working with small business clients.

For the past eight years, Deb has been volunteering her time as treasurer and board member of the Padilla Bay Foundation, a non-profit organization which helps support the Padilla Bay National Estuary Reserve. 

She has also board member of Sun Community Service for the past four years. 

In her spare time, Deb and her significant other are usually hiking with their dogs, gardening and spending time outdoors, whether it be in the mountains or on the water.  When not with their dogs, they are cruising their small sailboat in the San Juan or Gulf Islands.

D ogs – two malamutes, Art and Izzy

E xtremely enjoys sailing

B rats and beer during the Packer games

Cathie joined Metcalf Hodges in September 2001 and became a fully certified CPA in 2003. She is our QuickBooks ProAdvisor providing clients with QuickBooks setup, training and customization services. Internally she provides client payroll processing, general accounting, tax preparation and financial statement services.

Cathie plays soccer, coached for many years and has been on the Whatcom County Adult Soccer Board since 1993. She joined the Bellingham Food Bank board in 2007 and has enjoyed having time to give back to the community.

Recent empty nesters, Cathie and her husband, George have been playing in the yard, boating at the lake and riding motorcycles around the county.

C hildren – Amanda and Brice

A thlete – slow soccer player

T errible speller

H ibernates with a good book

I ce Cream - Vanilla

E arly morning person

Jennifer came to Metcalf Hodges in the summer of 2004 on a temporary basis while still a student at Bellingham Technical College (BTC) and officially joined our team as office manager in March of 2005 after her graduation.  As our Office Manager, Jennifer’s job is to keep everything running smoothly, a job which she takes very seriously. 

While at BTC Jennifer was honored as an All-Washington Academic Team member at which time she met Governor Gregoire in Olympia.  She was also President of the Phi Theta Kappa chapter and Director of Administrative Affairs of the Associated Student Body at BTC.

Jennifer currently serves on the Business & Computer Information Systems Advisory Committee at BTC which helps insure current students are acquiring the skills that are in demand in today’s workforce. She also manages the year-round intern program at Metcalf Hodges and enjoys helping students to grow in their chosen field.

Jennifer grew up in Stanwood and moved to Concrete with her family in 2003.  They have a beautiful, no flood riverfront property they love to make improvements to. Some of their favorite pastimes are to have barbecues with family and friends in their backyard. They also enjoy the beautiful surroundings they live in and go camping often or on day trips to the many lakes or mountain areas near their house.

J ane Austen, favorite author

E lk – constantly in my backyard

N ever go without chocolate milk in the morning!

N ot a dull day in my life

I mpossibly stubborn

F our – number of animals – one dog and 3 cats

E xcellent children (I may be biased)

R ainy nights by a fireplace – my favorite

Sarah is an enrolled agent. She prepares all types of tax returns and is our estate and trust specialist. In Southern California she managed an individual income tax preparation office before escaping to the Northwest.

Actually, her husband retired from the Marine Corps and they wanted to be close to family and the fishing boat.  Their house on a five-acre hayfield has become a home with a great yard.  The addition of lots of trees, flowers, and a koi pond has created a garden where Sarah enjoys spending her free time, while Chuck wonders whether he’s really retired.  She is our resident florist and loves creating arrangements with flowers from her yard.

Sarah is also an avid genealogist and hopes to find all her elusive relatives in the future.  Currently she only has about 28,000 people in her database . Many came to America in the 1600’s and parked in Massachusetts for 300 years.  They paid their penny tax to register the baby’s birth and the record is still available!  The research skills she developed in this hobby help her find answers to all kinds of tax questions.

Outside of the office she is a member of  Toastmasters Club 60  which meets Thursday mornings. She is working to finish all the Advanced Communicator levels. At various times she has held every officer position for her club (except Sergeant at Arms which requires an early arrival). The Board of the North Puget Sound branch of the Arthritis Foundation also keeps her busy. In 2009 she is the cochair of the Jingle Bell Run/Walk. The Bellingham Jingle Bell Run/Walk is the second largest in the United States; only Seattle raises more money.  In 2010 she will be board chair as well as cochair of the Jingle Bell Run/Walk.

S avors chocolate, silence, and secrets

A lways asks why

R eads voraciously

A ttacks slugs and weeds

H ankers for her granddaughter and high speed internet

J ust ADORABLE (it says so above)

U dders – I’ve seen a lot of them!

L ove those Seahawks

I ncredibly SLOW storyteller (per Marilyn) 

E xtremely kind  and enthusiastic

D oesn’t like Darth Vader

E njoys a good garage sale

B aseball fan forever

R eally adores cats

A nything chocolate is good

Cary is excited to be back in the west. Growing up in Montana she was active in her local community theatre, 4H and Pony Club. She first came to the Pacific Northwest as an instructor in the barn at Four Winds Westward Ho Camp on Orcas Island. Her interest in theatre led her to study film in college and move to New York City where she lived for 11 years.  In that time she went back to school for Massage Therapy, met her husband, and realized she wanted more trees and less pavement in her life.

When not riding a horse or climbing a mountain, Cary can be found pondering one of many unfinished craft projects.  She enjoys the creative process as well as solving the math and mechanical puzzles of a crochet or sewing project.

Working as a massage therapist has given her an appreciation for the interconnectedness of the body and psyche. Learning how to treat muscles led her to study Polarity Therapy, a bodywork system that addresses energetic and mental patterns as well as physical imbalances. She has felt the benefits of this work first hand and enjoys sharing how simple and profound it can be.

C ats, horses, and any other furry four legged friends 

A rts & crafts: perfect rainy day activity

R edhead 

Y es, I can squat 200 lbs

Jennifer Wright relocated to the City of Subdued Excitement from the Sunshine State.  With sufficient reserves of Vitamin D, she arrived prepared for the dreary winter. She worked her way through college on the beaches of South Florida as an ocean lifeguard. From her lifeguard hut, she watched the evolution of what was then the newest extreme sport – kiteboarding. It was there she met her husband, Damien, the local ripper. Reluctant to leave the beach and equipped with an accounting degree, she and her husband started a kiteboarding school.

After a few years chasing the wind (and the start of a family), she accepted an opportunity to join a group of automotive dealerships and warranty companies as an internal auditor.  She rose to controller of corporate management procuring group contracts and strategically implementing enterprise-wide procedural improvements to reduce costs and increase process efficiencies.

In search of utopia and a little more texture, Jennifer and Damien found Bellingham.  After their first visit, they returned to Florida and Jennifer entered graduate school to continue her path to becoming a CPA. She then found Metcalf Hodges and was drawn to the team’s synergy, and ethical and quality standards. A natural problem-solver, she has now become the tax research specialist navigating the tax code to provide practical solutions to complex tax problems.

Jennifer and Damien take full advantage of all the Pacific Northwest has to offer. As avid adventurists, they drag their children – sometimes kicking and screaming - along on various outdoor explorations.  They enjoy hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, kiteboarding, and snowboarding. If they’re not on the trails, you will find them exploring Bellingham’s many local food, art, and music venues.

Jennifer holds a Master of Taxation and a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in accounting from Florida Atlantic University.

J upiter -- loves astronomy 

E xcited to explore the Northwest!

N eeds a dry suit 

N ifty

I nquisitive

F ull of ideas

E cological

R easonable