By Tricia Clark
Suttle & Stalnaker, PLLC was founded on the belief that family comes first. The firm works with employees to make sure they balance work and family life, and when conflicts arise, family life always comes first. The flooding on June 23, 2016, gave the firm the opportunity to put that founding belief into action by putting fellow men and women first. Work could wait. People needed us.
The work day began as any other. However, due to the unending rain, June 23 ended up being an extremely unusual and devastating day.
By late Friday, several employees left work knowing that their homes as well as countless others were in danger due to rapidly rising water. Concern increased for not only employees but also for clients since many had businesses in the flooded areas. Were employees and families who lived in the Elkview/Clendenin area safe? At this point, it was a game of wait and see.
By Monday the horrible outcome was known. Water, which sustains life, had taken lives, homes, property and security. How could Suttle & Stalnaker help? The partners held an emergency meeting and offered employees time off to help flood victims. In effect, the office was shut down because everyone, even those from the Parkersburg office, wanted to assist.
Work parties were organized, and employees met in the office parking lot to go into the hurting communities. Everyone was encouraged to bring cleaning supplies as well as shovels, masks and gloves from home. Due to health risks, it was also best to wear clothing that could be thrown away. In hindsight, the tetanus booster shots were a good idea.
On June 28th, 36 employees went to Elkview and Clendenin to help. Most went to work at the Suttle family homes that had been affected. The home of Jack Suttle, the company’s founding partner, had more than four feet of water in it, and everything had to be removed. People who normally sit at desks and work at computers were pulling out drywall, carrying out furniture, ripping out carpet and shoveling mud. Trying not to be emotional at the significant loss and devastation was impossible. CPAs are numbers people who assess financial damages in their heads as they work. First-hand knowledge was difficult to handle as the costs of the flood’s destruction continued rising.
After the first day of volunteering, it was apparent that more time was needed. The partners authorized another day off, and the work crews headed north again. The tasks were daunting. There was much to do and so much loss, so workers forged ahead. The firm donated more than 500 work hours. An accounting firm’s business model is based on selling knowledge, which is measured through time spent on task. The value of the time donated was over $56,000, which reflects what the employees would have billed or sold if they had been working for clients. The cost to the firm exceeds that since employees were paid their salaries for the days as well. However, the gift of time and assistance to the communities was worth much more than any tally can reveal.
“It is our great honor to recognize the staff and members of Suttle & Stalnaker for their unselfish sacrifice of time and money to assist persons in the Clendenin, WV, area due to massive flooding on June 23, 2016,” says Jack. “After spending two days stranded in our house during the flooding, we were faced with tremendous cleanup from a completely flooded basement, four feet of water on the main floor and about six feet in the garage, plus many inches of mud. On two separate days, 20-35 staff, members and clients, along with some of their family members, showed up at our house and completely gutted and cleaned it. In addition, they provided an enormous amount of supplies and equipment and served lunches for all the workers and many others in the area. As they completed the work at our house, they moved out to help others in the area. It is with great appreciation and thanks that we recognize their great effort. Without their unsolicited assistance, we do not know how we would have accomplished such a daunting task.”
About the Author
Tricia Clark is a tax member at Suttle & Stalnaker, PLLC. She is responsible for supervising and reviewing tax returns, providing tax consultation and planning for individual and business taxes. Clark received her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in accounting in 1988 and a masters of professional accountancy in 1989 from West Virginia University. She has been a CPA since 1992. Clark is an active community volunteer and contributes time to the Young Men’s Christian Association, West Virginia Land & Mineral Association, MVB Bank, Inc., Highland Hospital Foundation and Christ Church United Methodist.
