The accounting firm Mark Thompson launched in the mid-1980s has moved from its longtime headquarters in the Snell Building in downtown Fort Dodge to new offices at 1099 Kenyon Road. The enterprise also has a new name – Thompson Eich & Tyrrell CPAs – reflecting the expansion in the number of partners.

Thompson said the new Fort Dodge office is better configured to facilitate adding personnel as the business continues to grow in the years ahead.

“We have close to the same amount of square footage, but we have two more offices at the new location,” he said.

Thompson said the Kenyon Road address will also be more convenient for clients because it has ample free parking on-site. He also speculated that being situated at the street level on one of the town’s busiest thoroughfares will make the firm more visible to prospective clients. With the many newcomers to Fort Dodge drawn by the booming local economy, Thompson said being readily seen by passers-by is a marketing advantage for any business.

The firm’s name was changed this year from Thompson & Eich CPAs to Thompson Eich & Tyrrell CPAs. This modification takes note of the expansion in the number of partners. In 2013, Joseph D. Tyrrell, who began working at the firm in 2007, became the third partner. He joined Thompson, who founded the business, and Julie Eich, who has been a partner since 2007. Eich, who grew up in Fort Dodge and has been part of the team since the 1990s, heads the Thompson Eich & Tyrrell office in Des Moines.

Thompson, who is 63, said the partners represent different generations and position the business well to continue serving the public long into the future.

“There is a generation difference between us,” he said. “I think Joe, who is 33, connects really well with people in their 20s and 30s.”

Thompson said the presence in his firm of partners that represent multiple generations sets it apart from much of the industry and is a definite strength because it helps ensure long-term continuity of service.

“Nationwide, half of the CPAs are within five years of retirement,” he said. “If you look around the landscape here in Fort Dodge, it’s no different.”

Diverse clientele

Audit work and tax preparation are major components of the agenda at Thompson Eich & Tyrrell CPAs but there are an array of other services as well.

“We do payrolls for companies, whatever bookkeeping they need we do,” Thompson said. “There’s a good group of companies for which we just do monthly financial statements.”

The client mix includes both business and individual clients.

“It’s a mixture,” Thompson said. “We probably do more audits than most firms our size. And at the other end we probably do more low-income tax returns than most CPA firms.”

Helping individuals and businesses address their tax-filing requirements is a major focus.

“Tax is probably 60 percent of the business,” Thompson said. “There is big demand for people who can help you with your tax returns. When the IRS starts calling and you get a five-page letter that gives you blurry eyes and an accelerated heart rate, we handle that stuff.”

The firm has offices in Fort Dodge and Des Moines giving it a broad reach geographically.

“We have five total CPAs,” Thompson said. “Two are in Des Moines. Three are in Fort Dodge. Three of the CPAs are partners.”

There are additional employees in both offices year-round. Additionally, Thompson said the staffing is augmented with temporary personal during tax season.

The approach the team takes in tax preparation for individuals is highly personalized.

“We do tax appointments,” Thompson said. “For most simple returns, we plop somebody down in front of us and we do it in front of them.”

That gives the accountant a chance to interact with the client and better understand that how that person’s situation may affect the tax due.

“It’s handy for us because if we have a question they are right there,” Thompson said. “We can also ask if there are any changes coming up. Are you sending a kid to college? Are you planning on retirement? Are you going to divorce the woman right next to you? All sorts of things make a difference on your tax return. It’s handy to have them right there in front of you so you don’t miss that stuff.”

The Thompson Eich & Tyrrell team is ready to address just about any tax-filing need.

“We can handle most tax returns,” Tyrrell said. “For example, we do multiple state returns.”

High-tech offices

Thompson and Tyrrell both said the firm has made a point of being in the forefront of the accounting industry in terms of employing technology to serve clients better.

“We could never get done as much as we get done without all the technology,” Thompson explained. “And we’re probably one of the most advanced as far as doing things paperless. If we do your tax returns, we don’t keep anything on paper. We scan it in (on to a computer). I can look at your W-2 or your 1099s. Notes that you gave us.”

Since all documents are on the computer system in digital form, retrieval is just a mouse click or keystroke away. Thompson said the speed enhances productivity and makes it easy to share information with clients virtually instantaneously. It also means that work from remote and/or multiple locations can take place with ease.

“It’s a tremendous productivity improvement,” he said. “It’s especially important now that we also have an office in Des Moines.”

Meet the partners

Mark Thompson, CPA, received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Iowa State University, Ames, in 1974 and a master of business administation degree from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, the following year. He is on the board of directors of on the Friendship Haven and has accounting advisory committee roles at ISU and Iowa Central Community College.

Julie Eich, CPA, grew up in Fort Dodge and is a graduate of Fort Dodge Senior High. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Iowa State University. She splits her time between the Fort Dodge and Des Moines offices.

Joeseph Tyrrell, CPA, received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota, in 2005. He is president of Fort Dodge Noon Sertoma and treasurer of Fort Dodge Young Professionals.

The future

The business has grown substantially since the 1980s and Thompson said he expects that will continue as the 21st century unfolds. He stressed, however, that getting bigger has never really been part of the game plan.

“We’ve never had a goal of expanding,” he said. “It just happens. Fort Dodge is growing. The complexity of stuff is growing.”