The Vancouver-based accounting firm Frumenti, Lander and Wallace, P.S. has a new partner, Ridgefield native Ryan Greear.
“It had been in the works for a while now, but all the same, it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” said the 33-year-old Greear.
Accounting and finance wasn’t what Greear initially set out to do when he graduated from Ridgefield High School in 1996.
“I was always good in math and science, and when I was still in school, I had teachers encourage me to get into engineering, so I started looking at a career as an electrical engineer,” Greear said. “But when you’re in high school, you really don’t know what you want to do, so when I went to college, I discovered it wasn’t the right field for me and I took a look at business instead.”
Enrolling at Central Washington University, Greear earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 2000, then joined Frumenti, Lander and Wallace in 2003. What has kept him both at the firm and interested in the financial world is how Greear has had to help a diverse client base deal with the ever-changing economy.
“It’s a constant challenge of change, because tax laws and rules apply to different clients and different industries,” Greear said. “In a typical day, I may see as many as six different businesses and each of them poses a unique situation with a unique solution.”
Greear added one of the drawbacks to his job is seeing how much the economic downturn has affected some of his clients, leaving him without much ability to help get them back on track. He also has seen signs that in some areas, recovery is already underway.
“Based on what we’ve seen locally, manufacturing appears on the uptick again, which is always a good thing. Also, research and development is coming back some, so there are some positives to be found in this region right now,” Greear said.
Working for Frumenti, Lander and Wallace not only has allowed him to work with many different clients, but also be active in the community as a member of the Clark County YMCA Board of Directors. Also an avid fan of both the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers, Greear admits it’s been a rough season for him to watch sports, especially in terms of basketball.
“I think we as fans have just had really high expectations for the Blazers, and when they lose, it’s just not much fun to deal with,” Greear said.
When not in the office or out and about in the community, Greear enjoys his time at home with his wife Laura, who runs her own Pilates studio in Vancouver, and their 15-month old daughter Ava.
During tax season, by far the busiest time of the year for accountants, he freely admits it makes it hard to be away from his little girl for long hours.
“They change so fast during this time, and even when you leave in the morning and come back home late, there’s a chance you may have missed something,” Greear said.
Still, Greear sees his promotion as an indicator that he chose the right line of work and looks to only get better the longer he’s with Frumenti, Lander and Wallace.
“If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse,” Greear said. “We serve both as an adviser and really as a friend, and at the end of the day, we have to do all we can to help our clients.”
Frumenti, Lander and Wallace is now located at 703 Broadway Street, Suite 600 in Vancouver. For more information, call (360) 696-1693.
