Rich Lewis of Pooley Accounting Named a “2019 Best Accountant” by SBM Readers

Small Business Monthly’s readers have voted Rich Lewis of Pooley Accounting Services one of 2019’s Best Accountants in the St. Louis area. Of the award, Lewis said, “This is a really huge honor. I do my best for all of my clients, and it’s nice to get a positive review. This is definitely some welcome feedback.”

Lewis has been a member of Pooley Accounting Services since January 2016, having spent his career in corporate America. Through his initial experience at Express Scripts and as a Revenue Auditor at President Casino, Lewis discovered he had a knack for untangling documentation, mining them for opportunities, and tracking down errors.

He took these skills to his position as Accounting Manager at Mid-American Coaches. There, he and his team worked hard to make sure that every transaction was clear and traceable. He said, “I want to make the records I keep as easy to follow as possible for the next accountant. That’s the hard part: creating a clear trail with a concise explanation along with all of the supporting paperwork.”

When he joined Pooley Accounting Services, he took his experience at Mid-American Coaches and broadened it to a wider range of clients. As new clients bring in spreadsheets riddled with errors, he gets to work setting them in order. Lewis is passionate about what may seem tedious to others, saying, “I enjoy digging.”

One early such client had miscategorized over $100,000 in deposits. When Lewis discovered the error, the client was rewarded with a sizeable tax refund.

Joining the team at Pooley Accounting Services was a revelation for Lewis. He could hardly believe how well it was run. Owned by Louise Pooley, the firm has been recognized by Small Business Monthly as well:

• One of the Best Accounting Firms in St. Louis (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019)
• One of the Best in Value (2013, 2016)
• One of the Best in Reliability (2016)
• One of the Best in Customer Service (2013)
• Top Accountant for Small Business (2011)

Of Pooley, Lewis said, “Louise creates an excellent work environment. It’s in the way she treats her employees — her employee reviews are unlike any I’ve ever had. She gives us useful feedback, but she asks us for feedback too. We discuss our professional as well as our personal goals. I worked in private accounting for twenty years. Louise is different.”

Pooley herself has been impressed with Lewis. “He’s worked mostly on accounts that needed a lot of cleaning and straightening up. It’s not easy getting your arms around an unfamiliar business, learning the industry, and ultimately giving that business better information about itself.”

Lewis exemplifies what Pooley tries to spread throughout her entire staff at Pooley Accounting Services. “We want to affect change and improve the situation our clients are in. We always want to leave a client better than when they first started working with us.”

About Lewis, Pooley says, “We’re thrilled he’s been honored in this way. He’s quite humble and not used to this sort of attention. We really appreciate whoever nominated him.”

About Pooley Accounting Services

Pooley Accounting was established by Louise Pooley in 2007. Committed to small business owners, they provide professional, timely, and comprehensive accounting, bookkeeping, training, and consulting services.