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Nick is the owner of the firm. He’s been working in the accounting and tax industries of Canada and the U.S. for over 30 years.
Canada
Born in Hungary, his family escaped to Canada during the aftermath of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. He met his wife Pam while attending Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA, where he graduated with a B.Sc. for a double major in Accounting and Business Administration (once class short of earning a third major - Information Systems) and a minor in Economics. Nick and Pam married in 1978, and settled in London, Ontario. Nick began his professional career working for the “Big Six” firm Ernst and Ernst (now Ernst and Young), then spent three years as CEO of a chain of private health care facilities stretching across three provinces. He developed a reputation for having the business acumen and financial contacts to handle multi-million dollar mergers and acquisitions, and for keen use of government and tax regulations. The Treugott chain flourished to become the largest privately owned health care group in Canada, until the death of one of its owners resulted in the facilities being sold off by the estate trustees.
By that time Nick already had a sizeable client base in the part time tax and business consulting business, so he chose to go into private practice. However, it became apparent after several years that although the firm had grown consistently he could not provide the highest level of services to his clients without further formal education. So in 1987 Nick referred his clients to trusted colleagues, left his business investments in trusted hands, and moved his family to Virginia Beach, VA to attend a full time Masters in Business Administration program.
U.S.A.
Nick graduated with an MBA from Regent University in 1989, having attained a 4.0 GPA and a listing in the year’s “Who’s Who in Colleges and Universities”. His graduate practicum work on a plan for comprehensive health care facilities sparked a request that he develop an actual business plan for a multi-level health care project here in Hampton Roads. So rather than returning to Canada as originally planned, Nick began the process of wrapping up his Canadian investments and incorporated several sister companies in Virginia to provide consulting and professional services.
Nick also undertook an intensive course of study to prepare for writing the U.S. CPA exams. After he earned his Certified Public Accountant designation in 1995, he began actively recruiting accounting and tax clients, and building a team of coworkers. For the last 14 years, Nick has been committed to the steady growth of the firm by employing and training the best possible team members, using the most cost-effective and efficient software, and meeting his clients’ accounting, tax, and /or consulting needs for the most reasonable fees we can afford. In order to provide the most complete service possible, Nick has built a network of professional colleagues in banking, finance, investment, insurance, and even within the IRS, VA Department of Taxation and the VEC.
Nick wants to enable each of his business and individual clients to flourish financially, and to see them succeed in building a secure future for themselves and their families. He uses the firm’s library and online resources to stay abreast of changes that may affect our clients both negatively and positively. One of his favorite sayings is “Pigs get fat; hogs get slaughtered” – he will be aggressive in using the tax code and business laws for our clients, but he avoids being greedy by limiting use of tactics in the gray areas. Turning a tough situation around is one of Nick’s specialties – and in today’s shaky economy, it’s a good skill to have available for our clients – but he places a high priority on staying within legal boundaries.
Nick believes that a “professional code of ethics” isn’t just a phrase to parrot; he treats each business or client’s work as if he were doing the task for himself. Honesty, reliability, and creativity within the spirit and letter of the law are fundamental to his personal faith, and he applies his faith to his day-to-day professional life as well as his personal life. The result is that Nick genuinely cares as much about the growth and financial security of each client as he cares about the success of his own firm.
View other team members
James A. Hartle, MA, CPA
Jacquelyn B. Horeth, B.Sc.
Belinda M. Lupton, BA
Debra W. Page, MBA, CPA
Nicholas L. Potocska, CPA
Pam Potocska
Gary Whitelam, Jr.
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