Wellington-based certified public accountant John Spillane has been an accountant for most of his life.
“I’m one of those few individuals who never changed my career,” he said.
As a young student growing up in Pennsylvania, Spillane knew that he wanted to work with numbers and become a CPA. Spillane recalls first learning about, in his opinion, one of the most fascinating mathematical theories — the theory of compound interest.
“Some people say it’s one of the wonders of the world,” Spillane said. “That theory has always amazed me until this day because it never fails, and I learned it in second grade.”
While in school, Spillane excelled in mathematics, and he worked his way through college using those skills. While attending Robert Morris University and Gannon University, both in Pennsylvania, he prepared tax returns at the encouragement of one of his professors.
After graduating, Spillane got a job as an auditor at the large CPA firm Arthur Andersen. “I audited many huge publicly traded companies,” he said.
Spillane then started his firm, J.P. Spillane, CPA, 25 years ago in Wellington. “I wanted to meet the needs of small businesses and individuals in the area,” he said. “Many of our clients in the area have been with us for 20 years or longer.”
Spillane has been in the western communities since the 1970s. “When I first moved out here there was nothing,” he said. “Over the years, I have seen this area grow along with my firm.”
He is proud of the reputation his firm has earned. “We are an exceptional firm,” Spillane said. “And I’m not just saying this because it’s my firm, but people tell me this.”
Spillane recently received a new client who learned about his firm through Angie’s List, an online service that compiles service-oriented businesses based on consumer ratings. “She told me I was rated ‘A,’ and I did not even know I was on there,” he said. “Since then I have gone on there and seen the reviews, and people think we do an exceptionally good job.”
Spillane understands the importance of personalized service. He has worked in large firms where one-on-one attention to the client is lacking. “What separates us from other firms is our level of personal service,” he said.
By sitting with each client and going over their accounting, bookkeeping, tax planning and preparation, financial statements, financial fitness, business solutions and consulting, the firm assists people from all walks of life.
Working as an accountant is what Spillane enjoys doing, and he could never picture himself doing anything else. “I’ve always been good at accounting, and it just came natural for me,” he said. “I have also influenced other family members to go into accounting, and I have a nephew who actually used to work for the same firm I did.”
Part of being an accountant is being an important aspect of people’s lives.
“You get to find out what they are doing, and you can really help people a great deal with something very few people know about,” Spillane said.
J.P. Spillane, CPA is located at 12788 W. Forest Hill Blvd. in Wellington. For more information, visit www.jpspillane.com or call (561) 790-1488.
