Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf LLP celebrated its 60th anniversary as a Central Coast accounting firm with an event Wednesday night at the Music Academy of the West with about 300 guests.

The event included a concert by two award-winning soloists — pianist Christopher Schmitt, winner of this year’s Concerto Competition, and soprano vocalist Simone Osborne, winner of this year’s Marilyn Horne Vocal Competition — in the newly renovated Hahn Hall. A reception catered by Season’s Catering followed, with more music by solo flutist Leslee Sipress in the Koi Pond Garden and the trio Ambrosia Strings in Anne’s Garden.

BPW began its practice in 1948 as Thomas R. Kruger, CPA, a one-man office. Kruger was a man who valued client service above all else. In 1951, the firm name was changed to Kruger & Bartlett, CPAs. Kruger died suddenly in 1957, and Stanley Bartlett and Phillip Pringle continued the operation of the firm. In 1959, they changed the name to Bartlett & Pringle. Walter Wolf became a partner in 1963, and the firm’s name was changed again to Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf, CPAs.

“The early years had to have been very interesting,” said Scott Hadley, the firm’s managing partner. “They used a hand-crank adding machine in those days instead of the computers we have today.  Employees had to keep manual billing hours because there were no computers. Stanley Bartlett’s and Phillip Pringle’s wives did the client billing. It was a family-oriented business in those days.”

Through the years, the firm has seen many partners join, including Richard Christensen, Bertram Willoughby, Robert Lawson, Gary Yant, Robert Hiltz, Ronald Camp, Alexander Chambers, Robert Maloy, Ellen Johnson, Frank Burns, Terry Farrance, Grace Stalica, Eileen Sheridan, Scott Hadley, Elizabeth Boscacci, John Britton, David Uhler and Danna McGrew.  Some of the partners since have retired or moved on, but Maloy, Sheridan, Hadley, Boscacci, Britton, McGrew and Stalica remain.

As the firm grew, it developed divisions to provide a full range of financial services, accommodating the growing needs of its clients and the increasing complexities of the tax and accounting worlds. Today, those divisions include Tax Planning Services, Audit Services, Estate Planning, Cost Segregation Services, Wealth Management (through its sister firm Mission Wealth Management), Bookkeeping Services, Litigation Support Services and Business Solutions to handle the more complicated software needs of financial and other types of institutions. They also moved from their original office location on Figueroa Street because the company was expanding so rapidly. They designed and built the facility they’re in today at 1123 Chapala St.

The firm has more than 50 people on its staff, and the partners have combined experience of well more than 100 years in public accounting. They service many of the tri-county’s highest net-worth individuals and largest businesses and nonprofits. The Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce named BPW as April’s recipient of its Live-Work Balance Star.

“In the early days, Stan Bartlett and Phil Pringle felt it was very important to also give back to the community,” Hadley said. “The firm continues to uphold this tradition to this day. BPW partners and employees volunteer in and support over 20 local organizations and sit on multiple boards in the community.”

Hadley attributes much of the firm’s long-term success to its core values, which include the understanding that people are the core of their business, that their success is linked to the success of their clients, that it’s important to encourage and support a healthy balance between professional and personal needs and goals, that giving back to the community is essential; that communication needs to be open and respectful as well as effective; and that excellence is achieved through a commitment to quality products and services.

“We also insist on absolute integrity and honesty in everything we do,” Hadley said. “We don’t just deal with clients; we deal with generations of families. Some clients stay so long that the clients go through generations of CPAs. Our clients stay because we provide great client service and value our relationship with them.”

Jonatha King of King Communications represents Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf LLP.