Palius + O’Kelley CPAs, Inc., recently announced the elevation of Jason Janzen to partner.

The firm, founded in 1993 by Maeda Palius and Michael O’Kelley, is a business-only CPA firm assisting companies ranging from startups to those with sales exceeding $50,000,000. Based in Santa Barbara, Palius + O’Kelley (POK) is now home to 10 employees.

O’Kelley said, “Finding a candidate to become partner can be hard, but the choice to offer that position to Jason was easy. He not only has the highest level of skills and experience, but he also really embraces our corporate culture of providing exceptional service.”

Janzen has been a CPA at Palius + O’Kelley since 2014. His specialties include mergers and acquisitions, real-estate consultation on joint ownership of property, owner/officer compensation including stock options, corporate and LLC reorganizations, accounting for foreign tax matters and tax audits.

He has over two decades of experience and has guided businesses at all stages of development, including structuring new entities, maximizing returns during the “mid-life” of a business, and helping owners prepare for the ultimate sale or restructuring of their business.

Janzen has served on local community boards including the Mental Wellness Center and Friendship Manor. He is a past president for the local chapter of the California Society of CPAs and currently serves on the Statewide Finance Committee.

He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Principa Consulting Network.

Jason graduated from Emporia State University in 1994 with a bachelor of science degree in accounting. He earned his CPA certificate in 1995.

Also joining Palius + O’Kelley, as executive assistant, is Shelley Hutcheson, who comes to the firm from the Deckers tax department. Prior to that, she had 10 years of experience with other local CPA firms.

Hutcheson will be instrumental in facilitating client communications and implementing processes and procedures to elevate the firm’s business model and meet the ever-changing needs of POK’s clients, while supporting the firm’s rapid growth.

In her free time, Hutcheson volunteers for Royal Family Kids, Inc., which assists children in the foster care system.

— Palius + O’Kelley CPAs, Inc.