Alan’s early exposure to accounting and taxes began in the 60’s when at age 10, he and his brother (age 11) applied for a City of Seattle Business License at the insistence of their father. They were starting a curb painting business, stenciling house numbers on the top and side of curbs throughout the Magnolia (Seattle) neighborhood. Our father wanted us to learn to account for income and expenses and prepare and file the periodic tax returns required by the city. We were the youngest on record to ever apply for a business license. There has been lots of accounting and tax ever since.
A masters graduate from Brigham Young University, Alan’s accounting & tax career started as a sole proprietor in 1979 in Bellevue, WA and after 10 years and many long days and nights during tax season elected to sell his then partnership interest and buy one of his successful client businesses in the aircraft spare parts industry. Five years later, he started a small manufacturing company building cargo balls for the cargo floors of the Boeing 747, 767 and 777 aircraft. He sold his wholesale parts business after 15 years, kept his small mfg company, served a 3-year mission for his Church in Alaska, and returned in 2011 to start all over again in accounting, tax and business advisory…where he is loving life today. He presides over GDM Private Financial Services in Bellevue and recently became Director of Tax at Soltis.
When he’s not working (which is hardly ever), Alan loves being with family, Church, golf, biking and learning from all 23 grandchildren.