Expert and Affordable Accounting & Tax

John Elwell, CPA, JD, Founder and Principal

As a small or mid-sized business, are you getting the customized accounting and tax services you deserve? I founded Elwell & Associates to offer businesses like yours top-quality, affordable, personalized accounting and tax solutions. My staff and I draw on more than 60 years of in-depth accounting, tax, and general business experience to give you control of your money and to remarkably improve your financial position. You've worked hard and taken many risks to create your business — that's why we treat it like our own.

My specialty is tax preparation and litigation. The IRS (and other tax agencies) is intimidating and Tax Code is confusing. I meticulously study and decipher the myriad intricacies of Federal, State, and Local Tax Code — especially how they affect Small Business — and enjoy the challenge of minimizing your tax liability.

Melissa Serpa, Controller

Our resident Aggie, Melissa Serpa has worked at Elwell & Associates in various positions for over 10 years — the last 5 as the Controller. As my right-hand woman, her day-to-day duties require that she wears many hats. In general, she ensures that our office operates smoothly and efficiently; however, she also works directly with clients.

Using electronic payment and filing systems, like EFTPS, to streamline your financial operations, she handles payroll processing; sales, property, and franchise tax filings; federal and state unemployment tax filings; and annual W-2 and 1099 filings. And during tax season, though I personally oversee all tax return preparation, she coordinates client communications and ensures returns and extensions are complete and filed on time.

Ron Gilbert, Senior Accountant

Ron Gilbert has been practicing accounting for over 20 years — the last 4 as a Senior Accountant with us. In concert with Melissa, Ron manages the day-to-day accounting operations for our clients. In addition, Ron is our in-house QuickBooks expert and point man for QuickBooks training and support.

Ron has experience setting up, working in, and converting businesses from/to many of the commercial accounting systems available today, including MYOB, Peachtree, DacEasy, Wind2, and Oracle ERP. His guiding philosopy regarding accounting software is that you cannot fully grasp the program's features without first understanding the underlying accounting principals. He tirelessly and patiently trys to impart these principals when providing customer service.

David Luna, Bookkeeper

Last but certainly not least, David Luna has been with us for the past 3 years. As a bookkeeper, data-entry specialist, David provides the critical step of entering your raw business data, like receipts and bank statements, into QuickBooks. He ensures that your financials are always accurate and up-to-date.