If there is a pandemic-proof business in 2020, it just might be accounting. Small businesses and nonprofits still need to file their tax returns and 990s, and most can’t soldier through that paperwork without professional help.
David Shepherd, a 25-year veteran of public accounting, opened David J. Shepherd CPA LLC in June, thinking that the economy will rebound once the new coronavirus pandemic subsides.
Owning his own business has been a longtime goal, said Shepherd, who holds an MBA from Bryant University and a bachelor’s in accounting from Rhode Island College. He previously worked for Ernst & Young, as well as an independent accounting firm in Providence. Shepherd also has experience as a controller for a manufacturing company.
His office, in a professional building at 2180 Mendon Road in Cumberland, offers room for growth. He expects to find clients among family-run and small businesses, nonprofits, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-regulated housing complex owners and others.
“I’ve thought about it for a long time,” he said of his business. “I found a location that’s going to work for me. We just need to overcome the virus and the pandemic and then hopefully the economy will start to turn around.”
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.
