SBF senior manager Kera Haas: “It’s nice to work somewhere where you enjoy seeing the people you work with.”

One of our firm’s niche specialties is the affordable housing industry. It’s a complex area for accounting — there are tax credits, audits, compliance checks, government red tape, and hard deadlines, all with multi-million-dollar decisions on the line. For the past decade, our success in this area has been due in large part to SBF senior manager Kera Haas.

“About 10 years ago, the partner in charge of our affordable housing tax area decided to retire, and looked within the firm for someone to take over,” Kera said. “That lucky person was me. I worked alongside her for many years, received the best training I could have asked for, and was handed the reins when she retired.”

Kera started working with SBF more than 16 years ago. “What has made me stay at the firm for all these years is the flexibility to put my family first and not dread going to work every day,” Kera said. “It’s nice to work somewhere where you enjoy seeing the people you work with.”

Our firm’s workplace culture motto is “People Matter Most,” and we are committed to the values on which we were founded. When it comes to our clients, we value our deep and enduring relationships, and Kera works hard to maintain her client relationships year after year. “I have some clients who I have worked with for the past 16 years. They have seen me get married, pass the CPA exam, have a child, and advance to Senior Manager,” she said.

That continuity is part of the SBF culture: Our average employee tenure is more than seven years, and we are proud to provide consistency for our clients over time.

“What brings me the most joy is when a client asks me about my son and how old he is, and is surprised by his age and says ‘Wow he’s that old already? I remember when you were pregnant with him!’” she said. “It makes me feel like they value me as an important member in their life and they take a real interest in my life.”