Laura Stevens,
Partner
Office Management, Bookkeeping and Payroll Professional
Laura is an expert administrator with 27 years experience in small business and corporate offices; 17 of those years were spent in management and 10 of those years in payroll and bookkeeping. Laura also holds her Canadian Investments Funds Certificate and had spent 5 years working in the Financial Planning industry, with a focus on Estate Planning.
She aims to help our businesses excel in organization and function, and will offer a great support to all your individual needs, as well assist our personal tax clients. Laura understands how companies of all sizes operate, which will help streamline accounting processes and procedures, all while ensuring her clients books are done meticulously and efficiently.
While managing our Barry’s Bay office, Laura will also be the main point of contact for all of our business owners and personal tax clients. Please feel free to email her anytime at laura@valleyaccounting.ca
Nicholas McLeod,
Partner
BComm in Accounting,
Tax and Law Professional
A proud father of six, Nicholas and his beautiful wife Siobhan have been planting roots in Barry’s Bay. Nich graduated with Honours from Carleton University in 2010 receiving a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a double concentration in Accounting, and Managing People and Organizations. He is also a paralegal licensed by the Law Society of Ontario and manages and practices law out of his own firm McLeod Law.
With his core skills in accounting, management and law, Nicholas is our overseer of all the high-level financial needs at Valley Accounting & Tax. He has completed overhauls of multiple organization's accounting systems and has extensive experience in running the full accounting cycle from source document creation and reconciliations, to preparing financial statements and filing tax schedules. He is also a registered tax preparer with the CRA and regularly files client compliance documents.
Nich’s philosophy is to try and get the best outcome for his clients with as little risk and cost as possible. He will focus on finding creative solutions to resolve the tough accounting and tax issues. Valley Accounting & Tax is honoured to have his education and experience at our location, particularity his understanding of tax law, which is a huge asset for our local corporate clients.
Benedict Merkowsky
Junior Accountant, BComm in Accounting
Benedict is working on his fourth year as a our personal tax preparer for our clients at the firm and graduated from his Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting in May of 2024. He has a very bright future with Valley Accounting & Tax, and is being mentored by Nicholas on our corporate filings and high level accounting work.
Along with his wife Grace and their son Theo, the Merkowsky’s plan to stay local, build a family, and continue to support our community. We are excited to have Benedict as a permanent fixture on our team and only see great things moving forward with him by our side.
Amy Plebon
Staff Accountant, BComm in Accounting
Former owner of Easton Accounting & Tax Services in Barry’s Bay, Amy has been a trusted and familiar face in our local community for over nine years. This past year, Amy and her senior administrator, Wanda, joined forces with our firm to better support Amy’s long-standing clients through expanded resources and added support.
Amy earned her Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Humber University in 2016 and went on to build a thriving practice alongside her mother, Wanda. Together, they grew their business to the point of overflow; handling an incredible volume of tax clients year after year. We proudly call them “our heroes” for the dedication, stamina, and care they brought to their work.
Both Amy and Wanda are delighted to continue serving the Barry’s Bay community, now with the ability to offer a broader range of services while maintaining the same integrity, accuracy, and personal care clients have always expected from Easton Accounting.
Our team is thrilled to welcome Amy’s expertise and Wanda’s experience to our firm. It truly is a perfect union.
Diana Boulianne
Bookkeeper and Payroll Administrator
Diana isn’t one for the spotlight, but she is a brilliant mind and the drive behind our data entry for our bookkeeping and payroll processing. She is our secret weapon who likes to stay behind the scenes, but to our team, she is always in the forefront.