Janelle has always loved the black-and-white reality of numbers, so of course, accounting was the obvious choice for a career. She has a Bachelor’s in Business with a Concentration in Accounting from Westminster College and graduated in May 2004. Upon graduation, she worked in the accounting department for LHM Theaters until her husband joined the military, and then upon his retirement worked for a Law Firm in South Salt Lake before joining Backyard Bookkeeper in 2019. Her largest pool of clients are Law Firms, and she enjoys the uniqueness and diversity they provide in her work.

With an MBA from Westminster College and a strong foundation in accounting, Kristen brings over 20 years of experience in the accounting field, specializing in cost accounting. Kristen has worked across diverse industries. To include construction, dental, service, and utilities. This diversity is essential in gaining a comprehensive understanding of financial operations. Her expertise spans both large and small-scale businesses.

Having spent six years with Backyard Bookkeeper, Kristen developed a keen expertise in handling complex financial systems, leading to a promotion as Team Lead for the past two years. Kristen’s meticulous approach to cost accounting is a benefit to her clients. Kristen is dedicated to providing practical, actionable insights to businesses, helping them streamline operations, reduce costs, and achieve financial success.

Cassandra is fairly new to the bookkeeping world but has years of customer service experience along with a love of making all her numbers add up and checking off all the boxes! She loves to travel with the hubby and or her siblings. She loves to be in the mountains whether it’s hiking or skiing. Her favorite hiking spots include mountain tops where the vista alone has increased her appreciation of the opportunity to even be there. Oh, and you will probably find her reading a good romance novel and munching on Funyuns in her spare time.

Jamey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Southern Utah University and has nine years of business ownership experience. She specializes in construction, rental properties, and HOAs, and has been with Backyard Bookkeeper for over five years. Jamey enjoys helping small businesses thrive, alongside her dedicated team members.

Julie-Ann has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. She has been working in the bookkeeping industry for almost 5 years, and loves it even more than when she started. Her eye for detail and love of keeping things tidy and organized makes bookkeeping the perfect career. She currently specializes in Trust Accounting and bookkeeping for law firms. Outside of work Julie-Ann spends her time chasing her 2 kids around, watching professional soccer, keeping her flowers alive, and monthly Bunco nights with her girlfriends.

Aaron holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Utah. Before returning to school to finish his degree, he ran a sole proprietorship (self-employment) in the mortgage field services industry in Las Vegas. While in school, he became a certified Microsoft Office Specialist and competed in the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Case Competition.

Aaron loves being meticulous, detail-oriented, and thorough. He has been with Backyard Bookkeeper since 2021 and does bookkeeping for a variety of industries including internet/I.T., real estate, and law (including trust accounting). Aaron is an aspiring film actor and is proud to be a nerd. He enjoys reading comic books, playing old video games, studying superhero/sci-fi movies, and building computers.

Nancy gained a great amount of bookkeeping experience as she did the books for a landscape business that she owned with her husband. Her 20+ years of experience as a talented bookkeeper and as a successful business owner is invaluable to her clients. She enjoys structure and organization in life and accounting. Her focus as a bookkeeper is to build good relationships with her clients and help them organize and grow their businesses.

Nancy loves spending time with her family. Her favorite role is to be Grandma to 3 rambunctious little boys. She loves to cook, work with resin and sew leather handbags. She also enjoys anything chocolate, naturally!

Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in statistics and has earned the Intuit Quickbooks Online Certified User certification. She primarily works with lawyers, has experience in business analysis and product management, and has been doing bookkeeping for 3 years. Nicole loves spending time with her family, reading, traveling, boating and game nights with friends.

Rebecca is an experienced accounting professional with over 15 years of bookkeeping expertise, including five years as a corporate accountant. Her accounting journey began during her junior year of high school, where she enrolled in the Academy of Finance program through SLCC. This early exposure sparked her passion for accounting, leading her to earn a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting and a QuickBooks Certification.

Specializing in working with law firm clients, Rebecca brings a wealth of knowledge in managing complex financials, ensuring compliance, and providing strategic financial insight. Her technical skills extend beyond accounting, with a strong proficiency in Excel, which she utilizes to streamline processes and improve efficiency.

Outside of her professional life, Rebecca enjoys exploring her creativity through sewing and enjoys playing video games, blending her analytical skills with hobbies that require precision and attention to detail.

Emily has an associates in Sociology but comes from a long-line of family in finance and decided to keep the tradition going through another generation. She has worked in the finance world for 10+ years but has been doing Bookkeeping for over 8 years and enjoys the facts and problem-solving of it all. She has worked with clients in the Food & Bar industry, Construction and Ecommerce Throughout this time she has gained experience working in Quickbooks, spreadsheets, doing bank reconciliations, AR/AP, collections, and 1040 tax returns in Lacerte as well as Bill.com.

Elisa has an accounting certificate and a bachelor’s degree in Humanities with an English emphasis and a French minor. She has six years of experience as a bookkeeper with a focus on property management, massage therapy, and nonprofits. Clean and balanced books make her happy, and she enjoys gaining new skills and organizing.

Outside of work, she writes, reads, runs, hikes, bikes, sings, acts, and spends time with her family. She also loves English medieval history, trying new foods, watching chick flicks, and laughing.

Kirstin has always loved numbers and organization, which led her to the world of finance. After 14 years in accounting, she still enjoys her work with her clients in the bookkeeping field. She thinks playing Sherlock Holmes is the most fun part of creating and maintaining your books. When she isn’t reconciling and doing AR/AP you’ll find her traveling with her hubby or hiking with her kids. She is a collector of hobbies but her favorites are sewing, gardening, playing board games, drinking Coke, and binge-watching Netflix (yes, those are hobbies), reading, and exercising.

Jenn has always had a natural affinity for numbers, lists, and helping others, making bookkeeping a perfect career choice. With a passion for organization and financial management, Jenn has turned her love for detail into a thriving professional path. She brings clarity and structure to her clients’ financial lives.

From a young age, Jenn was drawn to tasks that involved sorting, organizing, and ensuring accuracy. Her interest in numbers and structure became an essential part of her life. This interest led her to pursue a career in bookkeeping. This early love for precision and order laid the groundwork for her professional journey.

Jenn holds a Basic Accounting Certificate from Ensign College, where she gained a strong foundation in accounting and bookkeeping principles. She is currently working toward completing her AAS in Applied Business Management at Brigham Young University – Idaho, with plans to graduate in June.

Jenn has been with Backyard Bookkeeper for 2 1/2 years. Her career has centered on using her skills to help businesses maintain accurate and organized financial records. Her work in bookkeeping has enabled her to assist clients in managing their finances and providing them with the clarity needed to make informed decisions. Although she works with businesses across many industries, she primarily collaborates with SAAS companies, non-profits, and construction firms.

When not at her computer, you can find Jenn spending time with her husband and two kids. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends and takes care to balance her busy professional life with moments of relaxation.

Kim loves everything about accounting and has worked in many industries.  She has worked in the legal, service, small retail, and manufacturing industries.  The best job that she had was helping her sister with her books for her small store and watching it grow and have many successes.  Kim finds it rewarding to see businesses flourish and grow and to be a part of helping them along the way.

Outside of work, Kim loves traveling out of the United States and learning about other countries and their cultures.  When in the United States, you will see her traveling in the West from the Canadian Rockies on down on her Harley Davidson.  When enjoying the staycation, she’s off to the lake with her paddleboard, hiking with the dog, and throwing Corn Hole contests with her friends in the backyard.  Laughter is her mojo and her family is her anchor.

Aubrey holds an associate’s degree in Accounting. Over the past 25 years, she has built a solid foundation in the financial industry. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for problem-solving, she has played an instrumental role in guiding her family business, Everspire Financial, through multiple transitions, including upgrading to better broker-dealers, custodians, and CRM platforms.

Aubrey thrives in environments that allow her to leverage her strengths in budgeting, organizing, and achieving goals. She’s the type of person who loves checking off tasks. Over the past year, she’s found great satisfaction working with Backyard Bookkeeper. Here, she primarily supports businesses across healthcare, consulting, nonprofit, sales, and real estate sectors.

Her affinity for order extends beyond her work in finance, which led her to pursue a side passion as a professional organizer. With seven years of experience, she’s helped clients implement systems that bring clarity and efficiency to their daily operations.

Outside of work, Aubrey enjoys spending quality time with her family, playing games, and unwinding in her hot tub. She also has a love for puzzles, reading, and traveling, which fuels her curiosity and sense of adventure.

Yohana has joined our amazing team at Backyard Payroll that provides outstanding payroll services.  She embarked on her career journey at a young age. By the time she entered college, she knew the path she wanted to follow. Accounting, with its clear structure and the beauty of balancing numbers, was her first choice. Over the years, her passion for accounting has only deepened. She spent nearly a decade working in the Salt Lake City area, after starting her career at an accounting firm in California.

The transition to specializing in payroll came after she became a mother. This shift allowed her to combine her love for meticulous detail with the joy of ensuring people are compensated for their hard work. There’s something incredibly rewarding about the precision payroll services requires and the direct impact it has on making people happy.

Outside of work, Yohana’s heart belongs to music and quality time with her family. Whether it’s exploring new tunes or enjoying simple moments together, these are the things that replenish her spirit and inspire her in everything she does.

Mary Ann’s interest in business organization and bookkeeping spans back to as long as she can remember. She has an AAS degree in Graphics and Commercial Art from UVU along with many classes in accounting, bookkeeping and federal tax code. She has 20+ years of individual and small business tax preparation experience and 8 years of bookkeeping and payroll experience. Many of her tax clients have been with her from the start and she has had the pleasure of taking on their family and friends as well over the years.

Mary Ann has worked in many different types of business and finds them all interesting and intriguing. But, above all she loves to see the passion and excitement of talented business owners and enjoys helping them understand that good books help them make good decisions about their time and business and makes tax prep a breeze. She has had the opportunity to see many individuals achieve their small business goals and thinks it is way fun.

When she is not behind the screen managing numbers, Mary Ann loves being with her family, traveling, paddleboarding, riding her four-wheeler and basically just looking for the next adventure.

Lori’s love for organization carries over into her bookkeeping.  For over 20 years, she has helped business owners maintain clean and accurate books.  She recognizes the importance of good client relationships. She always strives hard to exceed expectations.

Being a wife and mom are still Lori’s favorite roles.  She enjoys cooking for her family, exercising for her peace of mind and traveling to take a break from it all.  She never met a piece of chocolate that she didn’t love.

Chrissy is the Chief Technology Officer here at Backyard Bookkeeper. She is “the man in the chair”.  She works behind-the-scenes to make sure that our bookkeepers and clients can access and software they need to get the job done.

Her educational background shows how much she loves learning! In and out of the classroom, learning new things fascinates Chrissy and she never wants to stop growing. She has an associate’s degree in general education, a bachelor’s degree in speech language and technologies, a master’s degree in theater. She also has a handful of certificates, including one for interpreting in American Sign Language. While her degrees aren’t what you would expect at a bookkeeping company, they serve her daily.

Her degree in education taught her the importance of being well-rounded and constantly being aware of new growth opportunities. As technology options are always evolving, her job is to be aware of new technology options.  She focuses on how it might serve those around her. It is also important to be aware of the dangers and protecting vital information in the process.

Her training in speech and interpreting allows her to see more than just words. What is the root of the problem? Who needs this information?  What are we trying to say? What problem are we trying to solve?

Her degree in theater allows her to see the bigger picture and the steps needed to get there. Just as a director can break a production apart into pieces of costuming, sets, scenes, etc. she can look at a project at work and see the necessary steps to get from A to B or how decision A will impact things in the future.

While she doesn’t have more than a certificate for her time in Excel, she answers to Excel Ninja or Wizard. Her husband even jokes that Excel is her love language. She thoroughly enjoys numbers and being able to manipulate data so that she can find the information that truly makes a difference. Chrissy focuses on efficiency to make sure the company can identify areas that could use support before they become an issue.

In her downtime, she enjoys puzzles and games. Chrissy loves facing new challenges and figuring out how to use the tools at her disposal to get the desired outcome. Her favorite projects and puzzles are the ones that most people would shy away from. Whether it is an all-white puzzle or a tricky Excel question, Chrissys loves a good challenge!

Kait is the Business Development Specialist.

Kait comes to Backyard Bookkeeper with experience in media, networking, HR, and administration.  She is trained in mind reading to be able to keep Backyard Bookkeeper afloat. She is our Hawk Girl, taking Backyard Bookkeeper to new heights.

Kait loves climbing, traveling, billiards, and chocolate-covered fruit.  Need anything she will get it done but never offer her cucumbers soaked in evil (pickles).

Liz is originally from Brandon, Florida, then Cheyenne, Wyoming, and eventually, she put down roots in St.George, Utah. She comes to Backyard Bookkeeper with a varied background, including Human Resources, Customer Support, Project Coordination, and Management experiences. Stepping into the Billing and Compliance Management positions have been a natural progression for her.

Liz enjoys all the warmth and recreation that Southern Utah has to offer. She relocated to St George in 2018
with Wade, her husband of ten years, and between the two of them, they have 2 elderly dogs, Barkley and Ranger, and nine grown children. As empty nesters, Utah has afforded ample opportunity for recreation, and the ability for her to work from her home office with Backyard Bookkeeper has been a refreshing freedom. Her skills and experience are highly valued, and we are happy to have her in her dual roles heading up the Billing Department and in her newest Compliance Management position with the Backyard Bookkeeping Team!

Certifications:
HRCI Human Resources Associate
Intuit Bookkeeping Accredited

With 15+ years of project management experience, Rendy played a pivotal role in establishing our first law firm team, training them in CosmoLex during her previous 3 years with our company. In her current role, she leverages her expertise to refine and streamline our processes. Outside of work, her passions include camping, golfing, family and friends.

As the CEO, Alex is the glue that holds the company together. Responsible for marketing, client relations, and business development, she ensures that Backyard Bookkeeper offers consistent, reliable, and friendly service to all its clients.

Alex has been working most of her life and has a knack for knowing what people need. She keeps our bookkeepers in line when they party too hard. Alex loves Coke, Tom Cruise, and Mini Coopers, and won’t eat anything she can see onions in.

Julie is an expert bookkeeper and accountant. Since the founding of Backyard Bookkeeper in 2008, she has worked with over 500 different companies in a wide variety of industries, including construction, nonprofit, health care, consulting, retail sales, online sales, legal, entertainment, real estate, and many more. Her latest interest is bookkeeping for businesses that involve cryptocurrency and digital assets like NFTs.

Julie also does most of the actual number crunching for the business and would rather play on Quickbooks than Facebook. She has a weakness for superhero movies, Rachmaninov, and chocolate, and loves reading in her spare time.