HERSHEY, Pa., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- In 1979, we paid 86 cents per gallon for gasoline, made $17,500 a year on average, and listened to music on the Sony Walkman (which retailed for $200) while trying to cope with an inflation rate of 11.2 percent. Jimmy Carter was president and it was the USSR that was fighting in Afghanistan. A lot has changed in the past 30 years.
For Brion R. Smoker, 1979 was the year he founded the accounting firm of Smoker, Smith & Associates (SSA) in Hershey. To be precise, the first day in business was Oct. 24. The firm originally was Smoker & Associates, P.C., and then became Smoker, Smith & Associates, P.C., when the late Kevin L. Smith became a partner in 1986. A lot has changed as well for Smoker and the firm over 30 years.
"I think one of the biggest changes is how much the world has shrunk," Smoker said. "Thirty years ago, we thought only in terms of doing business in central Pennsylvania. Today we think nothing of working with clients and other accounting firms all over the globe. The Internet has made communications instantaneous, news travels around the world in seconds, financial markets react immediately, and business is conducted on a 24-hour cycle."
Smoker, a graduate of John Harris High School in Harrisburg and Elizabethtown College, was certified as a CPA in 1976. Blessed with intense curiosity and remarkable energy, he was among the first to recognize the way the business world was evolving and became an early champion of the global approach. He has since traveled the world promoting international networking among accounting firms and doing business across national boundaries.
SSA is now affiliated with the Forum of Firms, an international association of accounting firms, and with INPACT Audit, a worldwide network of independent CPA firms formed in 2006. Smoker was instrumental in founding INPACT Audit and served as its secretary-treasurer.
"Our affiliation with the Forum of Firms and our membership in INPACT Audit signals our firm's commitment to the highest standards in the accounting profession and also our commitment to provide whatever resources our clients may need," Smoker said. "Professional firms such as ours have to be able to work across national boundaries when necessary for the success of our clients."
As a result of his involvement in INPACT and other professional organizations, Smoker has traveled extensively over the years, attending and/or speaking at professional conferences in Austria, Bali, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Norway, Singapore, Spain, and Sweden.
During his 30 years at the helm, SSA has grown into one of central Pennsylvania's most highly respected firms, providing a full range of integrated business and consulting services and always working to live up to its brand promise of "A Higher Level of Commitment." Among the services SSA provides are accounting, auditing, budget analysis, payroll services, tax planning, business valuation, estate planning, business succession, mergers and acquisitions, and retirement planning.
Smoker announced over the summer that he was stepping aside from day-to-day responsibilities in firm operations but would continue to serve as a strategic consultant to the firm and its clients. He turned over management of the firm to his five partners -- Anthony R. Hanosek, Donald R. Burgard, Reuel Deppen, David S. Reinhart, and Jori M. Culp.
"It would be inaccurate to say I'm retiring -- those who know me well understand that would be impossible for me," Smoker said. "I intend to continue to pursue certain specialty areas of accounting practice and also focus on my long-standing interest in the development of international professional networking."
He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Institute of Business Appraisers, Inc., the National Association of Public Accountants, the Pennsylvania Association of Public Accountants, and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is recognized as an expert witness in the Pennsylvania counties of Dauphin, Cumberland, and Lebanon, is a former president of the Center for Family Owned Businesses in Lancaster, and a member of the board and former president of Hospice of Central PA.
Smoker, Smith & Associates P.C.
339 W. Governor Road, Hershey, PA 17033 (717) 533-5154
Visit Smoker, Smith & Associates on the Web at www.smokersmith.com
SOURCE Smoker, Smith & Associates
