Sonder CPA

It’s bound to be a good day at work when Monthly Summer Cook-Off day coincides with school spirit day!

Congrats to our Director of Operations, Adam!

We are excited to announce the Leadership Grand Rapids Class of 2025!

Forty-one community leaders will participate in the Leadership Grand Rapids program, or LGR, which is truly one-of-a-kind. Each year, a committed group of leaders participate in an intense 10-month professional leadership training focused on systems thinking to tackle real issues facing our local community.

The leaders who graduate from this program go on to help create a thriving and prosperous West Michigan for ALL!

See the full list: https://grandrapids.org/news/leadership-grand-rapids-class-of-2025

Another great golf outing for another great cause!

Be sure to fit in some summer fun before it’s done ☀️🍦

We’re so glad we could take part in the Big Backpack Build at LMCU Ballpark yesterday!

What an amazing event put on by The Storehouse of Community Resources that is helping send students back to school with a backpack full of brand new school supplies

Happy Feature Friday!
This week is Thomas Renner:
 
His family/kids/pets – “My wife, Amy, and I have 3 kids, Ella, Elijah, and Izzy.  We recently added a new dog named Harmony.”

Time at Sonder CPA – 7 Years
 
Boards & Positions – Ada Business Association (Board President), Storehouse of Community Resources (Board Member), West Michigan Spartans (Board Member)
 
Favorite work memory –  “It’s probably the first Nerf war we had in the office.  It was April Fools’ Day, and I walked out of the supply room to an ambush by the entire office throwing, what seemed like, hundreds of stress balls.  I made it back to my office only to find Amber hiding out with an automatic Nerf gun (didn’t even know those existed).  We have an amazing team and I think it’s great that even with how hard everyone works, we still make time to have fun at the office.”
 
Favorite 3pm snack at work – “No time for snacks, most likely I still need to eat lunch by snack time.  On the days I eat lunch at a normal time, I’m a big fan of Nothing Bundt Cakes, which is always a huge hit at the office.”
 
Outside of work – “I enjoy spending time on Gun Lake. There is probably no place I’d rather be than at Gun Lake.  When the lake freezes over, I like to head out west with my brother to go snowboarding.”

Who doesn’t love some healthy competition?! 
Office Cook-Off, Casserole edition 🥘👨🏼‍🍳

A great day on the green supporting a great cause ⛳️

Happy Feature Friday!
This week is Adam Holka:
 
His family/kids/pets – Lisa and I have been married since 2017. We will be welcoming our third son December 2024. Wesley just turned 5, and Calvin would have turned 3 in April. Griffin is our Golden Doodle who is not golden at all.
 
Time at Sonder CPA – 3 years
 
Favorite work memory – Launching our new name, and everything that came with it!
 
Favorite 3pm snack at work – I am an equal opportunity snack eater. Sweet and salty.
 
Outside of work – I enjoy golfing, working out, and being outdoors doing whatever it is we are up to. Lisa’s family is scattered across the country, so we travel quite a bit to the sandhills of North Carolina and Las Vegas.

Happy Feature Friday!
This week is Denice Pavey:
 
Her family/kids/pets – “My husband Geoff and I have 4 kids, Alex, Thomas, Katie and Mary and a golden doodle named Bailey.”
 
Time at Sonder CPA – 5 years
 
Favorite work memory – “When a group of us went skiing/snowboarding at Canonsburg and second would be Spring Break at our office which is always a blast.” 
 
Favorite 3pm snack at work – “Something sweet and salty.”
 
Outside of work – “I love to try new things/experiences and traveling to new places with family and friends. I also enjoy golfing, hiking, going to the beach and floating in my pool.”

In case you haven’t stopped by recently, here’s a peek at our office updates 😊

We want to give a huge thank you to ICON Sign Company for our new signage!

We hope you all have a great holiday weekend 🇺🇸☀️

Looking for something to do tonight? Head to Gravel Bottom Craft Brewery to check out their newest batch, Sonderweizen! Thanks to Matt Michaels and his team for turning our dream into a reality and helping us craft our own beer that truly reflects us!

We’d like to give a HUGE shout out to Ben from Iver Design for his partnership with our rebrand, including our new and improved website: sondercpa.com!
Ben’s expertise, creative process, and genuine ability to connect are unmatched. We were honored that he took on this project, and we are lucky to have him as a lifelong comrade of our Sonder CPA team! Thanks, Ben!

Congrats Denice!

We want to take this opportunity to thank our team and our clients for the inspiration behind our new vision - it’s with you in mind that we continue to focus on doing the next right thing 🧡

We are thrilled to unveil our refreshed identity as Sonder CPA! We are celebrating with our team and community today, but have lots of fun things to share with you in the upcoming weeks. Follow along to keep up to date with all the changes!

🤭🙃😉

Happy Feature Friday!
This week is Matthew Sulkanen:

His family/kids/pets – “My family all lives in Saginaw, and I go visit them often to go golfing.”

Time at Pennell CPA – 2 years

Favorite work memory – “Paint ball even though it ended up being very painful. Noah and I decided to run the gauntlet. I wanted to do it but I kind of forced Noah into it.”

Favorite 3pm snack at work – “Too busy for snacks.”

Outside of work – “You can find me on the golf course, attending country music events, and spending time with family and friends.”

Happy Feature Friday!
This week is Logan Valiquette:
 
His family/kids/pets – “I have a younger sister, Megan, who is studying interior design at CMU.  My dad, Eric, is an optometrist and my mom, Brenda, also works in accounting. There’s also my girlfriend, Julia, who works with kids with disabilities and is working on passing her BCBA boards certification.  Don’t have any pets currently but grew up with one and always stop to pet one if their owners let me.”
 
Time at Pennell CPA – 7 Months
 
Favorite work memory – “Throwing my shoulder out at Fowling (worth it)”
 
Favorite 3pm snack at work – “Coffee/water”
 
Outside of work – “I enjoy golfing, training Jiu-Jitsu, playing video games, expanding my culinary techniques, and watching an array of sports. When I am not doing any of those, I am spending time with friends and loved ones.”

Thank you to our sponsors!
Godwin Ada Village Hardware
Let Us Inc
River Valley Credit Union
O'Grady Orthodontics
Ada Conservatory of Music
Progressive Companies
RRR Lawn & Landscape/Seasonal Color
Village Kids Consignment Boutique of Ada
Pennell CPA PLC

Happy Feature Friday!
This week is Mark VanderMeer:
 
His family/kids/pets – “Lisa, my wife, and dog Tippy.”
 
Time at Pennell CPA – 7 Months
 
Favorite work memory – “Playing retro arcade games at the company Christmas party.”
 
Favorite 3pm dessert at work – “Lemon bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes.”
 
Outside of work – “Me and my wife enjoy going up north, kayaking and spending time with friends and family. In the winter months, we enjoy playing board games and watching Christmas movies.”

We hope you all have a good weekend! ☀️

Congrats to all the young entrepreneurs that took part in the GR Children’s Business Fair this morning! It’s such an amazing event and we were honored to take part!

Happy Feature Friday!
This week is Jacob Hufnagel:
 
His family/kids/pets – “I have one brother who is two years younger than me and works for an architecture firm based in Michigan. My parents are still in the Grand Rapids area. Currently no pets but I grew up chasing dogs around the house.”
 
Time at Pennell CPA – 6 Months
 
Favorite work memory – “For the most recent after tax-season party we went to the Fowling Warehouse and that was a blast.”
 
Favorite 3pm snack at work – “When available in the office, Nothing Bundt Cakes are the perfect afternoon snack.”
 
Outside of work – “I stay active with weight training, spending time outdoors hunting and hiking, as well as being out on the golf course. Besides those activities I enjoy time with family and playing cards.”

Looking for something to do this Saturday? Come check out the Children's Business Fair Grand Rapids, that’s where we’ll be! We are super excited to be a part of it again this year!

Did you hear the exciting news?!

We are honored to announce that Pennell CPA has been named one of the 2024 Winners for West Michigan’s Best and Brightest Companies to work for!

We are extremely proud to celebrate this achievement and would like to thank everyone who continually contributes to making this such an awesome place to work! 🎉🥂