Lindsay Bowling

Really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day for us, Lindsay. As a start, can you tell us how long you have been with Walsworth?

I have been at Walsworth around 8½ years and got here through some mutual connections with Jeff Vogel, our CFO.

A friend of his is a recruiter who I worked with in public accounting. After seeing the posting for this job two previous times and not acting on it, the recruiter introduced me to Jeff, and we talked about this position. The third time was the charm.

What is your title and role here?

My title is Manager, Tax and Compliance. I came in doing taxes, and I’ll go out doing taxes. I do anything tax, but I leave our paychecks to the payroll team. If it sounds like tax and someone isn’t sure what to do, they usually come to me.

What were some of your career stops before coming to Walsworth?

Prior to Walsworth, I was in St. Louis working in public accounting for a couple different firms. I started out as an intern at one firm while I was in college, Swink, Fiehler & Company, and worked there for four years. Then I moved on to a slightly larger firm, Brown Smith Wallace, which is now part of Armanino. I was there for another five years.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your specific job duties here at Walsworth?

I do both company and ownership tax compliance work; sales and use tax and corporate income tax. A little bit of property tax here and there. It’s working with customers and vendors and sales reps for any sales tax questions. Working with government jurisdictions on sales and income tax issues.

What was it specifically about Walsworth that appealed to you and made you decide to join the company?

There were a few reasons. It is much closer to my family and where I grew up. St. Louis was about 3½ hours away from my family.

And it was also a chance to do income tax accounting, which I had been doing my whole career, and not be in public accounting. That was a huge appeal. I don’t have to sit here and keep track of my time by every five-minute increment.

What is it you like most about your job?

I have the freedom to do my job without being micro-managed. I’m entrusted to do what’s required. I’m entrusted with the knowledge and responsibility that my job entails.

Did you always know you were going to pursue a career in accounting from a young age? Was that something you figured out early?

Yes, pretty much. I always liked working with numbers and making things balance.

In high school, I decided I was going to do something in accounting or business, and the whole tax part came together in college.

Walsworth continues to grow and expand, which I imagine has probably made aspects of your job more complicated. From your vantage point, what’s the key to continued success for the company?

Related to anything impacting me, it would be more system integration and streamlining our back-office processes. Updating the systems would be number one, so they share all the information and make it easier to find data in the format you need it.

We’re working on some of that now.

Are you originally from this area?

I grew up in northeast Missouri, Schuyler County. It’s just south of the Iowa state line, a very small area north of Kirksville.

I went to high school there and then went to St. Charles Community College, where I got an associate’s degree in accounting and finance. Then I went on to the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in accounting. After that, I obtained my CPA license.

What about your family?

My husband, Justis, and I have been together for 25 years, and we’ve been married for almost 15 of those years. We have two girls, Jaden, who is 13, and Addison, who is 10.

Do you have any hobbies? What do you guys like to do for fun?

I love gardening, working with veggies and flowers. Mostly just hanging out on the farm is what we do. Our girls love to swim; we go swimming a lot during the summer.

We’re always outside working on the farm, doing whatever it might be, cleaning out fence rows or who knows what.

So you guys live on a farm?

Yes, we have about 42, 43 acres in southwest Macon County.

Let’s hit the fun questions! What’s one interesting thing about you people might not know?

When I’m stressed out, I clean. That’s just what I do.

Do you have a favorite book?

I don’t necessarily have a favorite book, but my favorite author is Nicholas Sparks.

What about a favorite movie or TV show?

The only one I’ve been watching this past season is Fire Country.

What about a favorite type of food or meal?

You can never go wrong with a good pizza that has lots of toppings. Locally, the best is Pigskin (in Brookfield).

Do you have a favorite vacation spot you’ve ever been?

Not really a favorite per say but anywhere I’ve been together with my husband and my girls. My family has been the best time.

If you had a personalized coffee mug, what would it say?

I had a life, but taxes consumed it. (laughs)

Do you have a favorite memory or accomplishment from your career up to this point?

Passing the CPA exam was a huge accomplishment for me. After that, it’s been all the continuing education and keeping up with the ever-changing laws and regulations.

I know this will sound cliche, but most of my favorite memories are the people I work with. You spend more time with your co-workers than you do your family and friends; and I have developed some wonderful friendships along the way that I will never forget.