BROWNIE BITES: The Girl Scouts would be proud of Julie Hall. As a tax manager at BCG & Co., an accounting and consulting firm in Akron, she has more than earned her Business-wise and My Community badges. The Otterbein College grad and former Girl Scout enjoys doing things for others, whether a client, a friend or a civic organization. “My passion is helping people,” she says. Hall has served on the boards of many local nonprofits, including the Battered Women’s Shelter and Torchbearers, which helps young leaders develop characteristics that will benefit them in both their professional and personal lives.
NUMBERS GAME: Hall has always been good at math — a must in her industry. And just like algebra homework in her school days, she takes pride in solving tax problems. “I love saving clients money,” she says. “It’s great.”
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Growing up, Hall was surrounded by giving people. “My grandfather volunteered for everything, any sort of fundraiser at the church or school,” she says. When he retired, he was a playground monitor. “And the kids loved him,” she says. Hall’s mother, who was involved with Girl Scouts as well, continued to instill those family values. “My mom has two green thumbs. ... I have neither,” she says. Still, her mother would take her along to pull weeds and water flowers at the church. Hall laughs, “I remember doing that all the time.”tax manager, BCG & Co.
“I’m a very analytical person, which comes in handy in the tax world. I like trying to understand what people are thinking.”
What’s your normal day like?
I’m the primary contact for a lot of my clients. Throughout the year, they have all kinds of things going on, especially at year-end as they’re trying to close their books. I also help develop and train our staff, so I field a lot of questions. So a typical day is ... I don’t have any typical days.
How do you stay calm during tax season?
It’s a combination of things: faith, attitude and a support system. My faith definitely helps me. Keeping a positive attitude is huge to dealing with any challenging situation. And you have to ask for help at times. So I’m very fortunate to have a wonderful support system.
How do you juggle a family and work?
My husband has just been awesome. There are times that he has to be Mr. Mom on the nights that I work late.
Do you celebrate April 16?
I usually get a massage.
Spender or saver?
I am definitely the saver.
When’s the last time you splurged on something for yourself?
Since the kids, I haven’t splurged. I used to splurge on expensive purses. I spilled a bottle and a sippy cup inside my current purse, and it has little stains.
Do you have any gardening horror stories?
My brother and I helped to mow the lawn. It’s a couple acres, so we had a lawn tractor. One summer, I remember I was in the front yard on the lawn tractor, and my mom was yelling out the window. She was trying to tell me something. Being a difficult teenager, I didn’t take the time to stop, turn off and listen to what she was saying. As I’m watching her instead of watching where I’m going, I ended up running over a tree that she had just planted. She was trying to tell me to watch for the tree.
Why did you decide to volunteer with the Battered Women’s Shelter?
It’s a cause that I believe strongly in. Sometimes these women don’t feel like they have a lot of choices. So many times, they feel like the devil they know is better than getting out, so providing them with a place to go, to just go, is important.
Algebra or geometry?
I would say algebra is my favorite. I’m not a big geometry fan.
Did other kids ever pick on you because you were good at math?
No. But I was cleaning stuff out of my mom’s house, and we found an Algebra I Student of the Year Award from my freshman year of high school. My sister still gives me a hard time about that.
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