Meet our Team

MISSION

Elevated Accounting supports the financial endeavors of entrepreneurs with an authentic atmosphere and customized business coaching, to produce the most reliable, accurate and easy-to-understand accounting solutions that will grow with you.

We translate the financial lingo into a language you can understand.

We believe in an authentic atmosphere where you receive personalized support and attention. Chances are you don’t have (or want to spend) time on the nuances of your finances, taxes, and business requirements.

Support, to us, is providing a backbone and a foundation that your growing company can stand on and grow with.

CORE VALUES

Gratitude
We're grateful to serve our community of loyal clients. They share our vision of quality service, a desire for constant improvement, and an outlook of gratitude.

Passion
We're passionate about creating efficient, workable, and custom solutions for clients’ personal and business needs.

Courage
We're all about having the courage to be transparent for the highest good.

Integrity
Be real. Be honest. Period.

MEET OUR TEAM

Sarah Gould

Owner & Founder

sarah@elevatedaccounting.com
406-800-1008 Ext 1

Raised in Whitefish, Sarah Gould ventured to Oregon and Idaho for her college education. She supported herself through college by interning as an auditor with a local CPA firm and cramming through the higher accounting classes at night. She was offered a job at that same firm immediately upon graduation.

Despite the incredible opportunities available to her, Sarah missed the Whitefish vibe, her family, and the endless outdoor adventures. Sarah moved back to the Flathead Valley and began putting down roots and furthering her career experience in accounting and finance — gaining valuable tax, auditing, nonprofit, corporate, and small-business expertise.

She also garnered experience in business, leading nonprofit boards, working as both a CFO and a senior accountant with multiple large corporations.

After 10 years in the field, she felt a calling to do things differently.

As an auditor there were many experiences where Sarah walked into a business and noticed the look of fear and failure on her client’s faces before she even said hello. She reveled in the opportunity to meet clients, help them feel comfortable and confident in their accounting experience. She had (and continues to have) a genuine desire to help.

Sarah says, "People often open business to share with the world their gifts; the chef, the graphic designer, the landscaper. However, there is a whole other part of sharing that craft with the world — the business side of things." Sarah noticed this stressful paradigm especially during tax time.

Observations like this began compounding, and ultimately fueled Sarah's drive to open Elevated Accounting Solutions — a friendly firm putting people and their passions first, supporting business owners by solving problems and creating systems that work for people, for their business, and for their employees.

"Business owners want to do what they love, not sit in a tiny office and crunch numbers," Sarah says. "That's how it should be, and that's how we manage our client-centered approach with businesses large and small."

Krista Putnam

Accountant

krista@elevatedaccounting.com
406-800-1008 Ext 2

Krista has been living in (and loving!) Montana for 12 years now—originally from beautiful northern Minnesota. She graduated from MSU Bozeman with a degree in Sociology, and then decided to go after bookkeeping, and earned a degree in Accounting. Accounting resonated with her because the concepts flowed easily, and she honed in a true passion for setting up a company's financials so they are streamlined with a consistent flow.

Lucky for business owners with little time to have their nose in the details, Krista's favorite task is dealing with account discrepancies. For her, it's not frustrating... it's like solving a puzzle! Krista likes taking the burden off EA's clients and putting them at ease, knowing the financial health of their business is being cared for by professionals.

When not crunching numbers and solving puzzles, Krista spends most of her time with her partner, two baby boys and two giant dogs!

Liz Riopel

Accountant

liz@elevatedaccounting.com
406-800-1008 Ext 3

Born in Fayetteville, NC to active-duty military personnel, Liz moved around quite a lot growing up, eventually settling down in Whitefish, MT after completing both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Montana. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish in 2011 and a Master of Business Administration, with a focus in Accounting, in 2018. After moving to Montana in 2007 to begin her studies, she fell deeply in love with the idyllic beauty of the woods and mountains as well as the abundant wildlife present in almost every facet of life. While her professional pursuits eventually took her to Silicon Valley and Seattle to fulfill the roles of auditor and accountant, she always found herself longing to return to the great state of Montana.

In 2018, she made her move back to Whitefish, and began to study for the CPA exam in earnest. Her goal is to become a CPA by 2021. With the CPA designation, she will be able to provide an edge to her work with the hopes of utilizing the skills she developed through the BA and MBA programs.

Liz enjoys speaking Spanish and traveling to foreign countries. She has lived abroad in Mexico and Spain. She also loves to backpack in places like Glacier National Park and Utah, swim in lakes, go camping, see live music, and read nonfiction like the Wall Street Journal.

Kendra Dicks

Bookkeeper

kendra@elevatedaccounting.com
406-800-1008 x4

Six years ago, Kendra and her family had a notion to move out of the city and enjoy the great outdoors. So they packed up their belongings and moved to Whitefish, Montana... site unseen! They haven't looked back since. Kendra, her husband and 3 boys can be found enjoying everything indoors or outdoors Whitefish has to offer.

When Kendra was a little girl she could be found playing "office" in her mother's Accounting and Tax Preparation Firm. She took to playing with numbers at an early age and enjoys the little details and being able to help ease frustration for the client by taking the worry out of their hands.

It has been a long time since Kendra has played "office." Today, it's her career. She comes with 20 years of experience in office administration and bookkeeping experience. She is most excited when helping clients with bank reconciliations and the bill payment process in Quickbooks — both online and desktop.

Stephanie Rodriguez

Bookkeeper

Stephanie grew up in small town Laurel, MT. Her career began as a receptionist and quickly advanced when she learned the ropes of the Corporate world. She has excelled in Payroll and has worked with over 31 restaurants to take care of employer & employee needs. She has specialized in employee/employer specific legalities. To complete the experience package, she has small business experience as a dance studio owner, teacher, & bookkeeper due to her time in Billings, MT.

In 2014 Stephanie and her husband decided to uproot their lives and plant themselves in the Valley with their two dogs. She is a certified Yoga instructor on the side and has specialized in Aerial Silk Yoga.

Math and problem solving have always come easy to Stephanie and she shines whenever she can effectively work through a difficult number puzzle. She has a welcoming presence and a helpful persona.

stephanie@elevatedaccounting.com
406-800-1008 x5

About Us