About Us
Miles & Thirion
When Miles & Thirion, a full-service public accounting firm, opened its doors in 2002, they had a staff of just three, including partners Jerry Miles and Sandy Thirion. Today, they’ve grown into a 25-person specialized CPA firm.
Before opening Miles & Thirion, Jerry and Sandy worked in a larger local firm. After a few years, they realized they could better serve their clients in a smaller boutique firm. That’s how Miles & Thirion began.
Miles & Thirion prides themselves on being a top-rated firm that places a high value on relationships with both clients and employees. With Sarasota regularly named as a top city to live and retire in, it’s no surprise that so many people are moving here. As a result, the Miles & Thirion team is rapidly growing, though they’re still committed to maintaining their personalized feel, unparalleled client care, and service.
For employees working at the firm, the valuable experience and accounting knowledge they’re exposed to is hard to get anywhere else.
“Because of our size, you’re exposed to all areas of tax preparation,” Partner Sandy Thirion said. “In a larger firm, you get pigeonholed into one area. Here, you’ll gain knowledge in all areas and have vast experience with all types of accounting. And, you get to work with everyone on the team. In a larger firm, that doesn’t happen.”
Like any public accounting firm, tax season is busy at Miles & Thirion. Staff work hard for longer than the normal 8:30am-5:30pm, Monday through Friday hours. Still, the company plans fun events to help get through the season’s deadlines and a flexible work schedule is also offered as an option. Saturday lunches are often ordered out during tax season, and after the March tax deadline is reached, the entire staff heads out to do something fun together—whether it’s going out for burgers or watching an Orioles baseball game at Ed Smith Stadium. Chair massages are also a perk during the required overtime hours of tax season.
“Though tax season can be stressful because of the deadlines we need to meet, it’s not stressful because of the team at our firm,” Sandy Thirion said. “It’s a supportive environment, and everyone enjoys working with each other.”
What Sets Miles & Thirion Apart?
A lot of CPA firms just prepare tax returns. Miles & Thirion also offers consulting and tax planning. They help individuals and business owners to plan ahead by analyzing their financial situation and showing them how to minimize what they pay in taxes in the year ahead.
The firm also helps people going through major life events like a divorce, or death of a spouse. A common situation is when the spouse who was in charge of the finances passes away, and the surviving spouse has no idea what a tax document even is. Miles & Thirion has someone who will go out to their home, meet with them, and go through their mail to help them know what to do when it comes to their taxes.
Miles & Thirion Staff Work Hard, But They Also Have Fun
Because they have a lot of younger people working at their firm, Miles & Thirion is on the leading edge of technology. Some of the older firms are known for being more archaic when it comes to technology and flexibility. Miles & Thirion also understands that millennials and the younger generation prefer to work differently, so they respond to that by offering standing desks and extra monitors. To make things even more fun, all employees have college football posters on their office doors and wins and losses are tracked.
