“Not only can you talk to the owner, Dan Gordon, but everybody on his staff that we’ve worked with has been excellent and very responsive.”

For Horizon Pest Control, a second generation, family owned and operated pest management firm based in Midland Park, N.J., working with Dan Gordon, CPA, and his accounting firm PCO Bookkeepers has been an eye-opening experience. “I know how my father ran the business and I know how I run it, but working with Dan brings an extra set of eyes and brainpower,” says CEO Bernie Holst III. “If my numbers are off, I can talk to Dan and say, ‘Where do I have room for improvement?’ and he has a lot of good insights.”

Specifically, Bernie appreciates the benchmarking data PCO provides and the consultative approach the firm offers. As part of the monthly accounting service, PCO provides Horizon with a detailed report showing financial metrics for his company alongside industry averages.

“You’re able to benchmark without any added work because they take an average for all their clients and show you whether you’ve above or below,” Bernie says, noting the reports also include how key categories are trending compared to your budget or the prior year.

In fact, this benchmarking data and Dan’s experience working in the pest control industry are the reasons Bernie began working with PCO about a decade ago. Horizon had previously used a different accounting firm and handled several bookkeeping tasks in-house.

“What we’ve found is he’s a good sounding board for our operation,” Bernie says. “If we’re thinking about going in a given direction, he can offer advice because not only does he see it from his other pest clients, he has lived a good part of it.”

For example, when Horizon was pursuing a small acquisition, Dan urged Bernie to rethink the challenges associated with acquiring a one-man operation where clients are accustomed to having 24/7 access to the owner of the company — which is not a business model Horizon is set up to accommodate.

“As a result, I realized it was probably not the best fit,” Bernie says. “He opened my eyes to look at things differently.”

Additionally, Bernie recommends PCO’s accounts payable program, which he says is more cost effective than handling A/P in-house.

“We really don’t even cut our own checks anymore,” he says. “Through a service called Bill.com, we’re able to check off what we want to pay and when.

“It’s made my bookkeeping scenario easier, faster and more detailed. I can better track where my expenses are and who’s signing off on the different expenses.”

Bernie adds, “The entire bookkeeping and accounting process that PCO has implemented is easy to manage, cost effective and they always make sure we pay the least amount of taxes. I highly recommend PCO Bookkeepers to anyone in our industry.”