T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Jeff Rasmussen, owner of Rasmussen Tax & Accounting, stands next to his sign displaying the new name of the business in its new location. The accounting firm has spent the last five years helping clients through disasters striking Marshalltown, and have recently been able to make the changes.

A familiar Marshalltown accounting firm has a new location and a new name. Rasmussen Tax & Accounting, previously Bergman CPA Tax & Accounting, only moved one block south from their Main Street location.

Now on Church Street, owner Jeff Rasmussen said the move and the name change were made in September, but it was not until Wednesday that the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting took place.

The move was made because the firm needed more space for growth. Rasmussen also wanted to own the building his business was in.

“In the long term, this is a better building with more offices, a better set-up,” he said. “This gives us more longevity in a location. Knowing I own the building provides a good base for the future.”

Even though the name change was planned for some time, Rasmussen said business was hectic. There was not enough time to implement the changes of either the location or the name because of the last five years.

Rasmussen joined the business under the ownership of Ellen Bergman in 2018 when the tornado hit. Many clients needed help with the fallout afterward.

“We were in the US Bank building, and there was water coming through the roof,” he said. “We had to move off-site and find someplace else, which was across the street. It was a great place for us to be.”

In 2019, Rasmussen made the decision to buy Bergman CPA. Then the COVID-19 pandemic and the derecho hit in 2020.

“We did lose our power,” he said. “As a CPA firm hired to do payrolls, that was a difficult situation.”

Fortunately, Rasmussen said after the derecho they had a generator supplying the necessary electricity so clients could be helped. He was grateful they also never lost internet service, having chosen Heart of Iowa as a provider.

“They have underground fiber,” Rasmussen said. “We did not miss anything, and that was a big deal at the time.”

The accounting firm was able to continue to serve their clients during the struggle with the pandemic and derecho damage.

“Businesses had a lot of questions with the disasters,” he said. “We helped them get through a lot of insurance issues. We were helping people move forward in those situations. We felt we got to know our clients a lot better. We’ve been through situations, and now are no longer in chaos.”

After things settled down and quieted a little, Rasmussen said they could finally move forward. However, there was still some more work to take care of before the ribbon cutting.

“The building was not ready,” he said. “We did a lot of the work ourselves. We found the time to get it ready to be seen by the public.”

That work included painting the walls, removing carpet from the common areas of the building and placing furniture in desired spots.

“It feels like home,” Rasmussen said.

Even without attending to needs made more difficult by disasters, he said business has been going really well, and there has been a growing demand for their services.

“There is a need for what we do, and we are trying to be part of the growth in town,” Rasmussen said. “This town has been very good for us. I feel we are ready to move forward and up. The disasters were taxing on everybody in town, and we helped people with the burden and chaos. Now, we’re looking to the future and the bigger potential.”

CONTACT INFO:

Name: Rasmussen Tax & Accounting

Address: 112 W. Church St.

Phone: 641-753-5400

Email: info@rasmussen-cpa.com

Website: rasmussen-cpa.com

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.