Kristina Drzal Houghton considers herself the creative type.
That terms applies to her approach to home decorating, for example. "I really work at it; I try to get everything perfect, right down to the smallest detail. I want a room to look just right."
But it also describes her work as a tax specialist and partner with Holyoke-based Meyers Brothers Kalicka, she told BusinessWest, and such terminology may surprise some people not familiar with this field.
"The perception is that numbers are boring and pretty dry," she explained. "But you can be very creative in tax work. I love the challenge of trying to figure out how to make something work. Whether you're dealing with mergers, acquisitions, or other business transactions, it's challenging to get the answer to come within the tax code and be as favorable to the client as possible."
Creative is also a word the Springfield native used to describe her efforts to manage that chaotic time between mid-January and April 15, when all taxpreparers - and those who manage them - are put the test.
"There needs to be a balance," said Drzal Houghton who, as the 'tax partner' for Meyers Brothers Kalicka manages a team of nine dedicated tax preparers. "The work has to get done, obviously, but you need to do it a way so that you don't burn people out; otherwise, you're not going to retain your quality employees."
As the mother of two children ages 7 and 13, Drzal Houghton says she's keenly aware of the challenges involved with balancing work and family, especially for accountants during those hectic three months. Thats why she brings what she calls a blend of sensitivity and creativity to managing workloads.
And with that assignment, as well as all others, she said its her responsibility to come up with not the right answer, necessarily, but the best answer.
"I consider myself a problem solver - thats my job description," she said of the term she would use often. "And I love what I do."
Bean Imaginative
Drzal Houghton told BusinessWest she developed a passion for numbers early in life.
"I really loved math, and I remember telling my father that I wanted to be a math major in college and maybe teach the subject," she recalled. "He said, 'what are you going to do a math degree? - you're not going to make enough money to cover your share of the tuition."'
With some help from a guidance counselor who suggested accounting as a career path, she's proven her father wrong.
She earned a bachelor's degree in Accounting from American International College and then a master's in Taxation from Bentley College in Vermont. She broke into the field in 1984 as a tax specialist with Deloitte Haskins & Sells (then one of the so-called Big Eight accounting firms) in Hartford.
She stayed there only a year - "the commute was killing me; I-91 was still two lanes back then" - before becoming a tax specialist in the Springfield office of Coopers & Lybrand, another of the Big Eight firms. There, she eventually took on a number of large corporate accounts and developed a real passion for working with and for those types of clients.
She was recruited by the then Longmeadow-based firm Meyers Brothers, P.C. in early 1995, and became a partner two years later.
Today, she heads the firm's Tax Department and is the technical adviser for the tax aspects of all special services. She has her own portfolio of clients, which includes some of the region's largest employers and several non-profit organizations, and is also the individual tasked with making sure the more than 2,100 individual returns and 600 more for corporations and partnerships are done on time - and done right.
"It's like a giant puzzle," she said of the workload to be handled between January and April 15. "It does take a good deal of creativity to get it a one."
The challenges don't end in mid-April, however, she added quickly, noting that there is tax work to be done year-round late spring and summer is when the focus shifts to non-profit groups, for example. There is also 40 hours of continuing education each year and constant work to keep current with changing tax laws.
Drzal Houghton told Business West that she doesn't actually prepare any returns herself, per se. Rather, she acts as adviser, or problem solver for those who do.
When asked to describe her work, she said it boils down to finding solutions for clients while staying within the boundaries of the tax code.
"We look for creative ways to avoid the traps or the gray areas of the law," she explained, "and devise solutions that are more likely than not to be upheld in the event of an audit.
"I'm not going to take your sports car and call it a bus so you can write off the depreciation," she continued, adding that she has what she would call a 'higher than average' degree of integrity. "You work within the law, but look for creative ways to find those best answers for clients."
Good outcomes are among the biggest rewards for individuals in this profession, she told BusinessWest, adding that she takes great satisfaction from devising those 'best answers' she referred to.
Equally rewarding for her, however, is her work within the community, which often involves putting her skills with numbers - and problem-solving - to work for area non-profit groups.
She is currently treasurer for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and the Spirit of Springfield, for example, and formerly held that same post with the Kiwanis Club of Springfield. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Springfield Boys and Girls Club and the advisory board for the Family Business Center at UMass.
In addition to those groups, she is also helping to crunch the numbers and advance plans by members of Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow to buy the club and thus prevent the facility from being converted into a large housing project.
"We're hoping that we can make this work," she said, using the third person to refer to the club's membership, which she is part of. "This is important not only for the club, but for the town as well."
Counting on Her
Dryzal Houghton told BusinessWest that, despite their best efforts, tax preparers can't always put smiles on their clients' faces, usually due to factors well beyond their control and their desire to work within the law.
"That's part of the business," she told BusinessWest, adding that, over the years, she has devised a method of 'apologizing' to clients, even though she's done nothing wrong. "I say, 'sorry you are disappointed with this.' "
Thanks to her highly creative nature and life-long passion for finding the best answer, though, she hasn't had to say that very often.
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