We are a small CPA firm specializing in income tax return preparation. Located in Newport News, Virginia for the last 20 years, our roots in the profession actually go back three generations. In 1948 S. L. Goodrich began preparing tax returns outside the 50th Street gate of Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company. His daughter Jean and her husband Wesley Hill eventually joined him in the business. At one time, Goodrich Tax Service prepared more individual income tax returns than any other single office on the Virginia Peninsula.
Wesley and Jean Hill retired in 1990. Their son, Thomas Hill, returned to Newport News to serve their clients as a Certified Public Accountant. For the last 20 years, Tom and his staff continued to operate from the Goodrich Building on Jefferson Avenue--built by his parents, named for his grandfather.
In November, 2009 the firm moved to a more central location in the Oyster Point area of Newport News. Though the address has changed, the third--and fourth!--generation of the Goodrich-Hill family emphatically answers "Yes!" when asked if we are "still here" after 60 years of continuous service.
Thomas H. Hill, CPA
Between preparing income tax returns for the family business during high school and college, and his current position as principal and owner of his own business, Tom Hill has covered a lot of tax ground.
Tom graduated from the College of William & Mary shortly after William first met Mary (1975). After passing the CPA exam he served his 2 year internship with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. (now KPMG) in Norfolk, Virginia, where he worked on everything from multinational nonprofit organizations to complex individual returns for regional business owners.
From KPMG Tom moved to Farm Fresh Supermarkets where he provided accounting and tax support for their 1st and 2nd public stock offerings. He also provided tax compliance for the Farm Fresh Profit Sharing and ESOP Retirement Plans. When Gene Walters left Farm Fresh, Tom set out with him to become the first CFO of Gene Walters Marketplace Foods, Inc., which operated throughout southside Hampton Roads.
Finally, Tom returned to the work he enjoyed most: helping individuals and small business owners comply with their income tax reporting requirements through his own accounting firm. For the last 20 years he has served clients on the southside and the peninsula, maintaining relationships that began with his parents' business as well as those arising from his years in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. In recent years, as clients' needs have changed, Tom has developed a subspecialty in estate and trust accounting and income tax compliance in addition to corporate and individual income taxes.
Our Staff
Beverly L. Hill Tax Accountant, Office Administrator
Although Beverly has only been with the firm since 1998, you might say she's been "married" to accounting for much longer. She met Tom at the College of William & Mary while earning a BA in Philosophy, and they were married shortly after her graduation. Two days after the wedding Beverly began working as a Taxpayer Service Representative at the Hampton, Virginia office of the IRS. After completeing 24 semester hours of accounting and business law Beverly became a Special Agent (Criminal Investigation Division) in the Norfolk, Virginia office of the IRS. After leaving the IRS Beverly explored substitute teaching, proofreading, and computer technology while raising two sons. She resumed preparing tax returns in 2000. Her long association with tax accounting, her deep commitment to family, and her technological savvy help her in her current capacity as Accountant/Administrator/Glue-That-Holds-Our-Office-Together.
Erin A. Tapajna Tax Accountant/Bookkeeper
When Erin came to us in November, 2005, she brought a wealth of experience in Personal and Small Business Accounting and Tax Preparation. Working for 10 years in small CPA practices much like ours, she prepared business, personal, and payroll tax returns, as well as performing monthly bookkeeping and write-up tasks. Among Erin's special gifts is a genius for finding connections: we continue to be amazed at the number of our clients with whom she shares some common thread. We call it the "10 Degrees of Erin Tapajna." With a husband employed at Northrup Grumman, three children in York County Public Schools, and her involvement in Girl Scouts and PTA, Erin has set down deep and far-reaching roots since she moved here in 2004.
Denise M. Shutt Bookkeeper/Quality Control
Denise has been our Supervisor of Quality Control since October, 2002. She is responsible for reviewing the data input on all the tax returns we prepare, as well as keeping our office work flow moving efficiently during "Tax Season." In her "spare time" she maintains books and payroll for multiple clients, keeps our billing and accounts receivable up to date, and is responsible for most of the office practical jokes. Denise brings to her work the precision and discipline she developed during a 20-year career in the US Army, as well as the dedication to lifelong learning that earned her a BS summa cum laude in Business Administration from Averett University.
Toby Hill Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper
Toby is the fourth generation of the Goodrich-Hill family to serve the Virginia Peninsula in this business. After helping out in various part-time positions while between college semesters, he joined us full-time in March, 2008. Toby's friendly helpfulness makes him a favorite with clients who knew his great-grandfather, and he is currently responsible for maintaining the accuracy of our multiple client databases. Toby also processes all completed tax returns, mails them, does the firm bookkeeping, and cheerfully answers the phone without losing track of his many tasks.
