Denise Baker, Gayl Parr still in Professional Building to serve you

By Kelly Boelter
Denise (Wilmarth) Baker and Gayl Parr have been partners in the tax and accounting business for 34 years, working, at the beginning in Livonia, with their other partner, Donald Criss.
Criss retired in 2018. At that early time the group was called Criss, Wilmarth and Parr CPAs.
In 2005, the trio purchased Stoner & Associates at 152 Main St. in Belleville from Robert Stoner. Belleville Tax & Accounting was born. For more than a year they operated out of both the Livonia office and the Belleville office, before consolidating into just one.
Their hope was to expand, and they did that. They very much enjoyed the small-town feel, being in a walkable area, and offering personal service to their ever-increasing client list. The growth was due, in part, to acquiring Kelli DiPietro’s practice when she moved south in 2008. So, they found themselves with established clients of other CPAs, needing to prove themselves to strangers.
As of this writing, they have nearly 3,000 combined business and personal clients. From corporate accounting to personal tax returns, business start-ups, to payroll, they did it all and more. The only advertising they did was a small ad in the Belleville-Area Independent newspaper.
So then, why retire? Well, the first thing to know is that they have not gone away. They will be in Belleville for the next few years at least, doing what they have always done, in the same location with the same staff.
They own the Professional Building and have roots here. The pace at which they were operating was simply not sustainable. During the tax season they would work seven days a week, more than ten hours a day, struggling just to keep up.
The decision to merge with Haven Group, CPAs and Advisors, took a very long time as they searched for an accounting firm who had the same vision and appreciation for working in a tight-knit community.
Haven Group said it values the legacy Denise and Gayl have here and want to preserve it. Haven said it wants to stay and grow in Belleville, and they have the ability to do so, with more technology, more CPAs, more offices and staff.
Denise and Gayl say they have chosen Haven Group because they know they are capable and will take good care of their treasured clients. They trust the clients will have faith they made the right choice.
Denise and Gayl say they appreciate the support of this community, and know their success is largely based on their clients. They want their clients to know they are still here.
Next week we’ll have a word from Haven Group.