Wayne Shelton and Ryan Conn from Shelton & Associates

What a great story behind the changes that have occurred over the last few years at Shelton & Associates!

We have transitioned from a full-service accounting firm where we have historically considered ourselves as a tax factory, and we now specialize in being advisors and relationships with our clients and working with them to just establish their best practices, build a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship where they can reach their financial goals through our expertise, to our advice and through our building with them over time.

Wayne knew he had to change his business model for the company. But he didn't have the right person in place to do that - until Ryan. He was able to take his background in Law Enforcement to drive the company.

We wanted to empower our staff. And so that was a big part of it. They take ownership of their situation. They take ownership of their clients. They get excited. Like, I get to do the bigger work, the bigger stuff, and I'm also getting to see the results as well. The clients love it more because they're doing it's not just Wayne, it's not just Ryan that they can talk to get their answers from.

Wayne talks about how the culture changed in just a short amount of time with the proper leadership and direction.

My office was a train wreck. We had people going 18 different directions. But we've changed all that and we've got a totally different culture, and it pretty much turned over the whole staff in a three year period.

What is it that you actually do that makes you money?

The planning advisory. When we bring somebody on board, they have a situation in their business possibly various disasters going on. And a lot of this impacts their tactical situations. So we come in and we apply that advisory service.

What is your dream now? What what do you see happening now that you look forward?

We've also really branched out into a couple of areas like this business leadership we are doing. We actually look at that as a separate advisory product as well. And we're going up to Minnesota, Wisconsin to teach a firm for two days. They've engaged us to teach for two days on-site at their annual meeting. We're going there to try to get them to put in place a foundation set so they can grow in a similar fashion. And grow better for learning from our mistakes along the way.

Wayne is a Paducah, Kentucky native and has practiced public accounting for 42 years. Wayne is the founder of Shelton & Associates, CPA, PLLC. Wayne specializes in auditing, tax planning and preparation and business consulting. He has also consulted on over 40 forensic cases. He received BS in Accounting from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas in 1974 and his CPA certificate in 1976. Wayne received the Certified Medical Practice Executive (CMPE) designation in 1997 from the Medical Group Management Association. He also received the CFF (Certified in Financial Forensics) credential from the AICPA, the CFA (Certified in Financial Forensics) and the CVA (Certified in Financial Forensics) credentials. When he is not working in the office, he can be found hunting, playing golf, tending to his farm and spending time with his family.

Ryan is from Ann Arbor, Michigan and moved to Paducah, Kentucky in 2006. He partnered with Wayne at Shelton & Associates, CPA, PLLC in 2018. Ryan specializes in high level customized Business Advisory, including leadership, business best practices, and Forensic Accounting. He graduated from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas in 2006 where he obtained his BS in Criminal Justice. Ryan spent just shy of 12 years serving his community as a Paducah Police Officer. He spent over 10 years on the SWAT Team and was the Team Leader. Ryan leads the Forensic Accounting division of Shelton & Associates, CPA, PLLC, and works closely with clients providing consultation to help them improve and achieve their financial goals. Ryan spends his free time with his family and friends playing games and enjoying the outdoors.

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