Dan Raulerson has had plans to grow his accounting firm, and he took the next step Nov. 30 by adding two partners.
Irene Castillo and Rob Westlake were promoted to full partnership with Raulerson & Company, now called Raulerson Castillo Westlake & Company, P.A.
“Things have gone very well, and we thought it was time to get this going,” Raulerson said. “They both seem pretty happy about it.”
Since 1985, the accounting firm has assisted clients in Plant City and other parts of Hillsborough County with various tax and accounting services. Now headquartered at 1907 S. Alexander St., Raulerson and his staff have decided that now is the time for some expansion and growth.
Castillo, a certified public accountant who has been with the firm since 2006, mostly deals with tax issues related to estates, small businesses and trusts. A Plant City High School graduate, she attended University of South Florida to get both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting. She began working with the firm as an intern just after graduating and has stayed on board for the past nine tax seasons.
“I’ve progressed,” Castillo said. “I’ve learned a lot under (Raulerson’s) tutelage. I feel like I could learn a lot from him, continuing on, even from now.”
Because she has been in Plant City longer, and because many of her clients are located here, Castillo will be the one to stay in the area.
Westlake, who has been with the firm since 2011, will be the one to take on the expansion project.
According to both Westlake and Raulerson, the firm has plans to open up an office in the Brandon area by the end of this year. Because of his connections in Brandon, Westlake will be the one to head up that office.
He graduated from Durant High School and majored in both accounting and marketing while attending Florida State University and USF. Westlake, a certified public accountant and certified fraud examiner, worked at Tampa-based Oscher Consulting for three years before joining Raulerson’s firm. Now, he heads the audit department and works in both assurance services and forensic accounting.
“My connection to Dan was that his wife was a high school teacher of mine … and we always kind of kept in touch,” Westlake said. “An opening became available here … and I came on board … I love it.”
Raulerson will supervise both offices, essentially continuing his current duties. He feels that he picked the right people to help him expand, and couldn’t be happier about it.
“We’ve been to war together,” Raulerson said. “They have the best interests of the clients at heart, and they understand the business. I just wanted to reward them and give them a piece of the pie because of their dedication.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.