We take pride in paying close attention to detail. We take the time to understand your business and your goals while being with you every stage of your practice. Getting to know our clients and their business is part of our proactive approach to growing your business. Now it’s your turn to get to know us.
Growth at DJA has been steady and carefully planned, and today we employ thirty associates and administration staff which include twenty certified public accountants.
Dwayne founded our firm in 1993. His professional career began twelve years earlier when he joined the Milwaukee office of Arthur Andersen & Co. There he served in both the audit and small business departments. His audit experience included both public and privately held companies. The next five years were also in public practice with a Milwaukee firm which grew from nine professionals to over 20 during that time. Dwayne became a partner within the firm. He left public accounting for private industry in 1988, acting as CFO for a company which grew to 75 employees operating in both Milwaukee and Dallas. The company achieved significant financial success and was acquired by a publicly traded company. The desire to become an entrepreneur led to his decision to start his own firm in January 1993.
Professional experience running businesses in both private industry and public accounting have provided a unique perspective. Real life experiences in cost accounting, human resource issues, equipment acquisition decisions, capital infusions, bank financing, operating and capital budgets, managing cash flows, reaching information technology conclusions, and earning a profit have provided valuable experiences. He draws upon those experiences daily when challenged with client advisory decisions.
Dwayne earned his Bachelor’s Degree at Evangel University, is a Certified Public Accountant, and a member of both the AICPA and WICPA.
Dale began his professional career at Arthur Andersen & Co. in 1988 where he worked for five years in the Milwaukee office’s tax department. He provided a wide range of tax services to the firm’s “closely-held” business clients. Some of his experience included corporate and personal income tax planning and preparation, personal and estate financial planning, family wealth building, real estate and partnership planning and transactions.
In 1993, Dale joined DJA where he focused on transitioning from strictly tax work to overall business accounting and planning to help the client manage all areas of their business. In his 29 years at DJA, he has worked closely with the business owner to provide assistance in managing cash flow, developing formal tax plans, creation of succession plans, increasing business value, obtaining bank and investor financing, compensation plans and employee issues. Dale’s goal is to be his clients’ trusted business advisor.
Dale is a partner at the firm, is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the AICPA and the WICPA.
Rick has over 29 years of professional service in public accounting, working closely with businesses and their owners. Rick specializes in working with family groups that own business entities in helping the families understand the intricacies of being both an owner and an investor in a family business; and how these typically liquid assets impact them from a taxation, estate, investment and cash flow standpoint. Rick has extensive experience in corporate, trust, partnership and individual income taxation; estate and gift taxation; merger and acquisition transactions; family office and trust accounting services and multi-state tax planning. Rick has also spoken to various business groups and organizations regarding income and estate tax planning opportunities.
Rick has been with Dwayne Johnson & Associates, S.C. since November 2005. Prior to joining the firm, Rick started his career in 1989 with a national CPA firm in Milwaukee, and then was a key player in growing a Brookfield CPA firm from two employees to over 25 employees from 1993 to 2005.
Rick received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater and graduated magna cum laude. Rick is on several charitable boards and is past president and treasurer of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Allenton. Rick has also volunteered his time coaching youth baseball, softball, and soccer in West Bend, Kewaskum and Allenton for over 15 years.
email: rsteiner@dwaynejohnson.com
Michelle joined Dwayne Johnson & Associates, S.C,. in the Fall of 2011 with a focus on financial and tax services; she brings over 20 years of public accounting experience to our firm and has a passion for working with people while striving to “make a difference” with each client while continually exceeding client expectations and maintaining positive and respectful working relationships.
Michelle grew up in Pewaukee, WI and graduated from Pewaukee High School; she graduated from Lakeland College with a degree in Accounting and Business Management. Michelle is a certified licensed accountant and a member of the AICPA and WICPA.
email: mscholbe@dwaynejohnson.com
Patrick Harden joined Dwayne Johnson & Associates, S.C. in 2019 and quickly advanced to his present role as Partner. His hands-on approach with clients fosters the strong relationships necessary to collaborate and help clients improve their businesses. He is passionate about working with small businesses and individuals to achieve the best business and tax results. As an avid reader he is interested in staying on top of trends and developments in the accounting and tax world and helps his clients to leverage technology to increase automation and efficiency.
Pat is a 2010 graduate of UW-Eau Claire and has worked in various public accounting firms both in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Pat has extensive experience in financial reporting, income tax research and preparation, and business consulting. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the AICPA and WICPA.
Pat grew up in southwestern Wisconsin and spent several years working in the Twin Cities before settling in Pewaukee with his wife and two children. Outside of work, Pat enjoys spending time with family, traveling, trout fishing and playing basketball.
email: pharden@dwaynejohnson.com