A friend helping a friend turned into Leah Stout’s career as an Iola business owner.
Stout, owner of EZ Tax Service, LLC, is on the move, to 315 S. State St. She’s moving from her old office in the 500 block of North State Street. She has substantially more space in which to operate.
“I was running out of room down there,” she said, noting filing cabinets along walls were holding files extending nearly to the ceiling. “It felt like the walls were closing in. There wasn’t room to put anything.”
Still, Stout admits the move is bittersweet. Good friend Bob Shaughnessy owns the building at 509 N. State and will no longer be her landlord.
In fact, it was Shaughnessy that convinced Stout to launch EZ Tax Service in 2014.
“He wanted me to keep doing his taxes,” Stout chuckled. “He set up my office. He gave me his computer and his desk.”
Leaving is sad, she continued, “but this will allow him to sell the building.”
Shaughnessy also kept stored equipment in the building
As an aside, Stout has a similar friendship with her new landlord, Kyle King, who runs King’s Sandwich Shop next door to her office.
“It’s been a blessing to have this opportunity,” Stout said.
The plan is to get situated in her new environs through this month and into December, before the busy tax season arrives. She’s still arranging furniture and cabinets in the newly refurbished building.
“That’s the plan, anyway,” Stout said.
Helping to keep things running smoothly is Stout’s daughter, Hannah, who holds a degree in business management from Pittsburg State University and is working toward getting her tax certification.
Hannah had been working at B&W Trailer Hitches until giving birth about a month ago to daughter Linnea Luedke.
In fact, Monday was Hannah’s first day back in the office.
“This is a great opportunity for her to advance her resume and get office experience,” Leah said. “I’m hoping she’ll take over someday.”
Leah Stout has been a public accountant for 30 years, having started with the late Lynn Garner in 1992. From there, she joined Brenda Buck’s office for several years before opening EZ.
She is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 to 3 on Fridays.
“Tax season, I’ll be here pretty much until bedtime,” she laughed.
She can be reached at (620) 3630-5027 or [email protected].
