Page 30 - MidJersey Business - May 2014

JOHN BLAKE
JERSEY STRONG

CPA, MANAGER

Klatzkin & Co., LLP
Age: 33

Education:

Rider University

Yet Blake has stayed close to he good son used to ride Klatzkin and Co. handles small and
home. “I love this area, I love New shotgun. His father was in medium-sized businesses, business

Jersey, and I am proud to be born the heating and air con- owners, and high net-worth individu-

and raised here,” he says. Blake grew ditioning repair business
als. “The tax code is so complicated,”
up in Howell Township, and was and as dad made house Blake says. “I doubt we’ll ever have
T
pretty much hooked on the idea of calls, young John Blake would ride a lat tax, so until then, I get a lot of
being an accountant while taking a along in the truck. “I remember going pleasure helping people navigate

course in high school. It was almost on a call with dad to an elderly lady’s through the thousand or so pages of
a no-brainer that he enroll in Rider’s house to ix her air conditioner,” he the code and manage their afairs. I

well-regarded accounting program says. “Dad was a tireless worker and see myself making partner here at the
despite, as he says, “Everybody else always doing things for others before irm and am on course to do that.”

insisting that accounting was boring, himself. He was able to ix this air Blake also appreciates that the irm
that I should seek more education conditioner without much work and has an 80-year history of giving back

and change majors. But I enjoyed it. refused to charge the lady because he to the community and has instilled
I enjoyed researching and getting knew she didn’t have much money. that idea in its employees, in part by

acquainted with tax laws. My biggest
She was so grateful; she did end up
directly donating year-end bonuses
advice to freshman to non-proit organizations. It rein-

students would be to forces what John learned at an early “It’s challenging to ind a balance between

not sleep through your age. “My parents taught me to work work and personal life, plus inding time to
classes.” At Rider, Blake hard and give back to others,” he says.

joined Phi Kai Theta, “Going out on a route with the volun- give back to the community, especially since
the professional busi- teers of MOWTE to deliver meals is
technology keeps us connected all the time
ness fraternity, where extremely rewarding. Not only are
he networked with you providing much needed suste- so in a sense, we’re always on the clock.”

students from other nance but you’re also giving clients
majors and was involved
someone to talk with, even if it’s only

for a minute. The opportunity to help giving me $10, so not only did I learn with community outreach programs.
homebound citizens is amazing.”
a very valuable life lesson, but I also He was also picked by his professors

MOWTE delivers meals to more made 10 bucks.”
to enter a Johnson & Johnson case
than 165 people each day, adding up Nowadays, as a CPA and manager competition. “Though we didn’t win,

to some 44,000 meals annually.
with Klatzkin & Co., Blake is involved the experience helped with my career
“I was very young to come to the re- in helping people in other ways. because the case showed all diferent

alization that I could beneit by help- Whether it’s managing their inances aspects of the business world. If you
ing others,” he says. “And the desire
or through his ive-year involve- want to be a good accountant, you

is homespun, as opposed to someone ment on the board of directors of have to understand the environment

who joins the Peace Corps or decides Meals On Wheels of Trenton/Ewing your client is in. This includes much
to go to Africa to help. Help is needed (MOWTE), the good son is now in the more than just the inancial and tax

right in your own neighborhood.”
driver’s seat.
returns,” he says.

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midJersey