Jeff Barber
CPA
Principal
Cleveland, OH
Resident of Brecksville, OH
Rea Team Member Since 2018
- Jeff’s day-to-day activities include providing excellent service to our clients, managing the Cleveland office, and developing our outstanding staff.
Topics or areas of expertise that Jeff can talk about (even in his sleep):
- Emerging business consulting
- High net worth individuals
- Real estate taxation
- Technology start-up businesses
- Professional services businesses
How we know he knows what he's doing:
- He has over 25 years of experience in the accounting industry.
- Earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Toledo.
- Prior to joining Rea, he worked for Anneken & Moser, The Wortzman Company and Tramer, Shore & Zwick.
When he's not in the office, you can find him:
- Biking and hiking in the wonderful resource of the Cleveland Metroparks
- Watching his children’s sporting events in high school and college
- Spending time with family and friends
- Always seeking out the next great restaurant
How he's helped clients meet their business needs:
Upon taking on a new client relationship, Jeff identified an issue with the entity type and business structure. Jeff was able to change the entity structure which years later saved the client over $1 million in unnecessary taxes.
Jeff wasintroduced to an individual with severe tax delinquencies with multiple taxing jurisdictions spanning many years. He was able to negotiate favorable repayment terms and structured a plan to pay down delinquencies for this client.
Inside The Mind Of...
- What does“A Brighter Way” means to you? Continuous improvement and high expectations.
- Why do you choose to work at Rea? Rea has a collaborative team that is strives for continuous excellence.
- What's your favorite aspect of your job? Building relationships and being a part of client success.
- What line of The Rea Way describes you the best? 'Embrace change.' I am always open to finding a better way to perform services.
- What do you consider is your “brightest” quality? My ability to develop and nurture relationships.
- What “bright idea” do you find yourself sharing over and over? We are in the relationship business.
Just For Fun:
- What profession would you choose if you didn’t go into accounting? IT professional. I have been a tech enthusiast since the 80's!
- What makes you get out of bed every day? Every day there is something new to learn.
- What was your first job? Lifeguard. It was a natural fit for a competitive swimmer.
A conscientious and trusted advisor that always puts the needs of the client first. He strives to make the CPA-client relationship valuable.