Accounts Payable Services & AP Automation Providers in Essex Junction, VT

Lavallee & Company, Inc. is a family-owned certified public accounting practice based in Essex Junction, Vermont. It provides accounting, tax and financial consulting services to business owners, executives, independent professionals and private households. The firm does not market a separate accounts payable outsourcing service. Companies looking for payables support would be working with a general accounting partner whose bookkeeping, small business accounting and QuickBooks offerings can shape how bills and vendor obligations are recorded and managed.

Services relevant to payables and back-office finance

Several of the firm's business offerings relate to the everyday handling of money leaving a company:

• Small business accounting and bookkeeping carried out by staff on behalf of clients
• Payroll services, along with assistance when payroll tax problems arise
• Cash flow management
• QuickBooks setup and QuickBooks training
• An option to purchase QuickBooks through the firm at a savings
• Reviews and compilations of financial statements
• Bank financing, business valuation, strategic and succession planning, and new business formation

For organizations that run their books in QuickBooks, this combination can be useful. The firm can set up the software, train a company's own people to use it, and then either keep the books or look over the results. That suits owners who want an accountant close to their payables and cash position. It is a weaker match for buyers who want a dedicated AP automation product.

Tax and individual services

Tax work forms a large share of what the practice does. It prepares returns and offers planning for both businesses and individuals. It also handles difficult dealings with the IRS, such as:

• Representation during audits
• Returns that were never filed and back taxes owed
• Liens, levies, wage garnishments and seizures
• Installment arrangements and offers in compromise
• Innocent spouse relief

Individuals can also turn to the firm for personal financial planning, which centers on one-on-one guidance, and for help moving through the estate planning process.

Team and background

David Lavallee, CPA, is the founder and president. He graduated from Champlain College with an accounting degree in 1984 and became a licensed CPA in 1987. Following several years in public accounting, he spent eleven years in banking, serving as controller at Northfield Savings Bank and as chief financial officer at a Brandon bank. He left banking in 1999 to return to advising small business owners and individuals. This lender-side experience can matter to clients who are arranging financing.

Dylan Lavallee, CPA, is vice president. He began with the firm as an intern while studying at Saint Michael's College, earned a bachelor's degree in accounting in 2013 and a master's in 2016, and was licensed that same year. Betsy Weischedel, CPA, joined in 2020 and oversees individual tax returns while also working on some corporate and partnership filings.

She previously worked at another firm and taught tax and accounting at Champlain College. Chloe Johnston, a staff accountant, helps with individual returns and client bookkeeping while pursuing her CPA license. Lori Russotti, who joined in 2017, greets clients, helps them gather information, finalizes tax return delivery and also performs bookkeeping for many clients.

How they work with clients

The firm describes itself as a personal, relationship-focused practice that charges mid-range rates. It tries to learn about each client and their family and to put the client's interests first. New clients can ask for a free initial consultation, and current clients can exchange documents with the office through an online portal.