When he was a junior studying accounting at West Chester University, William (Bill) Gowie Jr. was looking for an internship to support his future career path.

He met Eugene Steger, who at the time was working with another accountant at an office in Malvern.

Gowie landed an internship with the accounting firm and upon finishing it, was presented with the opportunity to work full-time at the office after graduating under the condition that he worked full-time during his senior year.

“I maneuvered my schedule my senior year so I could work full-time and still go to school full-time,” said Gowie during a recent interview.

He managed to do that and after graduation, he earned his CPA and enrolled in the Master of Taxation program at Villanova University.

In 2000, at 26-years-old, Steger asked Gowie to become his business partner and that was a big step toward the path his career has taken in the two decades since, with Gowie & Company.

For David Fultz, he graduated college as a psychology major and began his professional career in human resources and sales.

However, he eventually made the decision to return to school and pursue a graduate degree in accounting. 

In search of an internship of his own, Fultz got connected with Gowie and Steger and was given the opportunity to intern at their accounting firm.

“I was very thankful they gave me the opportunity,” said Fultz. “I just started learning more and more about accounting and was able to utilize my psychology background to better understand and relate to customers,”

He hasn’t looked back since.

“I have over 20 years in accounting, being able to take all the stuff I’ve learned and mentor other accountants coming up,” he added.

2017 marked a big shift in business.

That year, Steger Gowie & Company and Amon’s Merves Amon & Barsz – another respected accounting firm in the region – decided to merge.

This created what today is Barsz Gowie Amon & Fultz (BGA&F). 

The firm specializes in audit tax, and advisory services for businesses, non-profits, government entities, and high-net-worth individuals. 

“At the time, we were about the same size firms, we were concentrating exclusively on the tax and business consulting; they were focused on audit and government work. So, there was a good mix of services between the both of us,” said Gowie. 

Currently, the firm works with more than 2,500 business owners across Delaware County, Chester County, the Main Line, as well as throughout the tri-state area.

The accountants at the firm pride themselves in working with clients from start-up through succession planning.

“We don’t just see clients at tax time. We work with our clients throughout the year to ensure the tax planning and strategies we’ve put in place are leading to positive results. We want to help our clients grow their businesses, and it’s a real pleasure to celebrate in their successes,” said Gowie. 

The firm is constantly brainstorming ways to further engage both its clients and staff, and overall community, including donating over $155,000 to local non-profits since 2017.

BGA&F has earned prominent recognition for its impact throughout the region.

In 2021, Gowie was named the Small Business Person of the Year by the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the firm.

“It was a surprise … but it also reinforced to me that we were doing good things at our firm, that we were growing in the right direction, that other people – my peers – were seeing that, and it just reinforced that we were doing the right things in the community,” he said.

That approach encapsulates the entire mission of the firm moving forward. 

Read more about the work of Barsz Gowie Amon & Fultz on their website. 

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