Bland & Associates Announces New Shareholders

Bland & Associates (Bland) is pleased to announce that Justin Frauendorfer, CPA, CFE, Amanda Pontow, CPA, Michael Seelhoff, CPA, and Natalya Walls, CPA, CIA, have been named shareholders of the firm. The expanded ownership increases the number of shareholders to seven in the 70-person firm.

According to Jason Tonjes, CPA, CFE, Bland & Associates Managing Shareholder, the shareholder status is awarded to individuals exhibiting a strong commitment to the growth of the firm.

“Our new shareholders are committed to the long-standing tradition of our award-winning services as well as the continued growth of Bland & Associates,” said Tonjes.

“Each of these professionals will help us grow on many levels, shaping the future of Bland,” he continued.

Read the following biographies to learn more about Bland & Associates’ newest shareholders.

JUSTIN FRAUENDORFER, CPA, CFE

Justin Frauendorfer, CPA, CFE, joined Bland right after earning his B.A. in Accounting from Doane University in 2005. Since then he has been a valuable member of the firm, focusing on directing the audit and attest services, working with closely-held businesses, governmental entities and not-for-profit organizations.   In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Frauendorfer is also a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).

Frauendorfer says his love for accounting did not happen naturally.

“In college, my buddies didn’t think I could pass an entry level accounting class,” he said. “That was enough motivation for me to become a CPA.”

“Thankfully, I discovered it to be interesting,” he continued.

AMANDA PONTOW, CPA

Amanda Pontow, CPA, has spent her entire career at Bland & Associates, joining the firm immediately following her 2003 graduation from Creighton University, where she earned a B.S./B.A. in Accounting and a B.A. in French.

She has progressed from staff to senior to manager to director and now shareholder during her 13-year tenure at Bland.  She currently manages the engagements and contracts for the firm’s Government Consulting Department and has experience performing governmental, not-for-profit and tribal entity audits.

Pontow says she enjoys the teamwork approach at Bland & Associates and finds it rewarding to provide long-lasting relationships with her clients.

“Public accounting has always been interesting to me as I am always learning and doing something new,” said Pontow. “I truly enjoy working with our employees and fulfilling client expectations.”

MICHAEL SEELHOFF, CPA

Michael Seelhoff, CPA, joined Bland & Associates in 2008, serving first as a Tax Manager and, most recently, as Tax Director, with four years in each position.  In this role, he works to remain current on all tax laws and credits, taking the time to help clients and peers understand how each impact their specific situations.

Prior to joining the Bland family, Seelhoff spent his entire career as a specialized Tax Accountant.  He earned a B.S. in Business with an Emphasis in Accounting in 1992 and a Master’s degree in Public Accountancy in 1993, both from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Seelhoff says he has a natural gift for numbers and, therefore, enjoys the very technical area of taxation.

“I enjoy assisting people in managing their tax and financial situation, to pay the least amount of tax and provide financial security,” he said.

NATALYA WALLS, CPA, CIA

Natalya Walls, CPA, CIA, is a director of Health Care and Government Auditing.  As such, she supervises large teams and coordinates the communication processes between Bland, governmental agencies, and teaming partners.  She joined the firm in 2012 as a Manager and was promoted to Director in 2015.  In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Walls is also a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).

Throughout her entire career, Walls has worked in both health care and governmental auditing and has extensive experience with Medicare and the health insurance marketplace. Walls earned a B.S./B.A. in Business Administration, Finance from the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1996.

According to Jason Tonjes, CPA, CFE, Bland & Associates Managing Shareholder, Walls is an asset because she understands the mission and goals of the firm and thrives to exceed client expectations.

“Natalya is not only about providing superior services, but understanding our business needs as well as the needs of our clients,” said Tonjes.  “She is determined to help Bland grow.”

Please contact us at 402.397.8822 for additional information on our new Shareholders or Bland & Associates, in general.

For 40 years, Bland & Associates, P.C. has embraced the diversity of its client base and offers customized accounting solutions to fit personal, business and government clients, winning Best of Omaha awards each year since 2011.  Visit our web site at blandcpa.com for additional information on our award-winning team and services.