Who Knew? Von Is a Bookkeeper!

Many know the inside joke with me that while I'm pretty good at the business side of financial management like budgeting and projecting organizational performance, I AM NOT AN ACCOUNTANT!  Too often in non/not-for-profit organizations, volunteers and staff do not understand these are different skill sets.  With my last executive director position, there continued to be challenges for me, which at the end of the day, was part of the reason for my deciding it was time to move on from BCAW as their executive director.

I doubt anyone would challenge my expertise in providing a foundation that would provide the association seven very solid years financially, and for the most part, we were able to assure our accounting practices were fundamentally sound.  Well, that is, until March 2021 when "the big woo" happened.  Then things seemingly came unraveled at the seams.  Sadly, I struggled to get some folks to understand being an executive director and good business manager was not the same as being a bookkeeper (a position BCAW has had pre-dating my tenure).

Anyway, I share this because some would find the irony that I left an executive level position, to get away from the issues relative to the accounting function, including bookkeeping, and yet, here I am today living in Montana where my primary function is doing bookkeeping and auditing various reports for YPSS.

YPSS is the Yellowstone Park Service Stations . . . one of several concessionaires approved to provide guest services inside the confines of Yellowstone National Park.  This is through Federal contract, that we operate the seven service stations (gas & convenience stores), plus four service/repair shops.  My days working for Southland Corporation/7-Eleven is coming in handy, some 30 years later.

My daily work consists of review/auditing the sales reports for each of the seven locations, plus maintaining inventory reports for all.  Gasoline is a big part of our business model, so having accurate daily reports for senior management is essential.  My critical eye and attention to detail is a great asset in the work I'm doing now.

I have an office co-worker who is also new to YPSS this year, so together we are learning all facets of the accounting functions under the leadership of the accounting manager.  She started about two weeks before I did, and her tasks are more accounting in nature than much of what I'm doing currently.  Today was just my fifth day of work . . . and each day I'm being taught additional tasks in the accounting process for the store locations' financials.  I must be doing well, because they keep giving me something additional in the work flow towards the end result.  I leave each day feeling I've accomplished something . . . learned something more to help with the overall work effort . . . and knowing I can leave at 5pm and not worry about anything more until I'm back in the office at 8am my next scheduled day.

The other essential duty I perform is relative to providing emergency roadside assistance to those park visitors who may incur troubles with their automobile or RV.  We have wrecker service to cover the entire park including roads and campgrounds.  While the accounting work is pretty black and white, the responding to inbound calls and dispatching wrecker services, take a bit more problem solving and creativity.  It's a nice yin to the yang in my daily work.  And our shop managers and their team members are wonderful to work with.

I feel very blessed that this job opportunity became available to me this year, after two disappointing years of it not working out.  This is a small company, and everyone is treated like family . . . like family you like!  I cannot say enough good things about my co-workers and the culture that exists to help others.

So at the end of this summer, I can add "accounting clerk" to my resume. My LinkedIn profile has already been updated.  Who knows what the future will hold for me in 2023 and beyond?