Client: Bank of Texas
Line of Business: Financial Services
Services: Tax Services
Client Contact: Gary Johnson, Fort Worth President, 817.255.2100
Banker refers Weaver and Tidwell to growing businesses, large and small
Throughout his 20-plus year career in both banking and real estate development, Gary Johnson, Fort Worth president of the Bank of Texas has relied on Weaver and Tidwell for both personal tax preparation, and as a mutual resource for business referrals.
“I started working with Weaver and Tidwell back in 1983 when I was chairman and president of then Texas Commerce Bank-Hurst,” Johnson recalls. “Wayne Tidwell represented some of my lending clients. At a later time I joined a regional real estate company and was in need of a good CPA firm; I thought of them first.”
Subsequently, Johnson returned to banking, but maintained his relationship with the firm.
“I’ve continued to work with them because we’ve had a good, long term relationship,” he says. “As a banker, you develop those professional ties—Weaver and Tidwell partners Mark Walker and Tommy Lawler and I go back many years.”
Because of his long relationship with Weaver and Tidwell, Johnson feels comfortable referring his banking customers to them if he sees a good fit for their needs.
“I work with many accounting firms,” he explains, “so I occasionally get asked by a customer to recommend a firm when they’re thinking of making a change.” When making a recommendation, Johnson first considers the type of business situation his customer has, and then suggests the accounting firm he things offers most appropriate level of service.
“The types of businesses I refer to Weaver and Tidwell are either a young business that’s having great success—but isn’t big enough to have a CFO or controller—yet needs small business accounting expertise to help them keep up with their growth,” he says. “I also think Weaver and Tidwell is a good fit for a large company in a similar growth situation. They may have dedicated accounting personnel, but they need some additional insights into their in-house practices to be more effective,” he says.
What sets the firm apart, Johnson observes, is the way Weaver and Tidwell shows how much they value their client relationships
“They treat their client relationships like a professional marriage,” he says. “The length of the client relationships they’ve developed is almost unheard of—and that’s because they grow with their clients.”
While it’s somewhat typical in the accounting field to have customers for life, notes Johnson, Weaver and Tidwell has worked to diversify the skills of their staffers to accommodate the growing needs of their clients.
“For example, if they’re working with a company that’s expanding into international markets, Weaver and Tidwell has developed the comprehensive skill level to handle those needs,” he explains. “As their client companies have grown, they have grown too—geographic locations are not a barrier to them.”
At the same time, Johnson has seen that small accounts still mean a lot to the firm. “They’re not too small for anyone, and they’re definitely not too big for anyone,” he says, noting that Weaver and Tidwell consistently gives clients both large and small a high level of attention from every level, including the partners.
“They have great clients and a great reputation, their staff turnover is almost nil, and you very seldom see them lose a client relationship,” concludes Johnson. “We’re blessed with several good firms in this region, and they’re one of the best.”
Gary Johnson
Fort Worth President
Bank of Texas