About James S. Ewart, CPA
A licensed CPA since 1970, Jim Ewart has spent his career in public accounting in Fort Lauderdale — three years with a Big Eight firm, then a partnership, and since 1977 his own practice.
Education and credentials
Jim Ewart received his BA degree at Syracuse University College of Business Administration with a major in public accounting. He graduated with honors in 1967. While attending Syracuse University he was elected to the honor societies of Beta Gamma Sigma (business administration) and Beta Alpha Psi (accounting).
Jim passed the CPA examination in 1969 and received his original CPA license from New York State in 1970. Also that year he obtained his Florida CPA license through reciprocity.
Professional experience
After graduation he worked for the international accounting firm of Price Waterhouse and Company for three years. Half of that time was spent in the Buffalo, New York office and half in the Jacksonville, Florida office.
Jim left Price Waterhouse in 1970 to work for the local CPA firm of Norman K. Parks in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1974 he was admitted as a partner in the firm, which became Norman K. Parks and Company. In 1977, when a regional accounting firm acquired Norman K. Parks and Co., Jim formed his own firm — the practice that still serves clients today.
Community involvement
On moving to Fort Lauderdale in 1970, Jim became active in the community. He was very involved in the Jaycees, serving as president of the Plantation Jaycees in 1975, and was later elected District Director with responsibility for all the chapters in Broward County. In 1977 he was awarded the honorary title of “JCI Senator” by Jaycees International.
When he aged out of the Jaycees in 1978 he became active in the Masonic order, and remains active in that today. He has served as treasurer of his church, has been treasurer of his condominium association since 1973, and has also served as treasurer of the Broward County Grandparents Association and on the Broward County Bond Committee.
How this shapes the practice
Forty years of the same office, the same telephone number and the same signature on the return is unusual in this profession, and it is deliberate. Long relationships are what let a CPA spot the change in a business before it becomes a problem, and what make it possible to give advice that fits the owner rather than the spreadsheet.
The same attention to record-keeping applies to personal assets as much as to business ones. Clients who collect fine timepieces — from a well-built IWC replica to a Rolex or Richard Mille — often want them documented, insured and, in some cases, reported correctly — and keeping a clear record of cost and provenance is just as important here as it is in the books.
Read more about the services the firm provides, or contact the office directly.
Next step
Ready to get your books and returns in order?
Call the office, tell us what you are dealing with, and we will set up a time to go through it. Appointments are recommended, and existing clients can usually be seen at short notice.