Kenneth Bowen, CPA - Member

Ken has more than 35 years of diversified experience
in the accounting, audit, employee benefits, and
strategic business consulting fields serving closely-held businesses. He is our CEO, and is responsible for the quality of our audit, accounting, and consulting practices.  Ken has significant experience consulting on business management and succession planning issues.  Ken enjoys helping our clients achieve their goals.

He taught continuing education programs for auditing
of retirement plans to CPAs throughout the country for more than 10 years.

Ken is a basketball enthusiast. After coaching his boys for twelve years, he now takes refuge in weekly games with old players his age. Ken enjoys golf and dreams of beating Ray Harrison someday. He also enjoys fishing trips with his family.

Ray Harrison, CPA -Tax Member

Ray has been with the firm since his 1975 graduation from Western Illinois University.  He has served as director of the tax practice for over 25 years, specializing in individual and business income tax returns, as well as estate and trust taxation.  Ray also performs numerous business valuations for varieties of purposes, including mergers, acquisitions, redemptions, and divorce proceedings.

 Ray's interests include speaking to various organizations on current tax topics, including the bizarre and unusual cases that defy logic.  He works with local attorneys, providing expert testimony to local and district courts, and he has provided expert testimony in Washington, D.C. for the Joint Tax Committee.

 Away from the office, Ray displays an avid affection for golf.  It is a unilateral affection, as the game frequently is unkind to him.  Undaunted, he persists, especially enjoying the preferred golf formats.  Ray also enjoys a round of golf with his wife, Susan.

Darrell Thorpe, CPA - Member

Darrell is an audit member of the firm, specializing in the audit of private companies and retirement plans. He also enjoys consulting on business practices. He has taught accounting courses at two local colleges, and is the treasurer of the local Girls and Boys Club of the Mississippi Valley.

Outside the office, Darrell enjoys spending time with his wife, Julie, and his twin children, Skylar and Shawn. He enjoys a round of golf once a week, but that seems tough with the children's activities.

Randy Skipton, CPA - Manager

Randy is a manager with the firm. He has been with the firm since 1982, with a primary focus in the accounting and audit fields. He also has experience with personal and business income tax, and is active with the firm's quality control practice.

 Randy is an active member of Rotary and has served as president, treasurer, and board member of the local Quad Cities Illinois Rotary Club. He appreciates spending his free time with family and friends, especially his grandchildren. Randy enjoys all sports and grew up bleeding "black and gold" as an avid Hawkeye football fan. He also has a passion for coaching youth sporting activities.

Matthew Mueller, CPA - Tax Manager

Matt is a tax manager who joined the firm in the fall of 2010.  Prior to joining the firm, Matt had 15 years of accounting experience, with the first ten years spent in public accounting and the last five years in private industry.  Matt specializes in individual and business tax returns.

 Matt is a lifelong resident of the Quad Cities area.  He enjoys spending time with his daughter and two sons.  He is an avid reader and can frequently be found at his local library.  Matt has been a classroom volunteer for Junior Achievement for the past several years.

Brenda Thompson, CPA - Firm Manager

Brenda is the Firm Manager. With the firm since 1984, she had many years of accounting and tax experience before taking on the administrative challenges of the firm. She is responsible for overseeing firm recordkeeping, for handling human resource matters, and for supervising other administrative staff.

Outside the office, Brenda keeps busy with her husband in raising their two sons and cheering them on in Rock Island sports.  When time allows, she loves to settle down with a good book, especially Stephen King novels and historical nonfiction.

Jay Ferkel, CPA - Senior Tax Manager

Jay is one of the firm's experienced "Tax Guys" with over 25 years of public accounting experience assisting individuals and businesses with tax planning and compliance. His major area of specialization is in trusts and estates. Working with attorneys, trust departments, and individuals serving as executors and trustees, he feels especially rewarded when he can assist with the administration of estates and with post-mortem tax planning.

 In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant (CPA),
he holds the designation as an Enrolled Agent (EA) awarded by the Treasury Department. His focus on continued professional growth has earned him recognition as a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning (CSEP) and as a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM).

 When not at his desk, he enjoys life on a small acreage plot of trees and hills in rural Mercer County where as a young man he built the house that has been home for over thirty-five years. He serves his community as a Township Supervisor. His best days are spent with his son working together on projects around their homes, vacationing, biking or watching the latest of what they both hope will not be the last of the Clint Eastwood movies.

Mike Porschke, CPA - Supervisor

Mike is a supervisor for the firm.  He has been with the firm since 2000.  His specialties include auditing services for wholesale and manufacturing clients and compliance audits of employee benefit plans, including 401(k) and pension plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)

Away from work, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.  Dance lessons, tumbling, and swim classes all help keep the Porschkes active.  In his spare time, Mike also enjoys working with his hands around the house as a self-proclaimed handyman.  Whenever he can sieze the opportunity, Mike likes to catch an Iowa Hawkeyes football home game.

Angela White - Supervisor

Angela has been with the firm since 2001. She currently works in a variety of areas including auditing, accounting, tax, QuickBooks consulting, and payroll. She is also a QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Angela loves her job except for the long hard hours during tax season!

 Angela enjoys watching her daughter, Alexandra, participate in a variety of school activities. Homework, volleyball, and now cheerleading keep Angela busy as a spectator, supporter, and chauffer. Another passion is her backyard swimming pool. Many weekends are spent with family and friends enjoying themselves on a hot summer day.

Christal Falk - Supervisor

Christal returned to the firm in 2008 to provide seasonal assistance after taking a few years off from public accounting. She currently works in the areas of accounting, tax, and QuickBooks consulting.

 Christal and her husband are active farmers who are enjoying raising their daughter, who loves every sport that she can participate in, plus piano. Christal enjoys coaching, traveling, gardening, outdoor activities, and time with family and friends.

Hope Robbins, CPA - Staff Accountant

Hope is a staff accountant and has been with the firm since 2006.  After 15 years of working in direct paitient care roles in hospitals, she graduated from Western Illinois University.  She works in the audit, accounting, and tax areas.

Hope is married, with a son and multiple pets.  In addition to spending time with her family and pets, she enjoys reading.  Hope keeps busy with her husband, Doug, and their teenage son, Chance, who is involved with several high school clubs, activities, and sports.  In anticipation of the upcoming empty-nest situation, she has recently acquired another kitten, Penny, to join the dog, Traveler, and older cat, Tiggy.

Michael Melchi, CPA - Tax Supervisor

Michael has been with the firm since January, 2009.  His specialties include individual and business tax returns and valuations.  He enjoys working with business owners to develop strategies to accomplish goals.  He is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor.

 Michael has over 16 years military experience which includes jumping out of airplanes (which he thinks is perfectly fine) and recent tours in Iraq and Egypt.

 He enjoys spending time with his family and manning the outfield in co-ed softball games.

Alex Adler - Staff Accountant

Alex is a staff accountant who started with the firm in January, 2010.   He has experience in income tax, general accounting, and audit work.  He is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor.

 Outside of work, Alex enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, Lauren, and his dog, Lilly.  Whenever he has a chance, he also likes to get in a round of golf or enjoy eating spicy food.

Sheila Dhaemers - Administrative Assistant

Sheila, the firm's Moline Administrative Assistant, joined the CRB team on a full-time basis in October, 2009.  She worked with the firm for a number of years on a part-time basis and performs many administrative and clerical duties.  Sheila has over 25 years experience working with accounting firms.

 When Sheila is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her daughter and son, and with her friends in the small community of Sherrard, Illinois.  She enjoys attending community events, watching movies, baking, sewing, dancing, and she loves most types of music.