42 BRAND STORY PRODUCED BY THE OREGON BUSINESS MARKETING DEPARTMENT Accounting — and Relationships — Done Right Steve Ritchie always thought he’d come back to the Portland area — and in a sense, he now has. A Beaverton native who went to Sunset High School and the University of Oregon, Ritchie found himself working for his family’s company for a few years after college before he dove into his true passion of accounting and finance. He landed a role at the accounting and business consulting firm Kernutt Stokes in Eugene in 1996 and has been there ever since. He became managing partner in 2017. The firm has grown steadily over the With a new Portland-area office, Kernutt Stokes brings its unique and personal touch to the Rose City region. BY JON BELL years, adding offices in Bend, Corvallis, Lake Oswego and, upon combining with accounting firm Fordham & Co. earlier this year, Hillsboro. It’s that last move, and a newer and larger office in Lake Oswego that opened in July, that Ritchie sees as a bit of a homecoming, even if he’s physically still in Eugene. “For me personally, it feels like coming home a little bit,” he says. “I always thought I’d be back in Portland, and in a way I kind of am. I’m thrilled to be able to bring our firm to the market in a much more significant way.” PHOTO BY STEVE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY Left to right: Kernutt Stokes partner Blair Walker, managing partner Steve Ritchie, and partners Katie Eyre and Kaitlyn Coburn.
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