A recent hire but a longtime company friend, Shelly Kirsch joined Tamarack earlier this year as a senior application consultant. In her role she leads clients through a variety of projects including implementations, system assessments and migrations. In this “Get to Know” edition, we learn about the range of activities that Kirsch enjoys – biking, skiing, kayaking and golfing, as well as keeping up to date on corporate income tax regulations.
What is your favorite thing about working at Tamarack?
I really enjoy the collaborative environment and all the interaction between team members.
What brought you to Tamarack?
I met Dan Nelson in 1994 when I started working as a consultant at International Decision Systems (now Solifi). My first task, when I started, was to write all the journal entries for the GL Link Module in IL9. The task wasn’t too difficult as I had come from a start-up leasing company where I had done manual journal entries. At some point, Dan and I ended up sitting next to each other and became friends before our career journeys took us elsewhere. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to help a little with some of Tamarack’s clients and the Tamarack team helped me out when I was at Allegiance Financial Group. Dan and I stayed connected and met for coffee regularly. When the opportunity came to join Tamarack, it was an easy decision.
What is one thing you can’t live without?
COFFEE. Caribou mochas are my favorite. Working from home, in Oak Grove, Minn. (about an hour north of the Twin Cities), presents me with a challenge: the nearest Caribou is 9 miles away -- so far, so good!
Tell us about your family.
My family starts with my 6-pound Yorkie named Millie. She goes everywhere with me and has spent the first 14 years of her life working at my side, even occupying her very own desk. My husband Dan and I have two children – Andrea and Zach. Andrea has two boys, Louie and Jack, age 4 and 2, who keep me busy. I am thankful that we only live 11 minutes apart. Our whole family (toddlers and all) enjoy biking, skiing and golfing. Louie is a regular golf cart driver for my husband at The Quarry golf course at Giants Ridge.
What outdoor activities do you enjoy?
My favorite outdoor activities are biking, skiing, kayaking and golfing. We do most of those activities around Giants Ridge in Biwabik, in northeast Minnesota. We own property nearby in Voyageurs Retreat and are planning to build our retirement home there in a few years. My husband is a full-time ski patrol and mountain bike patroller at Giants Ridge. His career comes with the perks of the best skiing and golf in the state, along with easy access to the beautiful ATV trails next to the abandoned Iron Range mines.
What is something about you that we wouldn’t know?
I enjoy working on and learning about corporate income taxes. Corporate income taxes were a big part of my job in my prior life. I worked part-time for a year at a small CPA firm preparing S-Corp tax returns for individuals with IRS tax liens – which began my journey to earning my Enrolled Agent license. I also read email questions from other Enrolled Agents (through the National Association of Enrolled Agents) which helps keep me up to date on tax issues since my phone usually lights up at tax time.