Who We Are
Here for All of Life's Moments.
Larry Skolds
Director
Larry has been practicing public accounting for 30 years and has held various positions, including owning his own practice for eight years. Originally from Joliet, IL he received his degree in Accounting from Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. He specializes in working with small businesses and individuals and helping them achieve success through effective tax preparation & planning, IRS representation and general business consulting. After coming to Fort Collins in 2001, he has fallen in love with Colorado and is proud to call Northern Colorado home. Larry enjoys playing his guitar, golf, and cooking for his family.
Ben Reynolds
Director
Ben Reynolds attended Montana State University in Bozeman Montana where he received a Master’s in Accounting and obtained his CPA license shortly after graduation. Ben has 10 years of tax and business consulting experience, which includes two years at the national public accounting firm Grant Thornton and over six years at EKS&H in Denver Colorado, which is the largest public accounting firm in Colorado. Ben enjoys working with clients with all types of businesses and takes a special interest in learning about his client’s stories of entrepreneurship. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, a game he has played since he was 10 years old.
Matt Gardner
Senior Tax Manager
Matt Gardner is a licensed attorney and certified public accountant, attending the University of Utah for his accounting degree and Brigham Young University for law school. Matt has twenty-seven years of experience in tax, finance and accounting, financial reporting, and tax/accounting operations, including an extensive background in tax credits.
Matt has experience across multiple industries with companies from small start-up to international corporation. Matt performed tax planning and compliance work at KPMG and Ernst & Young. He was the Tax Director of UPS Freight, a North American division of UPS, the multi-billion dollar Fortune 100 global transportation company. He has built several start-up companies, and as CFO led the financial team that took Clene Inc., a start-up biopharmaceutical company, public in December 2020. Matt is experienced with private equity. He has worked on fundraising rounds at start-up companies. He has also provided tax return preparation services to investors, fund organizers, and venture capitalists.
Matt loves to spend time with his family and enjoys hiking with their dogs. He also enjoys skiing, playing tennis, and golfing whenever he can.
Wesley Bevington
Tax Manager
Wesley has spent years learning about real estate tax strategies along with a special focus in Ecommerce and small businesses startups. With a decade of experience working in tax, he’s learned how to best help people maximize their after-tax wealth. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and giving back to his community.
Dana Cole
Senior Tax Advisor
Dana is a MBA graduate from University of Phoenix. Dana has worked with Platform since 2020 and has seen the company grow into who they are today. Dana comes from a rural mountain town in CA and now lives in what feels like large city of Pocatello. Her favorite place currently is Yellowstone National Park where she takes her husband, four kids and ST Bernard to vacation. On her down time Dana enjoys experimenting a recipe in the kitchen or playing a board game with friends and family.
Iris He
Senior Tax Advisor
Iris has worked in a public accounting firm for several years specifically in the tax space. In 2021, she moved to the Seattle area from Kansas. She is bilingual in both English and Chinese. In her spare time, Iris enjoys time with her family, hiking and reading.
Iris’ credentials include:
- University of Missouri-Kansas City, Master-Accounting
- CPA License
Mary Osborn
Senior Tax Advisor
Mary has over 40 years of experience in accounting, auditing, tax and payroll work for closely held businesses. In 2016, she retired from a firm in the Midwest where she had been a partner for over 15 years. She is enjoying building relationships with new clients in the Pacific Northwest.
In her spare time, Mary enjoys spending time with her extended family, urban hikes, reading and cooking.
Mary’s credentials include:
- Augustana College, Bachelor – Accounting and Business Administration
- CPA License 1990
- Member American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Member Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants
- Member Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants
- Member Illinois CPA Society
Germain Leahy
Senior Business Advisor
Germain has worked in the bookkeeping area for several years, and also has expertise in payroll and payroll tax reporting. She has specifically concentrated on public accounting for the past eight years.
In her spare time, she enjoys time with her family and friends.
Germain’s credentials include:
- Highline College, Associate – Marketing
Danielle Bird
Office Manager
Dani began her career with a predecessor EA firm that joined Black Mountain in 2015. She has over eight years of managing the day-to-day doings of independent accounting firms. She currently oversees multiple internal processes and workflows and handles all Accounts Payable for the Salt Lake City office. Her and her family reside in Herriman, Utah.
Nino Jokhadze
Office Manager
Nino is originally from the Republic of Georgia but has lived in Fort Collins for over 20 years. She graduated from CSU with a degree in Sociology/Criminal Justice. Before joining the Black Mountain Tax & Consulting team Nino previously worked at Dye & Whitcomb. She loves spending time with her husband and daughter, traveling, learning about different cultures and cooking.