Who We Are
Here for All of Life's Moments.
Larry Skolds
Senior Tax Manager
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.
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.
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.
Richard W. Dewey
Tax Manager
Richard is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Utah and has been assisting business owners, individuals, and the internationally mobile community with their US income tax planning and compliance since 2003. Most of Richard’s experience has been working with serial entrepreneurs, restauranteurs, contractors, real estate moguls, and individuals working internationally. Countries of combined expatriate and inpatriate experience include Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay. Richard obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Utah Valley University, summa cum laude, and a Master of Accountancy from Brigham Young University. Richard enjoys all things outdoors and visits Yellowstone once or twice each year.
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
Administrative Assistant
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.
Lacey Hayes
Administrative Assistant
Lacey opens the line of communication between clients, customers, and businesses to get projects done. She is obsessed with staying organized and making everyone’s life easier. She brings an extensive background of over 20 years in customer service from the restaurant, retail, and corporate environments. She is excited to bring these experiences and enthusiasm to the team at Black Mountain and our clients. Lacey loves spending time with her family, friends & creating art that lives around the world.