SERVING OUR CLIENTS WITH INTEGRITY AND PASSION
About Us
Company History
In 1984 as a young and inspired CPA, Charles D. Grass and then business partner purchased a small accounting firm; a year later CDG went solo and began expanding his firm. By 1993 Charles grew the firm to a team of nine, annually preparing over 900 income tax returns. In 2007 CDG attempted a merger with a similar sized CPA firm which resulted in losing most of the team and half the clients. In 2008, Grass CPA and Associates settled in their current location in Renton, Washington and began to rebuild to a team of five focusing on income tax and accounting needs of individuals an their closely held businesses.
In 2019 Grass CPA & Associates acquired the practice of a retiring Enrolled Agent adding to the team three part-time staff. Beyond 2020? We see a bright future for Grass CPA & Associates because that inspired, but now seasoned, CPA still believes in and is passionate about this business and each client who Grass CPA is honored to serve.
Firm’s Professional Affiliations
Staff Profiles
Grass CPA and Associates is a full-service Certified Public Accounting firm licensed in Washington State. All our CPA’s hold valid state CPA Certificates.
Charles D Grass CPA, EA, ATA, ATP ARA – Principal
Founder, President and Chief Visionary Officer of Grass CPA & Associates LLC
Charles was born in Seattle and was on the infamous JP Patches show as a Cub Scout. His family moved to Orcas Island where Charles graduated from Orcas High School and worked in food services at Rosario Resort during his high school and college years.
Charles graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in the spring of 1983 and joined a local accounting firm and Washington Association of Accountants (WAA). That fall he studied for and took both the CPA exam and the IRS Special Enrolled Agent’s exam. Charles obtained EA status in 1984 and received his Certified Public Accountant’s license in 1985 and opened Grass CPA in the what is now Newcastle with the assistance of his late wife Karen. Charles moved the practice to the Renton Highlands in 1993 and to the current building in 2007.
Grass CPA’ focus is on the needs of Individuals and their closely held businesses in the areas of accounting, bookkeeping, compliance taxes, income tax preparation and representation, and, with our affiliated company, Grass Wealth Management LLC, financial and retirement planning. Charles believes that local businesses should be involved in and support the local community. Grass CPA is a member of the Renton Chamber of Commerce and supports several community charities in including Vision House, Congregations for Kids and Congregations for Homeless.
Charles has prepared tens of thousands of income tax returns since 1980 (when he worked part-time with a ‘large national income tax firm;) and has hundreds of happy, returning clients. He is a member and a Past President of the Washington Association of Accounting and Tax Professional (WAATP, formerly WAA). Charles is a member of and State Director for the National Society of Accountants (NSA). In addition to his accounting and tax credentials, Charles maintains insurance and securities licensing.
Charles and his wife, Kathy, make their home in the Renton Highlands and their blended family includes two married adult children, 3 grandchildren and one cocker spaniel, Ruby. When not working overtime hours during ‘tax season’, Charles and Kathy travel the world piece by piece (Brazil, S Korea, China, Danube River, Rhine River, and Germany, so far), are involved in WAATP, NSA, Rotary International, collecting JP Patches memorabilia and yard art and participate in leadership at their church.
For compliance purposes we make the following statement:
Charles D. Grass holds a valid Certified Public Accountant license, in good standing, with the State of Washington.
Jeremy Saladino EA — Associate Account
Enrolled Agent
Jeremy is a native Washingtonian growing up on the Kitsap Peninsula where many of his family still lives. After high school Jeremy joined the US Army serving at bases in the southwest United States and overseas. Jeremy jokes that one of the first tax returns he prepared for someone else was in the barracks far from home.
Jeremy is an Enrolled Agent certified by the Internal Revenue Service to prepare tax returns. Jeremy has been a valued member of Grass CPA for over 15 years. He brought his prior tax experience and his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Central Washington University in Accounting to Grass CPA as an Associate. In addition to taxes and client bookkeeping, Jeremy can be found, in the back, reviewing returns, preparing excise tax returns, and researching a client’s tax question to make sure the law hasn’t changed.
Jeremy is a board member of the Washington Association of Accounting and Tax Professionals, a non-profit organization that advocates and educates accounting and tax professionals all over Washington state, serving on the State’s Legislative committee monitoring the Washington State Board of Accountancy to ensure the rights of members of WAATP aren’t restricted. When Jeremy isn’t at work, or working for WAATP, he can be found spending time with his family and researching his family tree or solving another sudoku puzzle.
Jill Maes EA, ATP – Client Services Manager
Project Manager
Hello, my name is Jill Maes. I joined the Grass CPA team in 2013 and have worked my way up from Tax Season Temporary Help to Client Services Manager. I love meeting & working with our clients, especially working with our older and estate clients. If you schedule an appointment to drop off your tax data, you might just meet with me.
In April of 2019, I got my Accredited Tax Preparers certificate. Then in November of 2022, I passed the Enrolled Agent Exams, allowing me to practice before the IRS in all 50 states. I am currently a member of WAATP which supports ongoing education for its members.
When not meeting with clients I work on Individual Returns and Trust/Estate Returns. In addition to my tax preparation duties, I supervise the administrative staff and oversee processes and software used to keep the office running smoothly.
In my spare time you will find me spending time with my husband and our girls or in my sewing room working on a quilt. I look forward to trips to visit the grandkids and the annual camping trip to the beach. Be sure to say Hi next time you’re at the office.
Shauna Backus – Controller
Esbeidy Pena-Maldonado – Project manager
Paula Stockwell – Data/ Document Manager
Staff Bookkeeper
Hi, I am Paula Stockwell the Data/Document Manager. I am also a little “jack of all trades”, multi-tasker that can hop from desk to desk to get done whatever needs to get done payroll, bookkeeping or even covering the front desk.
When I am not in the office my guy and I get out on our Harley Davidson Trike every chance that western Washington weather will permit us. I love donating my time to Combat Veterans organizations and programs. I especially enjoy hanging out with my mom and dad, I have found the older I get, I want that time with them. When I get just Paula time you will usually find me either reading or watching some good tv. I also like to get out in the garden.