West Virginia Executive Spring 2018 | Page 105

1990 1995 1995 Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Shepherd University “I derive a great deal of personal satis­faction from trying to help young entrepre­neurs and students. I do my best to help them any way I can.” 1997 Hired as CFO at HuskyLabs/Ultraprise Corporation 1999 Licensed as a CPA 2000 2005 2000 Hired as the CFO of Butterfly.net 2004 Joined Jefferson Security Bank’s board of directors 2007 Co-founded Ours, Lawyer, Lewis & Company, PLLC 2010 2014 Joined Vision Shared’s board of directors 2015 2016 Appointed by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to Shepherd University’s board of governors 2017 Founded Advisor Alliance, LLC and Chad. Rolling up these three CPA firms into one has allowed me to work in the community in which I live, which is very important to me, and gave me time to dedicate to public service in my community.” Lewis credits growing up in Shepherds- town as the foundation for his success- ful accounting career. For him, creating a solid future for his family and trying to make West Virginia and Jefferson County a better place is what keeps him motivated. He is driven to make a difference in his hometown and achieves this through community service. He currently serves on the board of governors at Shepherd University and the board of directors for the Shepherd University Foundation, Shepherd Research and Entrepreneurial Corporation, Shepherd University Ath- letic Club and Vision Shared. He is also the president of the Jefferson County De- velopment Authority and a member of the investment advisory council for the INNOVA Commercialization Group, and he gives financially to support Shepherd University, Court Appointed Special Ad- vocates, Shepherdstown Day Care Center and Hospice of the Panhandle. Lewis also mentors college students and business owners just embarking on their careers as part of his commitment to service. “I derive a great deal of personal satis- faction from trying to help young entrepre- neurs and students,” he says. “I was very fortunate to be appointed to the board of governors of Shepherd University by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, and I take that role very seriously. I hire interns from Shepherd’s accounting department every year, and I recently hired two Shepherd accounting graduates. I really enjoy work- ing with these young, enthusiastic gradu- ates and entrepreneurs, and I do my best to help them any way I can by pointing them in the right direction; giving them tools, pointers or suggestions; and just being there to bounce ideas.” Lewis also supports students through his volunteer work with the Shepherd University Athletic Club, an organiza- tion he co-founded with fellow athletic boosters to support fundraising and pro- vide more scholarships to the university’s student athletes. Through this program, he assists in teaching athletes about basic household finances, taxes and general economic issues. “In addition to raising funds for ath- letics operations and scholarships, we strive to better prepare them for life after college,” Lewis says of the Shepherd University Athletic Club. “I am a huge believer in the value of athletics in the total college experience.” For his commitment to hard work, perseverance and heart for giving back to others, Lewis credits his father, who passed away in December 2014. “From my dad I learned the value of doing things right the first time and doing everything I can do to produce the high- est quality product,” says Lewis. “Dad thought if something was worth doing, it was worth doing well. He had an atten- tion to detail that he imparted on every- one who worked for him. I try to carry that same attention to detail to this day into my accounting and tax work and my volunteer boards.”  2020 WWW.WVEXECUTIVE.COM SPRING 2018 103