Staff
Contact Information:
2594 Lake Whatcom Boulevard
Bellingham, WA 98229
Phone: (360) 733-7155
Fax: (360) 733-2510
Email: office@marlysbourmcpa.com
Marlys Bourm, CPA
Marlys is the founder of the firm, but since she dislikes the term "boss", we'll settle for calling her the "first employee"! Marlys graduated with a degree in accounting from Western Washington University in 1986 and took the CPA exam shortly after. Unlike the rest of us, she passed on the first try! Marlys is the driving force in the firm and sets the precedent of exemplary service to our clients that she expects from all of the staff.
Marlys' primary focus is her family, not her career, so she has a healthy balance in her life between both. Marlys has two daughters, Matina and Allyse, who are both out of the home now but still manage to occupy much of her time along with her new granddaughter Savannah! Her home has also become somewhat of a boarding house to college age kids who are in need of a short-term place to stay. She created a small room in the basement for these "boarders" and Paul was actually one of the first to use it while he was in-between houses. At last count, over 20 people have benefited from this amazing hospitality! With her location on Lake Whatcom, her home also becomes the default location for gatherings during the summer and Marlys is always the welcoming, gracious host.
Marlys worked for seven years for Whatcom County as their business manager. Following that stint, she worked for three years at a local CPA firm as a Senior Accountant with primary emphasis on audits. In 1989, she branched out on her own and started her own practice. She has created a very intimate, informal and extremely pleasant working environment for her employees.
Currently, Marlys enjoys spending time relaxing at the lake, hosting gatherings, participating in her book club, and yes, even enjoying her work!
Paul Assink, CPA
Paul is our true "northwest" accountant. He enjoys many outdoor pursuits and is an avid road cyclist, hiker and backpacker. He occasionally commutes to work on his bicycle and would do it more except he often has appointments at client locations. "Unfortunately, helmet hair is still not an acceptable standard for professionals," he points out.
Paul's roots in Whatcom County go deep as he grew up on a dairy farm north of Lynden. Farming taught him two things - how to be a hard worker and how to choose a career that isn't susceptible to weather and the price of milk! After graduating from Seattle Pacific University in 1999 with degrees in Accounting and Computer Science, he started looking for a position with a local firm. After one look at the lake during his interview with Marlys, he knew he'd found his place.
Paul and his wife Sharon were married in 2004 and their daughter Emily was born in 2006. Sharon is from Canada, so Paul is now our resident "cross-border tax expert"! While we don't specialize in cross-border taxation, Paul has become very knowledgeable in that area out of necessity and it has been beneficial to other clients as well. Emily is certainly "daddy's girl" and Paul is getting her up into the mountains as much as possible.
Paul and Sharon are actively involved in their church in Lynden with Paul serving as deacon and bookkeeper and both involved in music ministry (Sharon on piano and Paul on guitar and trombone and both in singing). They also both love to travel and hope to resume taking long distance trips once Emily is older. Both Paul and Sharon traveled extensively during their "single years" with Sharon holding the trophy for most foreign trips. Their list of future trips is long, but Belize, Greece, Eastern Europe and the British Isles are currently topping this list.
Paul is our main technical support person for our MAS90 and QuickBooks support at the firm. He also does the bulk of the payroll tax reporting for clients and much of the routine and year-end cleanup of client accounting records. On the tax side, he prepares individual, corporate and partnership tax returns and advises clients on tax issues and tax planning.
Jessica Nevins, CPA
Jessica joined our firm in October 2011, just after passing the CPA exam. She graduated with a degree in accounting from Western Washington University in 2009, and spent two years working for a local Bellingham firm before transitioning to our firm, looking for a change of pace. She found a pace she likes with us, given the casual nature of Marlys’ practice, and the view of the lake doesn’t hurt either!
Jessica is originally from Burlington, WA which is located about 30 minutes south of Bellingham. Jessica and her husband Mike were married in 2009 and they have three young children. Sophia born in 2013, Izzy born in 2015 and Landon born in 2019.
Jessica's family lives on acreage in Alger with their golden retriever and enjoy being outside as much as possible. They spend many weekends camping in the summer and enjoy traveling whenever they are able, with and without their children. Jessica enjoys yoga, gardening, playing board games with her family, audiobooks, and embroidery in her free time. She and Mike used to actively play soccer, but have recently transitioned to golf and are hoping to increase their skills as the years go on.
Jessica keeps the office running smoothly by taking on the role of bookkeeper, receptionist, and human resource manager. She also utilizes her CPA license by preparing tax returns and helping Marlys resolve IRS issues for clients.
Adam VanderHeiden, CPA
Adam is the newest CPA at the firm. He joined the staff shortly after graduating in 2019 with an accounting degree. During his college years, he gained experience by handling the bookkeeping at his church in Bellingham. It was during this time that he met and then married his wife, Annie, who worked as the church’s administrative secretary. In 2021, they welcomed the arrival their daughter Mabry. Shortly after Mabry was born, he completed his CPA exams.
Besides working on tax returns, Adam works closely with Paul on processing payroll data for clients and payroll tax reporting. There is much that Adam enjoys about his work, but the view of the lake behind his computer tops the list.
When he isn’t processing a payroll or preparing a tax return, you can find Adam spending time with his family, taking his goldendoodle on walks around his home in Lynden, reading a good book, or drinking too much coffee.
Kimberly Monks
Kimberly is a long-time resident of Whatcom County, having relocated from Chicago to raise her children and be near her family. When she first landed in Whatcom County, she worked on a farm, doing payroll and full charge bookkeeping. After transitioning away from the farm, she worked for a small business management firm, doing books and payroll for clients as well as the firm. She joined Marlys Bourm CPA PS in 2018. One of her favorite aspects of bookkeeping has always been working with accountants. Being with Marlys and the team feels like a great fit, and the lake view is a wonderful bonus!
Kim currently resides in Sudden Valley with her son and daughter, dog and two cats. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crafting and being with her family. Together they enjoy taking road trips and being outdoors.
Matt Bode
Matt is our IT manager. Matt owns his own business, Differential Networks LLC, where he focuses on security system implementation and maintenance.
He has two degrees from Western Washington University in computer science and a masters in mathematics.
Matt has been an integral part of Marlys' business for many years and has a close handle on all hardware upgrades and computer maintenance.