OUR TEAM

 

We Delight Our Clients with Great Work – Every Day

Meet the team partnering with you for success

At Borst Accounting Solutions (BAS), we treat our team members like we treat our customers – with enthusiasm, integrity, and compassion.

  • We are enthusiastic about helping you become more successful. Our team works together in partnership with you, to meet your goals.
  • Our team recognizes their responsibility to you. We encourage and support one another to keep pace with rapidly changing accounting technology and use industry best practices. You place your trust in us and we uphold it.
  • Life and business can be stressful. We build relationships with each other and our clients, strengthening ourselves, our company, and our partners through valued connections.

Meet Our Team!

Linda Borst, CPA – Founder and President

After working as a Manager at KPMG and on SEC reporting roles at a large insurance company, Linda took a brief break while becoming a Human Development Manager raising her children. She then joined a real estate development company as their Controller. Recognizing the value she could bring to small-to-mid-size companies needing financial and accounting services, Linda launched Borst Accounting Solutions. She remains enthusiastic about and committed to delivering that value for every client.

Linda serves as Treasurer of the non-profit organization Friends for Children in Need and is on the Finance Committee of her church. Her competitive streak shows up on the tennis court and when cheering on the White Sox. She lives in Arlington Heights, IL with her husband and four children.

Reese Marcusson, CPA – Director, Operations & Accounting

Reese has both public accounting and financial operations experience. Before joining BAS, he worked at WTTW, Chicago’s PBS station, his last role being Chief Operating & Financial Officer. Reese also worked at Cristo Rey St. Martin and KPMG. He currently serves on the DePaul College of Communications Dean’s Advisory Council and is the treasurer and board member of the Reader Institute for Community Journalism, the nonprofit parent of the Chicago Reader. Reese is a DePaul graduate and his free time is devoted to his family and learning to cook more than grilled cheese. He and his wife live in Lake Forest and have two adult daughters.

Terri Whiting, CPA – Accounting Manager

Prior to joining the Borst team, Terri was a Manager at KPMG. She completed her MBA degree and also earned a teaching degree. She continues to use the skills developed in those pursuits to help the BAS team and clients understand the nuances of financial reporting. Like Linda, Terri is competitive on the tennis court and is always up for a challenge. She also enjoys travel, having lived abroad in Belgium for a few years. She lives in Kildeer, IL with her husband, two children and her dog (aka ball-boy on the court) Roscoe.

Bill Borst, CPA – Accounting Manager

Bill received undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Dayton. He began his career at RSM US LLP, working his way to a Tax Manager in the Private Client Service group focusing on High Net Worth clients. He worked on an array of personal, trust, entity, and non-profit clients and various consultative projects there. Bill’s seven busy seasons and unique set of tax and accounting expertise help BAS bridge the gap between our clients’ financial statements and their tax compliance and planning.

Bill lives in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago with his wife. When he’s not at home, you can typically find Bill out on the golf course, the basketball court, or socializing with family and friends.

Emily Wills, CPA – Accounting Manager

Emily began her career in auditing with Arthur Andersen, then moved into management roles in the private sector. Emily’s background, including her MS degree in Accountancy, provides valuable expertise, especially with State and Local Tax issues.

Emily enjoys traveling and is actively engaged with her church community. You’ll see her competitiveness emerge during Purdue Boilermaker’s games. Emily lives in Arlington Heights, IL with her daughter and two cats who are indifferent to the Purdue stats!

Kathie Holland, CPA – Accounting Manager

Kathie came to BAS with a wide range of financial accounting experiences. Her background includes a strong focus on the financial services industry. She spent a good portion of her career working in a variety of accounting and finance roles at Kemper Financial Services and then as a Controller/Director of Operations at a Private Equity Fund. Her tenure at the Private Equity Fund helped her realize how much she enjoys helping small businesses manage their finances and she wanted to continue doing this even after the Fund was dissolved.

Kathie lives in Homewood, IL with her husband and two dogs, Dexter and Danny. In her free times she loves walking and playing with her pups.

Michael Hagerty – Accounting and Technology Integrator

Mike has always enjoyed working with numbers, and this led him to study finance, obtain his M.B.A, and work in a variety of finance and accounting roles including financial reporting and controller roles at PepsiCo, Tyson Foods, and Barry Callebaut. Driven by his desire to work with small business clients and use his experience in both accounting and technology to help businesses operate more efficiently, Mike decided to join an accounting firm where these desires could be met.

When Mike isn’t studying for the CPA or making clients’ accounting processes more efficient, he enjoys playing sports, traveling, and hanging out with friends and family. Mike lives in Chicago with his wife and dog Ginny.

Michelle Cohn – Staff Accountant

Michelle delivers a full spectrum of accounting support to clients, putting her accounting degree from Bradley University and her financial acumen to work every day. When the workday concludes, Michelle enjoys cooking, spending time with her family, and taking cruise adventures. She lives in Buffalo Grove, IL with her husband and son.

Lori Kelley – Bookkeeper/Office Administrator

As the longest team member of BAS, Lori has a wealth of knowledge on our accounting systems and processes. As a certified personal trainer, Lori helps the BAS team stay in top condition. She also enjoys running, reading and leaving the ‘windy city’ to vacation in warmer climates. Lori lives in Arlington Heights with her husband, two daughters and dog Bentley.

Lori Bowling​ – Bookkeeper

Lori’s broad range of experience includes time spent working for various companies in the Mortgage, HR and Investment industries. This has well-equipped her to support the diverse clients that Borst Accounting Solutions serves.  Her drive to do great things is exhibited at work, as well as in her personal life, where she has run 13 marathons, climbed Vinicunca in Peru (17,000+ feet), hiked the Grand Canyon from the North to the South Rim, and if that’s not impressive enough,  she has been scuba diving for the last seven years.  Lori lives in Barrington Hills with her husband, kids, 3 dogs and her horse.   

Lindi Hannigan, CPA – Accounting Consultant

With public accounting and IRS experience, Lindi brings an important perspective to the Borst team and our clients. We value Lindi’s 30,000-foot perspective about financial issues and respect that she has first-hand knowledge using her commercial pilot’s license to fly jet airplanes. She lives in Geneva, IL with her husband where she enjoys reading, running and relaxing with a great bottle of wine.

We would love to chat with you and discover how Borst Accounting Solutions can assist you with all things accounting and bookkeeping related. Click the button below to reach out and schedule a free consultation.