Sarah Lapolice
Tax Department Manager, Burkhart Pizzanelli, P.C.: Age 37
Sarah Lapolice
While earning her MBA at Elms College, Sarah Lapolice says she was influenced by many of her teachers, but especially Julie Quink, then a partner and now managing principal of the accounting firm Burkhart Pizzanelli, P.C.
“There’s a certain presence about her, and I remember leaving my last MBA class with Julie … I called my mom — I called her every night — and said, ‘there’s something about this woman; I don’t want to stop learning from her.’”
And, in essence, she hasn’t.
The two have offices a few yards apart at the firm’s West Springfield headquarters, with Lapolice crediting Quink with providing the inspiration and direction to become a CPA and eventually advance to the role of Tax Department manager.
The two share a passion for building teamwork and providing support to team members whenever and however it’s needed.
Indeed, when asked to walk us through the life of a Tax Department manager, Lapolice started by saying the first thing she does is “check in with everyone at the office.”
She explained that “it’s important for me to get a sense for how everyone else is feeling, including outside of work, so you can gauge where they’re at and whether they need support. I check in with them on a personal level and then on the work front.”
That’s especially true during the height of tax season, which is when she talked with BusinessWest. It’s a stressful time, one during which, as a manager, she focuses on providing support in myriad ways.
This is part of a broad job description that includes everything from growing the firm’s client base to helping those clients optimize their tax strategies; from employee training and development to building client relationships.
Lapolice brings to these assignments, and many others, a management philosophy grounded in solid teamwork, lessons learned from playing a variety of sports — starting when she was young and continuing through college — and also from playing music in tandem with others.
While instilling the importance of teamwork, she also sets an example when it comes to work in the community. She is active with the nonprofit Girls on the Run and now serves on its board, and has served on the philanthropic services committee for the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, and has also served as a board member for Libertas Academy Charter School.
—George O’Brien
