February 5, 2018 (St. Louis) – Purk & Associates, P.C., a nationally recognized, independently owned St. Louis-based accounting and management advisory firm, was voted by the readers of Small Business Monthly’s as one of the “2018 Best in Customer Service St. Louis Companies.”

“It is an honor to be voted by the readers of Small Business Monthly as one the best companies in St. Louis that provides outstanding customer service,” said Bill Purk, CPA, Purk & Associates President and Co-Founding Shareholder. “Our team members are focused on delivering consistent, valued-oriented results for our clients every day that exceeds their expectations.”

For nearly a decade, Purk & Associates has consistently been selected by the readers of Small Business Monthly for a variety of the publication’s “Best in Company” awards including “Best in Customer Service,” “Best in Quality,” ‘Best Accounting Firms,” “Best in Value,” “Future 50,” and several of its team members have been selected “Top Small Business Accountants” and “Top Small Business Executives.”

A link to Small Business Monthly’s “2018 Best in Customer Service St. Louis Companies” is available here.

Founded in 2009 with headquarters in St. Louis, Purk & Associates, P.C., is a nationally recognized and award winning, independently owned accounting and management advisory firm that delivers a full range of tax, accounting, audit and consulting services. At Purk & Associates, our focus is to help our clients achieve more financial and business success. To learn more, please visit www.purkpc.com.

At some point in time, every car owner is going to experience some manner of body damage to their vehicle. From everyday wear and tear around handles and keyholes, road hazards and weather, an automobile’s body is going to take a beating.

While most car owners do not think much about these little touches of character, a collision, even minor fender bumps, will require some attention from a professional. While minor dings can often be pulled or beat back into shape, the paint doesn’t always have the flexibility to bounce back as well.

The next time you are looking for an auto body shop in St. Louis, before you even get an estimate, you need to ask if they use water based collision repair.

Water-Based vs. Thinner/Oil-Based Collision Repair

Traditionally auto body shops used industry-specific paints for collision repair. Up until more recent innovations, these paints would be used with thinners and have an oil base that was used as a means to have the paint cling to the car’s surface. Water-based paints offer the same benefits of oil/thinner-based paints in terms of quality, longevity and ability to blend into the surrounding paint. However, water-based paints are extremely eco-friendly when compared to traditional paints. Water-based paints generate 75% less pollutants than oil/thinner-based paints. This fact alone has lead to the majority of manufacturers switching to water-based paints.

When you are locating an auto body shop in the St. Louis area, be sure they are using the most up to date collision repair techniques. Due to the fact it produces so much less hazardous waste than traditional methods, many states have even begun to phase out, or even outlaw the use of thinner/oil-based paints. If a shop does not offer water based collision repair then you should keep shopping for the sake of your car and the environment. One company in St. Louis that is no stranger to the superiority and flexibility of water based collision repair is Shur-Way Auto Body, which first brought the practice to the area.

Don’t be fooled by terminology or misconceptions.

Water-based paints may mistakenly conjure up the notion that the pain being used is inferior, but nothing could be further from the truth. Another name for water-based is waterborne, which is the more common term used among auto body shops. In industry reports, which documented statistics and asked for perspective from those who worked in, produced, and even taught the auto body trade, waterborne paints were found to offer several advantages over oil-based paints.

Thanks to industry wide innovations today, waterborne paints not only meet or exceed the quality and expectations of oil/solvent-based paints, they are also more resistant to being contaminated and tend to have quicker dry times. With the phasing out of older style paints and higher flexibility when it comes to blending custom colors, waterborne paints are also becoming more diverse in their offering of colors, which means that collision repair for exotic finishes is less troublesome. No matter the age or make of your vehicle, when you are looking for a quote on body work, re-touching, or collision repair, be sure the company you take it to uses waterborne paint to ensure the highest quality and most up to date materials are used.

• Huawei selects the Fyndus mobile application as a partner for eCommerce in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA).
• Fyndus App will be installed as a core application on all new Huawei phones in MENA, and pushed to existing devices in a software update.
• Both companies will share resources to jointly work with local telecom provider partners.

Jan. 23, 2018 (St. Louis) – Fyndus, LLC, a global leader in the e-commerce shopping experience with how consumers and merchants help one another, announced today an exclusive partnership with Huawei of the Middle East/North Africa (MENA), the international leader in telecommunications equipment manufacturing.

In 2017, Huawei had 4 percent of the mobile phone market in MENA (2Q, 2017). The Huawei – Fyndus strategic partnership will co-brand and co-promote the value each company brings to its customers. Both companies provide innovative technology and create a shopping experience for the user that gives access to the best prices on merchandise, services and dining on a handset.

Affan Waheed, CEO, Fyndus said: “After a successful rollout of our app in Dubai, we wanted to find ways to maximize value with smartphone users. The teams at Huawei and Fyndus identified immediately the enormous opportunities between our two companies to better serve our respective customers and to improve their experiences with each company.”

Founded in 2016, Fyndus has experienced explosive growth with thousands of current users throughout the Middle East, with parts of India and Pakistan having the largest number of users. Fyndus test-marketed the app first in India before launching in the United States late last year.

“Our vision is to empower our users with an app that saves them time and money by finding the best local deals, services and dining experiences regardless of where they are in the world,” added Waheed.

Contact:

Ann Marie Mayuga

314.485.9499

annmarie@ammcommunications.com

@stlpr

About Fyndus

Fyndus, LLC, is the global leader that changes the consumer retail shopping experience with brick and mortar, and e-commerce using an app. Fyndus is different from other e-commerce platforms because it rewards buying behavior patterns, provides savings to buyers by eliminating the middleman, and offers merchants and service providers the tools to better manage the consumer buying experience. With headquarters based in St. Louis, Missouri and offices located internationally throughout Europe and the Middle East, Fyndus is changing the way people shop globally, save money, and help local businesses thrive. Fyndus…Discover. Shop. Save! To learn more, please visithttps://Fyndus.com.

Ann Marie Mayuga is AMM Communications co-founder and principal

January 23, 2018 (St. Louis) – Ann Marie Mayuga, partner and co-founder with AMM Communications LLC, a leading St. Louis-based PR and digital agency, and talent recruitment firm, was profiled in The Native Society, an online publication that profiles business and industry leaders on how to build successful businesses and how to build personal success.

Founded in 2008 by Ann Marie and Ed Mayuga, AMM Communications, a PR and digital agency, serves clients throughout the St. Louis region and nationwide. The firm has evolved from its initial offerings of public relations and social media consulting to evolving into one of the only digital public relations firms in St. Louis using the Paid Earned Social Owned (PESO) model when working with clients. The PESO model was created by Gini Dietrich, PR-thought leader and founder of the influential blog, http://spinsucks.com.

AMM Communications has also been voted one of the “Best St. Louis Public Relations Firms” by the readers of Small Business Monthly for eight consecutive years from 2010-17. Also, the firm was selected by Small Business Monthly as one of its “2017 Future 50” companies, an award recognizing privately held companies that are key economic indicators for regional business growth.

Founded in 2008, AMM Communications LLC, the St. Louis-based PR and digital agency, and talent acquisition firm, provides media relations, digital public relation, business development, crisis communications, content marketing, internal communications, communications skills training, digital marketing, reputation management, social media consulting, and executive search services for businesses nationwide. AMM Communications is WBE certified, and has been voted one of the “Best PR Firms in St. Louis” by Small Business Monthly from 2010-2017. We want to help you … Drive your sales. Communicate better. Hire well. For more information, please visit, http://ammcommunications.comor call 314.485.9499.

January 16, 2018 (St. Louis) – Purk & Associates, the award-winning, nationally recognized accounting and management consulting firm, announced today that Nicholas Duncan joined as a new Associate.

In his new role, Duncan will ensure that auditing standards are met for client matters, and will work with individual and business clients on reviews, compilations, and audits.

“We’re excited to have Nicholas join our team. He has the work ethic, drive and determination to ensure that our clients are well served, and he has already proven himself as a strong team member by stepping up to take on additional responsibilities,” said Bill Purk, CPA, Purk & Associates President and Co-Founding Shareholder.

Prior to joining Purk & Associates, Duncan worked for a national accounting firm as an Audit Associate where he verified clients’ corporate benefit and compensation plans to meet federal and state compliance standards, and other related matters.

“I’m thrilled to be the newest team member to join Purk & Associates. What makes Purk & Associates unique is how the team members are committed, loyal and excited to come to work each day,” said Duncan.

“The Purk & Associates’ environment maintains a high standard of quality in our work and our client relationships. We are encouraged to provide the absolute best service and keep our clients informed frequently to ensure that their accounting needs are anticipated to help them reach their professional and personal goals,” added Duncan.

Duncan earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Missouri State University (MSU) located in Springfield, MO. While a student at MSU, Duncan served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Missouri State University Student Government Association where he reconciled and maintained a detailed record of Financial Reports of Expenditures of a budget of $300,000.

Founded in 2009 with headquarters in St. Louis, Purk & Associates, P.C., is a nationally recognized and award winning, independently owned accounting and management advisory firm that delivers a full range of tax, accounting, audit and consulting services. At Purk & Associates, our focus is to help our clients achieve more financial and business success. To learn more, please visit http://purkpc.com

Bill Purk, CPA, Purk & Associates President and Co-Founding Shareholder

January 4, 2018 (St. Louis) – Purk & Associates, P.C., a nationally recognized, independently owned St. Louis-based accounting and management advisory firm, was recently voted as one of Small Business Monthly’s “2018 Best in Quality” companies.

“We are thrilled to be selected by the readers of Small Business Monthly as one St. Louis’ best in quality companies,” said Bill Purk, CPA, Purk & Associates President and Co-Founding Shareholder. “Our team members are focused on delivering consistent, valued-oriented results for our clients every day.”

Over the past several years, Purk & Associates has consistently been selected by the readers of Small Business Monthly for a variety of the publication’s “Best in Company” awards including “Best in Customer Service,” “Best in Quality,” ‘Best in Accounting Firms,” “Best in Value,” “Future 50,” and several of its team members have been selected “Top Small Business Accountants” and “Top Small Business Executives.”

To view the list of “2018 Best in Quality” companies in the January Small Business Monthly issue, please click on the following link, http://bit.ly/2EUGgYa.

Founded in 2009 with headquarters in St. Louis, Purk & Associates, P.C., is a nationally recognized and award winning, independently owned accounting and management advisory firm that delivers a full range of tax, accounting, audit and consulting services. At Purk & Associates, our focus is to help our clients achieve more financial and business success. To learn more, please visit www.purkpc.com.

St. Louis (Dec. 14, 2017) – The Business Bank of St. Louis (BBSTL) announced today that Kathleen Tallis joined as a Vice President-Commercial Lending.

In her new role, Tallis is responsible for generating commercial loans, identifying new business opportunities and managing client relationships. Tallis brings more than two decades of banking experience in commercial real estate, commercial and industrial (C&I), and Small Business Administration (SBA) lending.

“Kathleen adds depth and versatility to our commercial lending team. She is well known in the St. Louis banking community with a proven record for helping clients grow their businesses and identify unique lending opportunities.  We’re excited to have her level of talent and insight added to our team,” said Chris Frein, Chief Lending Officer at The Business Bank of St. Louis.

Tallis received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Hollins College located in Roanoke, VA.

Celebrating its 15^th anniversary in 2017, The Business Bank of St. Louis operates a full-service banking facility in the heart of the Clayton business district located at 8000 Maryland Avenue, Clayton, MO, 63105. The mission of the Bank and the primary focus of the team members is to be the leading financial partner for St. Louis’ business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals who need customized solutions to guide them toward financial success. For more information, visit http://bbstl.com.

St. Louis (Dec. 14, 2017) – It pays to procrastinate! Fyndus, an international geolocation discount and e-commerce application app that changes the way people shop, announced that its “12 Days of Surprises” holiday shopping program starts Thurs., Dec. 14 and runs through Mon., Dec. 25.

Fyndus is the ideal app for shoppers who want deeply discounted items, free shipping on a variety of products, and a broad selection of merchandise and services. During the “12 Days of Christmas,” which runs from Thurs., Dec. 14 – Mon., Dec. 25, offers a variety of items ranging from must-have phone accessories and the latest hand toys to outerwear and items for your car.

“The Fyndus app brings together the best in comparison of other ecommerce platforms”, said Affan Waheed, Founder and CEO of Fyndus. “The ‘12 Days of Christmas’ is our way to introduce new U.S. users to Fyndus and experience the variety of products and services available at deep discounts.”

“We already have more than 200,000 users and 3,000 merchants worldwide, and now we are ready to change the way people shop in the United States. There is nothing else like Fyndus available to smartphone users,” added Waheed.

Fyndus, which launched its U.S. iOS and Android app during the November Thanksgiving holiday, helps consumers locate and save significant amounts of money on products and services, and helps local merchants increase their holiday sales.  The app utilizes a smartphone’s GPS sensor that provides the user with local deals, while providing the opportunity to purchase a wide range of items directly from the app.

Launched in Asia, Europe and the Middle East in 2016, Fyndus has gained international popularity among users and merchants for its ability to quickly connect and eliminate unnecessary distractions online shoppers have because the user experience is customized because of individual buying patterns.

The app is popular among participating merchants because their goods and services are targeted directly to their ideal clients and the need for the middle-man is eliminated with the cost savings passed onto consumers.

In addition, Waheed said, “After the initial roll out of the discounts for local products and services in St. Louis, we intend to add eCommerce to the platform. Fyndus the first-and-only Manufacturer-to-Consumer (M2C) eCommerce app in the world, and will give users the power to order products directly from the manufacturer, at a significant savings, because it eliminates the middleman.”

About Fyndus

Fyndus, LLC, is the global leader that changes the consumer retail shopping experience with  brick and mortar, and e-commerce through the use of an app. Fyndus is different from other e-commerce platforms because it rewards buying behavior patterns, provides savings to buyers by eliminating the middleman, and offers merchants and service providers the tools to better manage the consumer buying experience. With headquarters based in St. Louis, Missouri and offices located internationally throughout Europe and the Middle East, Fyndus is changing the way people shop globally, save money, and help local businesses thrive. To learn more, please visit https://Fyndus.com.

Nov. 30, 2017 (St. Louis)  — Purk Advisors, headquartered in Saint Louis, MO, was recognized for its extraordinary achievements throughout the year at the 2017 1st Global National Conference that took place from Nov. 12–14 at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel.

“Diamond Eagle firms set themselves apart from the crowd because of their commitment to excellence, demonstrating what it takes to excel in remarkable fashion,” 1st Global Chairman and CEO Tony Batman said. “They are dedicated to the individuals, families and businesses they serve, and they create a precedent for others to follow through their passion and admirable conduct.”

The Diamond Eagle award is based on business volume across the firm and is given to those firms that have consistently demonstrated 1st Global’s purpose — to enable intentional living — and have cultivated their practices in ways that help their clients seek to live intentionally in their own lives as well.

1st Global is pleased to congratulate Purk Advisors for reaching 1 Diamond Eagle status. We deeply appreciate Purk Advisor’s devotion to serving its clients through comprehensive financial planning advice, and we commend Purk Advisors on its continued progress and accomplishments.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of 1st Global — a monumental accomplishment for any business — and the conference theme, “Celebrating Significance,” highlighted the significant milestones earned by decades of hard work and the significant relationships, friendships and partnerships created in the process.

1st Global enlisted the wisdom of a handful of key speakers to share their experiences and insights on significant trends that drive markets and the significant opportunities created by them. Speakers included Chip Heath, best-selling author and professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business; Ann Compton, legendary ABC News White House correspondent; Megan Greene, chief economist at John Hancock Financial Services and Manulife Asset Management; Michelle Singletary, national syndicated personal finance columnist; Jeremy Gutsche, chief executive officer of Trendhunter; and Harley Gordon, president of CLTC.

Additionally, 1st Global President David Knoch provided a look forward into the next 25 years to provide advisors with perspective on how 1st Global will continue to help its affiliated firms thrive and take advantage of the significant opportunities ahead.

About 1st Global

1st Global was founded in 1992 by CPAs who believe that accounting, tax and estate planning firms are uniquely qualified to provide comprehensive wealth management services to their clients. 1st Global is a research and consulting partner that provides CPA, tax and estate planning firms with the education, technology, business-building framework and client solutions that make these firms leaders in their professions through dedicated professional client relationships built around wealth management. Around 400 firms have chosen to affiliate with 1st Global, making it one of the largest financial services partners for the tax, accounting and legal professions.

The Diamond Eagle award is given to firms based on the criterion of the firm’s production volume across all product lines.

Securities are offered through 1st Global Capital Corp., which is a Member of FINRA and SIPC and is headquartered at 12750 Merit Dr., Ste. 1200 in Dallas, Texas, 214-294-5000. Investment advisory services are offered through 1st Global Advisors, Inc. Additional information about 1st Global is available at www.1stGlobal.com.

November 29, 2017 (St. Louis) – Purk & Associates, the award-winning, nationally recognized accounting and management consulting firm, announced today that Brett Rugen, CPA, joined as a new Tax Manager.

In his new role, Rugen will work with a team of professionals supervising them on matters ranging from completing clients’ tax returns, and keeping team members informed of current tax legislation and new tax planning ideas, to business development and working with clients on income tax planning.

“Brett is a wonderful addition to Team Purk. He has a strong work ethic, he is curious, and he is focused on finding solutions for clients. These are the traits that stood out immediately when we first met with him,” said Bill Purk, CPA, Purk & Associates President and Founding Shareholder.

Prior to joining the firm, Rugen worked at Aegion Corporation as a Tax Manager where he prepared various components of quarterly income tax provisions for U.S., entities, and assisted with tax savings strategies and planning of federal, state and local jurisdictions. He also has more than 10 years of tax and accounting experience working for local public accounting firms.

“I’m thrilled to be the newest team member to join Purk & Associates. The firm has an incredible reputation locally and nationally as one of the best places to work in St. Louis and one of the best accounting firms to work for in the country,” said Rugen. “What drew me to the firm is the entrepreneurial culture.”

Rugen earned a Master of Accountancy and Certificate of Taxation, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Missouri, Columbia, where he graduated cum laude.

Founded in 2009 with headquarters in St. Louis, Purk & Associates, P.C., is a nationally recognized and award winning, independently owned accounting and management advisory firm that delivers a full range of tax, accounting, audit and consulting services. At Purk & Associates, our focus is to help our clients achieve more financial and business success. To learn more, please visit http://purkpc.com.