Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women

Garth M. Tebay

Accountant relishes role as firms’ problem solver 

By Mary-Beth McLaughlin

Tebay Mosley and Associates may be listed under accountants in the phone book, but its founder says the 11-year-old Maumee firm is a lot more.

“Most of my career has been in management consulting services”, Garth Tebay said. “I really {have been} a problem-solver for small businesses.”

He started his own firm in December, 1989, after a 15-year career at a Toledo accounting firm and a two-year stint as chief financial officer at West Haven Services Co., a Perrysburg firm that supplies pharmaceuticals to patients in nursing homes in several Midwestern states. He said he wanted to get back into public accounting.

So he drew up a business plan, rented an office, and pressed his wife into service to answer the phones.

“I remember looking at the phone, wondering if it would ring, and it did,” Mr. Tebay said. “I’ve had a backlog ever since I opened the door.”

The firm has 16 employees, including his wife, Gaye Tebay, who now manages the office, and partner Larry D. Mosley, a tax expert who joined in 1993. It has a roster of high-profile clients and expected revenues this year of $1.4 million.

“We’ll probably continue to grow, “Mr. Tebay said.

Hiring Mr. Mosley to handle the tax side of things and Phillip Platz as an audit manager, Mr. Tebay was freed up to do what he loves-solve problems. As a sort of chief financial officer for some firms, he provides services that some accounting firms do not.

Lois Mitten, owner and founder of the Children’s Discovery Center day-care chain of Toledo, said she has used Mr. Tebay as an accountant since 1979 but it is his knowledge of business and role as a consultant that she finds the most valuable.

“He’s been responsible for steering me away from some bad business decisions and providing me on at times when I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go,” said Ms. Milton.

Anne Schwertfeger, the chief executive officer of Phoenix Services, Inc., a staffing company in Sylvania, said Tebay Mosley handles all of her accounting services, from generating a monthly profit and loss statement to conducting audits for estate planning purposes.

“What I like about Garth is that he’s very astute and has the ability to think and see out of the box,” she said. “He doesn’t have a ‘CPA personality.’ I can go to him with a ‘what if?’ question and he can come back with different scenarios.”

Setting a value on a business either for shareholders, an owner’s widow, or even in a divorce case is an expertise that Tebay Mosley is good at and has led to Mr. Tebay becoming an expert witness in court cases involving fraud investigations or to assess economic damage in a wrongful death.

His firm has conducted 120 business valuations in the last three years, he said, adding that he has been certified by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts in Salt Lake City.

“Business valuation, where you help a company figure out its bottom line, is a growing field,” said Rosemarie Smith, an association vice president. “Tax practices and audit services are becoming less time-consuming and bringing in less revenues, so consulting is the way a lot of firms are going.”

Mr. Tebay said he hopes to continue to offer traditional accounting services while expanding business valuations, the role of an expert witness in court cases, and a program to help business improve cash flow and profits while growing.

“Growth by itself is not a good idea,” he said.

He hopes to get more into mergers and acquisitions, to help put together deals by finding the buyers, the funding resource, and the sellers. He became the 21st member of the fledging Alliance Advisers in San Diego and is a certified merger and acquisition specialist.

“I have all the tools now to be a deal maker,” he said.

Summary of Accomplishments and Current Strengths

Since the inception of the company, Tebay Mosley’s leadership, with the help of its valued associates, has experienced reasonable, steady, and profitable growth while maintaining the highest quality of service, people, and facilities.  At the same time, TMA has built and maintained a high quality of service with attention, effort, and investment toward development of innovative niches. 

We have the knowledge, staff resources, and experience to handle all of our clients’ financial needs.

Traditional Services

  • Accounting
  • Auditing
  • Tax planning
  • Tax preparation

Management Consulting Services

  • Financial Consulting
  • CFO As You Grow
  • Succession Planning
  • Computer Systems

Specialty Services

  • Business Valuations
  • Litigation Support
  • Fraud Investigation
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
Last Updated: 6/27/22