Our History

Elgee Rehfeld, LLC is the result of a merger of three local certified public accounting firms, Elgee & Rehfeld, Funk, Baxter & Company and Hanlin & Merritt. The mergers took place on in 1989 and in 1998 with each firm contributing its own unique history.

Described below is a brief overview of their history and the evolution of our firm.

Elgee & Rehfeld was an outgrowth of a one-man accounting practice, which began in Juneau in 1983, by George W. Elgee. In 1984, Robert L. Rehfeld joined the firm and in 1985, became a partner. The firm practiced public accounting under the name Elgee & Rehfeld, CPAs. In 1986, Elgee & Rehfeld acquired the local accounting practice of John L. Lucas Company, P.C. and continued practicing under the name Elgee & Rehfeld, CPAs.

Funk, Baxter & Company was also the outgrowth of a one-man accounting practice which began in Juneau in 1957 by Robert L. Dyer. In 1972, LeRoy T. Funk joined as a partner and the firm practiced public accounting under the name Dyer & Funk until 1978. At that time Frank S. Baxter purchased the partnership interest of Mr. Dyer and the firm name was changed to Funk, Baxter & Company, P.C. Catherine Barrett began working as an accountant with Dyer & Funk in 1974 and became a CPA in 1977. Catherine became a partner in 1982.

Hanlin & Merritt, CPAs was a continuation of the firm Molitor, Doremus & Hanlin that had been around since 1955. They had offices in both Seattle Washington, and Juneau. Robert B. Merritt became the firm’s Juneau partner in 1963. In 1989, the two firms Elgee & Rehfeld and Funk, Baxter & Company merged to create a new partnership, Elgee, Rehfeld & Funk, CPAs. By the time of the merger, Frank Baxter had left the firm leaving George Elgee, Robert Rehfeld, LeRoy Funk, and Catherine Barrett as the remaining partners.

Since 1989 the firm has undergone several names changes with partners joining and leaving.  The firm changed its name in 2002 to Elgee, Rehfeld, Mertz & Barrett to reflect the ownership of the company at that time. In 2003, to reflect Cathy Barrett’s retirement, the firm name changed again, to Elgee Rehfeld Mertz, LLC.

In 2007, Karen Tarver, who joined the firm in 2000 as audit manager, joined the partnership group.   In October 2015, managers Sarah Griffith and Mark Mesdag joined the partnership; Sarah as an audit partner and Mark as a tax partner.

In 2018, with the departure of Max Mertz, the partners voted to change the name to Elgee Rehfeld, LLC, to recognize the long history created by its founding partners.

In 2020, three managers, Janelle Anderson, Adam Sycks and Ryan Beason, joined the partnership.

In 2024, Ashley Beedle joined the partnership after working with the firm since 2003.