Senior Staff
James P. Schwalls, CMI
Jim has over thirty years of highly successful property tax
experience, including fifteen years as a senior officer of a
national firm and over thirteen years as President and CEO
of Jim Schwalls & Associates, Inc. founded in 1995. He
has grown his company from a one man office into a national
firm with offices in several major cities across the
country. Jim is deeply experienced and exceedingly
successful in all aspects of property tax appraisal,
analysis, methodology, filings, presentations and appeals
all over the country. Jim has developed a tremendous
reputation with both property tax officials and his clients
through his outstanding work ethic, integrity, and honest
straightforward approach. Hence, through his ability to
negotiate assessments for a complete range of property
types, sizes and complexities he is able to provide superior
service while achieving maximum tax savings for his clients.
Jim is a licensed Senior Property Tax Consultant in Texas, a
Registered Tax Representative in Tennessee and holds various
certifications in other states as well. Jim is also a
Charter Member and a Senior Certified Member of the Texas
Association of Property Tax Professionals as well as being a
Certified Member of the Institute for Professionals in
Taxation.
Douglas T. Wilson, CMI
Mr. Wilson's expertise, encompassing more than 30 years,
includes ad valorem tax assessments and valuation of
tangible personal, real property, possessory interests and
appraisal of machinery & equipment. He began his career as a
County Appraiser in Kansas, and he has held management
positions with various professional appraisal and consulting
firms including Ernst & Young LLP and Tax Resource Network.
His professional designations include Certified Member of
the Institute of Professionals in Taxation, Certified Kansas
Appraiser and he is a licensed Senior Tax Consultant for the
State of Texas. Doug is the recipient of two Presidential
Citations from the International Association of Assessing
Officers, and has served as an "expert witness" in tax legal
cases, including the United States District Court. He has
been active in various professional organizations and has
served as an instructor and a speaker at various educational
courses and tax seminars. He currently serves as an
instructor and committee member for the Institute for
Professionals in Taxation for the Intermediate Personal
Property Valuation Course. Doug attended Emporia State
University and Kansas University.
Rowland Welch, CMI
Rowland has over twenty years of property tax experience, including
ten years as a Senior Consultant and Regional Manager with a
national firm. He joined Jim Schwalls & Associates in
1997 as a Senior Consultant and a member of the company's
core management team. He is a Certified Member of the
Institute for Professionals in Taxation. Rowland has
developed a great reputation for integrity, superior client
service and achieving maximum tax savings for his clients.
He has negotiated assessments for a broad range of property
types, sizes and complexities. He is a licensed Senior
Property Tax Consultant in Texas and has significant
successful experience in many other states. Rowland also has
several years of experience as a licensed State Certified
General Appraiser in Colorado, Nevada, and Utah.
Cheryl Avery
Cheryl has over 19 years of property tax administrative experience
including over 11 years as a senior level assistant with a
national firm. She joined Jim Schwalls & Associates in
1996 and is a seasoned senior staff member with a hands-on
approach with her intense focus on providing superior client
service. Cheryl has earned a reputation for integrity,
client service and accuracy in processing client data.
She has extensive knowledge of workflow processing including
appraisal/assessment data, tax statement and client
reporting. She is a specialist in managing critical
deadlines such as value protests, appeal/exemptions filings,
tax payments and exemptions.
Brian J. Masenthin
Brian has over 19 years of successful property tax management with
many large real estate and personal property engagements. He
has earned a reputation for his tenacity and persistence in
obtaining tax savings for his growing list of clients. His
property tax consulting experience includes; reviewing
applicable tax laws, rules, procedures and practices adhered
to in multiple jurisdictions; the auditing of tax returns,
supporting schedules, records, invoices and other documents;
meeting with tax officials, client accounting, engineering,
managerial and production personnel as well as on-site
physical inspection of client properties and assets;
examining assessing and taxing authority records, files,
work papers and other documents; preparing and filing
amended returns; informal negotiation of values; appearance
before formal Boards of Appeal as well as participation in
litigation and pretrial settlement conferences. Brian is a
Certified Appraiser in several states, a member of
International Association of Assessing Officers, a CMI
candidate and member of the Institute for Professionals in
Taxation as well as a member of the Georgia Association of
Assessing Officers.
Amy Longstreet
Amy is a Senior Property Tax Consultant with over eight years of
experience in the valuation and appeal of real and personal
property taxes. She successfully represents many types of
properties for many types of businesses with exceptional
success in the senior care housing industry. Amy has
successful appeal experience in many major metropolitan
areas and jurisdictions across the country although her
primary focus is the south eastern United States. As a
member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation she is
currently a candidate for their CMI certification
designation. Amy holds a Bachelors of Science in Finance and
Business Administration from the University of Central
Florida. Prior to entering the property tax industry she
worked in the banking industry for several years.
Michael Thome
Mike has over 6 very successful years of experience in real and
personal property tax consulting. From assets classification
and property valuation to applying for and maintaining
abatements, filings, and appeals; he has been able to keep
his clients very happy with his ability to continually
minimize their tax liabilities. Mike's experience includes
the representation of many types of properties with an
emphasis on commercial and industrial properties. His
clientele includes companies with nationwide entities and
properties. As a result, Mike has experience and
relationships with jurisdictions all over the country while
he also continues to focus on the mid-western United States.
His excellent results have placed him in very high regard
with his clients and his referral list continues to grow.
Mike is a member of the Institute for Professionals in
Taxation where he is candidate for their CMI certification.
He has a Bachelors of Science in Finance and Economics from
the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Prior to entering the
property tax industry, Mike was a financial analyst for a
real estate consulting company for several years.
Blake Schwalls
Blake grew up in the property tax business as a son of Jim
Schwalls, our CEO. After graduating from The University of
Texas with a BA, Blake ventured into a start up company
where he was able to utilize his degree with outstanding
results. His life long exposure to the property tax industry
continued to keep his interest throughout this venture and
he made the decision to join the company 2 years ago. His
naturally innate knowledge of property tax, his dedication
and great work ethic has already propelled him into
the ranks of a well respected and productive Property Tax
Consultant. He is a licensed Property Tax Consultant in The
State of Texas and has experience in other states as well.
Blake's ability to understand the issues surrounding the
various aspects of valuations and appeals continues to bring
him above average success. His commitment to excel is
obvious with his focus and intensity.
Jeffrey D. Knight, CCIM, JD
Jeff has over 8 years of experience in the valuation,
negotiation and appeal of real property taxes, including
seven highly successful years with Walmart Inc. as a Senior
Property Tax Manager specializing in retail property tax
appeals. He has experience and relationships with
jurisdictions across the country, primarily in the Midwest,
Northeast and Texas. Previously, he worked with Sam's
Club as a Regional Sales Director and Real Estate Planning
Director, respectively, with Walmart as a Real Estate
Manager, with Chevron as a Land Attorney, with Oklahoma
City's Watson & McKenzie law firm as an Attorney, with
ARCO as a Landman and Penrod Drilling Company as an
Accountant. Jeff is a member of the Institute of Professionals
in Taxation where he is a candidate for their CMI certification,
as well as a Certified Commercial Investment Member of the
CCIM Institute, membership in both the Oklahoma Bar
Association and State Bar of Texas and an Abilene Christian
University (ACU) Board of Trustees member. Jeff's education
includes Bachelors of Business Administration degrees from
ACU (Accounting) and The University of Texas at Austin
(Petroleum Land Management) and Juris Doctor from the
University of Tulsa College of Law.
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