Introduction to Mike Bruner

Welcome to Bruner CPA Services! I am so excited that you are here with me. Thank you for finding your way to my blog posts. I hope to answer a lot of the questions that I frequently get asked here.

For my first blog post I wanted to introduce myself. Some of you that are reading this may be learning about me for the first time while others of you have known me for a while. Either way, I want to share with you a little about the path I've taken to be where I am today.

My name is Mike Bruner and I grew up in Vancouver, Washington. Growing up, I enjoyed sports, scouting and doing anything and everything with my four brothers. During high school, I did just about everything that I could. I lettered in football, cross country, wrestling and soccer and also performed in several theater productions. I graduated from Evergreen High School in 2002 and after high school I worked and did service until I decided to pursue a college degree. I looked at several schools in Washington, Oregon, Utah and Idaho and ultimately decided to move to the lovely town of Pocatello, Idaho and attend Idaho State University. During my first year at Idaho State University, I competed on the track and football teams.

While at Idaho State University I met a lovely girl from Enterprise, Utah named Larissa. We became quick friends and decided that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We decided to get married and we tied the knot in 2005 in St. George, Utah. During the next three years of our marriage we both completed our degrees from ISU. She got her nursing degree and I got my accounting degree.

After graduation we took our first jobs in Medford, Oregon. I took a job at a national CPA firm and Larissa worked as a nurse at the hospital. During our first year in Medford, I was the first one in my hiring class to take and pass the CPA exam. We both continued working for a few years and in 2011, Larissa and I welcomed our first children - twins!

After a year of parenthood we decided that we wanted to move to an area that was closer to family and so we made the move to St. George, Utah where I took a job at a local CPA firm and Larissa took a nursing position at the hospital in St. George. We were surrounded by family and had jobs that we enjoyed. We found ourselves living our dream lives! In 2014, we made that dream even better when we welcomed our third child, and even better again in 2017 when we welcomed our fourth and fifth children - twins again! Afterwards, Larissa decided to pursue a career in homemaking and child rearing.

I continued to work for the local CPA firm and became a partner in 2019. While there I had several leadership roles, including Tax Committee Chair and Healthcare Practice Group Leader. In October 2022, I made the decision to leave that firm and pursue the opportunity to work for myself, and thus began Bruner CPA Services.

Throughout my career I have worked with many clients and developed several areas of expertise. I have really enjoyed working with individuals and business owners as we navigate through the tax code together to find the best solution for the desired goal. I love meeting and networking with new people and helping them reach their business and financial goals.

During my free time I enjoy several hobbies. I enjoy running and doing triathlons and have done several marathons - including the Boston Marathon. I also enjoy playing board games with my family and friends and even published a board game with my wife in 2019. I also love coaching my children in their athletic pursuits and hiking and camping with my wife and kids.