President Robert F. Cruise, E.A., grew Cruise & Associates (cruise-associates.com) from a one-room office to seven locations across Nebraska. Robert started the company with goal of helping small to mid-size owners grow their business and take it to the next level. He opened his first location, Columbus, in 1991 then added Omaha in 2001, Albion in 2015, Lincoln in 2016, Grand Island in 2018, Wayne in 2019 and Norfolk in 2021.

Cruise & Associates specializes in working with individuals and businesses to handle their income tax, business and financial service’s needs. Robert believes the key to running a successful business is giving clients personal service. Clients are assigned an accountant to work with them year-round, so he or she gets to know their business.

Building client relationships help create an environment where owners can do what they do best, which is running their business. They do not need to be focusing on paying bills, tracking finances, paying employees or trying to figure out QuickBooks. Cruise & Associates accountants and bookkeepers can help take that stress away.

“We listen to a business owners’ needs and work one-on-one with them to develop a plan for their business,” Robert said. “We spend time to develop a custom strategy because what works for one person doesn’t work for everyone. We believe in educating and providing our clients with the tools needed to be successful.”

Each of the offices is staffed with an accountant who is available to answer questions year-round. In Lincoln, people will be working with Josiah Clements. Josiah graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in accounting and minors in finance and mathematics from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. He also earned his Master’s Degree in Professional Accountancy from UNL and is working on his CPA certification.

“I see myself as being on the grassroots level with many small business owners and try to be a partner in their success by building a good relationship and acting as an advisor, both from a tax and financial performance perspective,” Josiah said. “For clients with unique and unusual tax situations, I like to educate them with what is happening on their tax return along with reasons why. I enjoy building relationships with people and using my knowledge to provide the highest level of service.”

To learn more about Cruise & Associates, visit the website at cruise-associates.com.