Steve began his career in accounting working as a hospital accountant in 1973. From 1973 to 1986 he worked in various key financial positions in three major hospitals in the Chattanooga area. In early 1987 Mr. Gentry opened a CPA firm in Chattanooga, TN with a desire to help individuals and small businesses to achieve their financial goals. Since then Steve has continued to sharpened his skills in accounting, tax preparation and business evaluation.
Steve earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He continued his academic pursuits and earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. Steve became a Certified Public Accountant in 1985, and became a Certified Valuation Analyst in 2009.
Steve is active in a number of professional organizations including the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA.) Steve treats every client with respect and integrity. Steve provides independent financial analysis in addition to tax and accounting services.
Steve Gentry starting the firm in 1987 and was joined in 2002 by Jim Buffington, CPA to form Gentry & Buffington CPAs. Jim retired in 2010 Ellen joined the firm in 2004 and became a partner in 2006. Steve and Ellen believe that their combined knowledge and experience will achieve remarkable results for all of their clients.
Steve enjoys singing karaoke in his spare time.
Jielan “Ellen” Yu, CPA, was raised in China where she taught statistics at the University of Shanghai for Light Industry. She speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese. Then she moved to the United States to continue her education in 1995. She is dedicated to helping clients make intelligent financial decisions and ethically minimize tax liability. Her hard work and determination ensure that every client is treated with high regard.
Ms Yu earned a Masters degree in accounting from Eastern Carolina University in 2002. Ms Yu then went on to become a Certified Public Accountant in 2005. She is a Member of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants.
In her spare time, Ellen enjoys getting together with friends, working out, and spending time with her daughter Karen.
Gentry & Associates is proud to announce our new partner, Kimberly D. Johnson, CPA.
Kim joined the firm as a manager in January 2020. She originally began her accounting career in 2006 when she was in college at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga where she graduated with honors in 2009. She became a Certified Public Accountant in 2012 and has been in public accounting since 2010.
Kim’s background includes providing tax and accounting services to a wide variety of individuals and businesses including medical professionals, construction contractors, manufacturers, real estate professionals and investors, service industries, consultants, restaurants, retail establishments, and more. Kim specializes in servicing small businesses and preparing financial statement reviews for construction contractors. She also provides peer review services to other CPA firms across the United States and is a certified peer reviewer by the AICPA.
Kim is actively licensed in Tennessee. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the Tennessee Society of CPAs and the Tennessee Association of Accountants.
Originally from the small town of Pikeville, TN, Kim and her husband Adam moved to Chattanooga in 2005. She takes pride in her community and considers Chattanooga home. When not in the office, Kim loves spending time with her husband, their daughter Brie, and their two dogs. Her pastimes include traveling, camping, and visiting amusement parks.
Kim is currently accepting new clients. Give her a call today.
Cory leads the wealth management side of our practice. He is a CPA but focuses on financial planning and investment advisory services. With over 16 years of experience in the financial industry, Cory is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Tennessee as well as licensed in life and health insurance in Tennessee. He is a partner and Chief Investment Officer at his advisory firm, Optivise Advisory Services, LLC. He enjoys serving as a fiduciary advisor and helping clients make the best decisions about their money.
Cory received his undergraduate and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, on the lake and working out.
Beau recently graduated from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga with a Bachelors’s degree in Accounting. He is continuing his education by starting his master’s degree at Western Governors University this spring and working toward earning his CPA. Beau is our staff accountant here at Gentry & Associates and he specializes in Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation. He is a member of AICPA and The Tennessee Society of CPAs. A native of Chattanooga, Beau loves spending time with his wife, 3-month-old, and their 2 dogs. In his spare time, he enjoys music, gardening, and exercise.
Holly hails from Atlanta Georgia. She graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in Accounting. She speaks Vietnamese and English. Holly loves to travel to exciting places including California, Mexico, and Europe.
Chattanooga, Ooltewah, Apison, Collegedale, Hixson, Soddy Daisy, Red Bank, Signal Mountain, Lookout Mountain, Ringgold, Fort Oglethorpe, Rossville, LaFayette, Rock Spring, Chickamauga, Cleveland, and most of the North Georgia and Chattanooga metro area!
