About Us
In 1992, an Express Bookkeeping franchise was established in Albury by Graham Howse, operating from a room in his garage. He needed to employ a casual bookkeeper to help lighten his load and decided on a young mum – Debbie Smillie.
Over the years he grew the clientele, employed another bookkeeper (Debbie), took on a partner (Sally), and moved to an office in a house in Wilson St.
In 2006, Sally decided she wanted to help her husband in his retail business in Wangaratta. Graham thought it was time for him to retire to spend time with his grandchildren and paint, and they put the business up for sale.
Debbie Smillie bought the franchise from Graham with Debbie staying on as a much-needed employee. Graham was to become a casual employee so we could draw on his vast expertise but, unfortunately, 3 weeks after the sale he suffered a minor stroke. Although he is now reasonably well and is a constant source of support, we were extremely worried about him then.
Due to medical reasons, Debbie resigned in February 2009. Unable to carry on alone, the feelers were sent out for a new employee. Carolyn applied for the position and a few weeks later joined the team.
A couple of months later we were advised that the house / office we were sharing was going to be sold in June and the new owners intended to demolish it and build a multi-story office block. All the other small businesses located with us also had to find a new home.
Most of the offices we looked at in Albury were either too small, too expensive, or had limited access. I found the offices in Buckingham St and thought they would be perfect for us but didn’t need the whole space so spoke to a couple of the other tenants who agreed to come with me and share the rent.
Thus Ace Local Bookkeeping was born.
With the move, we decided on a complete shakeup. With the extra space we are able to have a designated meeting room and the signage has worked a treat.
So, come and say hello. You are more than welcome to come and have a look and a chat. We are a friendly, capable, local bunch who would love to help with the outsourcing of your bookwork.