Retired certified public accountant and Spokane community leader Bill Simer says his life would have looked much different had he not happened to meet a young woman and her brother in Spokane more than 50 years ago.

The momentous interaction influenced Simer's collegiate path from a previous interest in news coverage to a career in finance. 

"I was actually looking to go into broadcast journalism at that time, and I met this young woman who I've been married to for 48 years now," he recalls. "Her brother was a CPA, and he took me aside and said, ‘If you're serious about my sister, will you take a business class?’"

Simer ultimately took an accounting class, and was encouraged by his professor to consider accounting as a major.

"And that set the rest of my life in motion," he says.

The former partner at Fargo, North Dakota-based accounting firm Eide Bailly LLC’s Spokane office says he's grateful for the encounter with his now-brother-in-law, Rick Rolando, which evolved into a 40-year career as a CPA with the support of his wife, Renee Rolando.

“That partnership with my wife is probably, more than anything, an essential element of my success, because without that, I couldn't have done any of this. And it's not just support — we're partners on many things, and she participates on an active basis, so I can't minimize the importance of that.”

Simer, 70, retired from Eide Bailly in 2021, spending nearly his entire career in the Spokane region. In the five years since his retirement, Simer has remained actively engaged in community organizations.

Simer attended Washington State University before transferring to Eastern Washington University in 1976, where he declared his major in professional accounting. While attending EWU, he joined the Spokane office of accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand LLP for the 1977 tax season. 

Simer and his wife Renee married in 1978. 

Gordon Budke, a partner at Coopers & Lybrand and a previous Journal Icon, took Simer under his wing. Budke's influence proved to be an instrumental factor in Simer's success throughout the rest of his career, he says.

“Meeting people right out of college or while you’re still in college that impact you the rest of your career is a really important part of being successful, and it was certainly how it was in my case,” says Simer.

Simer left Coopers & Lybrand and worked a stint at Spokane-based American Sign & Indicator Corp., an electronic temperature and time sign manufacturer owned by brothers Luke and Chuck Williams. By 1983, American Sign was acquired by Brae Corp., of San Francisco. Rather than relocating to San Francisco, Simer says he decided to remain in Spokane.

“I really had an interest in going back into public accounting and found a little firm called McDirmid, Mikkelsen & Secrest (PS), and I went to work for them,” he explains. “Those three gentlemen were also former Coopers & Lybrand staff members, so it was a very comfortable environment for me.”

Simer spent the next 37 years at McDirmid, Mikkelsen & Secrest working his way up from a staff member to a partner within five years. Many of his clients were nonprofits, whose leaders he describes as, “some of the coolest people.” The company was considered one of the fastest-growing CPA firms in the community, he contends, expanding from three founders to over 50 employees at the time.

One of his proudest achievements occurred in 2016, when Spokane Public Radio was in the process of moving to the historic Fire Station No. 3, located at 1229 N. Monroe. Simer assisted the organization in finding tax credits to help pay for some of the move and also helped procure the building.

As partner, Simer's responsibilities evolved from working directly with clients to professional leadership and staff development.

“He taught me a lot about working in that industry and how the business works,” says Scott LaPlant, partner at Eide Bailly’s Spokane office, who has known Simer since 2003. “Going out and meeting with people and watching (Simer) speak, commanding the room, and they're interested in what he has to say — that's something I strive to.”

LaPlant was promoted to audit partner at Eide Bailly in 2014 and began working with Simer, a tax partner, assisting nonprofit clients. As a colleague, Simer is known for being upbeat — a difficult attitude to maintain in a stressful environment, LaPlant contends.

“He’s somebody who’s level-headed, knowledgeable, and just a good mentor to the staff,” LaPlant adds. “I can say that he wanted to bring people up, and he did a good job at that.”

McDirmid, Mikkelsen & Secrest merged with Eide Bailly in 2014, where Simer remained a partner until his retirement in 2021.

Throughout his career, Simer has made time for community involvement, he notes. He has worked with nonprofits and community development organizations since graduating from EWU. He’s served on and led the boards of the Friends of the Centennial Trail, Spokane Public Radio, the Spokane Club, the Fox Theater, the Washington State Society of CPAs, Spokane Symphony, and the Eastern Washington University Foundation, among others.

Simer also has been a member of the Rotary Club of Spokane North since 1997, he adds.

Most recently, he joined as board chair of Comma Community Journalism Lab, a Spokane-based nonprofit created to help support the transition of newspapers, including The Spokesman-Review, to a community-supported nonprofit model.

“Some people used to joke that I had a side accounting practice, and most of my work was in the community,” he says, laughing. “They were probably close to right on that.”

In retirement, Simer continues community service, providing experience and expertise through volunteer work. When not volunteering, he likely can be found in his garage working on vintage racing cars, biking, skiing, or going on walks with his wife.

“In Spokane, if you're willing to volunteer for something, commit to it. At the end of the day, as I sit back and think about what I've done, certainly my family, community, and friends are really what makes me get up every morning and be energetic about what I'm going to do for the day.”