By John Speer

Editor

Owner Elaine Linser says the new location for the H&R Block Office at 201, 2nd Ave., Toledo (across from Pamida) features double the previous office space and extra privacy for clients among many improvements.

Along with co-owner and husband Mark, the Linsers and staff will host an open house at the new location this Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. and invite the public to tour their new location.

The larger quarters reflect the growth of the H&R?Block franchise here and their second Tama county location in Traer with a 6.2 percent overall and a 42.8 percent jump in new clients for the 2011 tax season.

During the 2012 tax season, which begins the last week of November and runs through April 17, Elaine said nearly a dozen tax professionals along with a receptionist are employed.

The office is open now and is year around providing business record keeping and preparation services as well as tax preparation.

Among the business services offered are bookkeeping and sales tax and payroll reports.

They offer small business start-up record keeping consultation free-of-charge.

The Linsers purchased and began work to convert the former Pizza Hut location two months ago. The H&R Block Office had been at 13th and McClellan in Tama.

Mark, a design engineer for Emerson Process Management in Marshalltown, put his skills to work to make a plan to covert the building for offices.

Elaine said they were able to do much of the interior work themselves and began by gutting the interior.

The result is a series of modern offices, a comfortable reception area and space to conduct tax preparation classes. The building is a total of 1,920 sq. ft.

Elaine says they are especially pleased to have created a handicap access entrance, handicap parking and restroom facilities. The new location affords triple the total parking area of the former location.

In addition to the Toledo location, the Linsers also own the H&R Block Office in Traer. It was also recently relocated.

Elaine Linser has been associated with H&R Block since 1985 in management and tax preparation.