William B. Gowie Jr. was named the 2022 Small Business Person of the Year by the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce. Gowie was selected because of his community engagement, company success, and strong leadership skills. He will be honored at the Small Business Award Luncheon on April 8 at the Drexelbrook Corporate Events Center in Drexel Hill. Gowie is the managing partner and co-founder of Barsz Gowie Amon & Fultz a full-service, fast-growing accounting firm based in Delaware County.

In 2001, at 26 years old, Gowie partnered with his boss and mentor, Eugene Steger Jr., to form Steger, Gowie & Co., Inc. Together, they built a very successful regional accounting firm. In 2017, they merged with another well-respected firm, Merves Amon & Barsz, LLC, to form BGA&F.

Under Gowie’s leadership, BGA&F merged in 2019 with Rimmer & Jennings (R&J), a Delaware County company that had been in business for over 45 years. BGA&F now boasts 50 employees and has grown more than 40 percent in the last two years.

“Bill has been successful in his career because of his ability to lead with integrity,” said Michael I. Amon, CPA, CGMA, MT co-founder of BGA&F.

“He is a mentor and teammate to his colleagues, staff, and clients. Co-managing with Bill has allowed me to witness his strong work ethic, business expertise, and willingness to always put the firm above himself.”

Dave Fultz, Jr., CPA, MBA echoed Amon’s sentiments.

“Having worked with Bill for over 20 years, I can attest to how deserving he is of this award. Despite the firm’s growth, Bill’s leadership mentality has remained constant. He is goal-oriented, motivational, and humble. 

“As a firm, we are extremely proud of Bill and everything he has sacrificed to build a multimillion-dollar company while holding true to his public service and family values.” 

In addition to serving as managing partner, Gowie directly manages a team of 12 accountants, bookkeepers, and administrative staff. He specializes in working with small businesses and medical practices.