Tax guide and profit mentor

Providing direction for business owners is a satisfying aspect of the job for BDO Canada’s Harley Lee

Harley Lee is a partner in BDO Canada in Cranbrook, B.C. — Marie Milner photo

If he could pick a superhero-type power for himself, Harley Lee of BDO Canada's Cranbrook branch said he might pick the ability to function without sleep.

“There’s just not enough time to accomplish everything I want to do,” Lee said. “I say yes to a lot of things in the community and at home, and I want to do it all. I’m part of Rotary, and I’m involved in my church, and my four kids are busy, so I’m involved with their sports teams and that kind of thing.”

Lee has been with BDO since 1994, and moved to Cranbrook in 2003. He is one of four partners in the Cranbrook firm. He said that overall, one of his favourite aspects of the job is being able to give direction to business owners to help them minimize taxes and maximize profits. The BDO office has seen considerable growth in the 10 years he’s been here, more than doubling its revenue.

When asked how tough it is for him to separate work from his personal time, Lee laughed and acknowledged that it’s getting harder all the time, with technology giving us instant access to almost everything, from anywhere at any time.

“I do love my work, though, so it’s not an issue for me,” he said. “When I’m on vacation I tend to check in with work early in the morning before my family is up, but I don’t really deal with anything at that time—I just want to know what’s going on.”