The last 12 months have brought many changes within the walls of H&R Block. July 10th marked the one-year anniversary of the fire that consumed the downtown Steinbach strip mall, including the office where H&R Block had set up shop for the last 12 years.
Today, the business can be found in the Clearspring Centre, across from The Shoe Company.
Despite the immediate and unavoidable nature of this move, co-owner Leo Friesen says that, in the end, everything worked out really well. He had bought the franchise back in 2006 and opened his doors at 359 Main Street. A few years later in 2010, the business moved down the street to 245 Main Street, where it remained until 2022.
“I think, all in all, it worked out okay. We were fortunate in finding this spot fairly quickly,” Friesen shares. “Our goal, initially, was to be moved in for the beginning of tax season, but it ended up taking until January 15th.”
Kept busy with tax season, an official grand opening of their new location was neither possible nor given much thought… until recently.
Thursday, September 7th is a big day for the company- the day of both their Job Fair and their Grand Opening at the new location in Clearspring Centre. The Job Fair happens from 10 am to 1 pm, where tax associate Nadja Buller encourages anyone curious in a career in tax preparation to stop by.
“We invite anyone interested to come down with their resumes for interviews,” explains Buller. “From there, we’ll pick our students who will take our Fundamentals To Income Tax Course for the next 13 weeks. And then we’ll hopefully have several new tax preparers for the new season.”
Buller shares that the ideal candidates for the position will be good with people, and have a knack for numbers. No formal education is required.
Shortly after the Job Fair is their Grand Opening from 2 pm to 5 pm. All are invited to come check out the new space, meet the staff, enjoy snacks and coffee from Hitch & Boler Coffee Roasters, and enter to win door prizes, including a few FREE tax returns.
Looking towards the future while acknowledging the past, the H&R Block team is grateful for all the assistance, kindness, and business they’ve received thus far.
“We all really appreciate the support of the community through all that,” tax associate and bookkeeper Trish Friesen adds, looking back on the fire and the move. “And I appreciate my coworkers- I feel we really worked together as a team. Through it all, it was kind of bonding. Just a really positive experience despite the difficulty.”
For more information about tax services and employment opportunities, find H&R Block in Steinbach’s Clearspring Centre.
