Meet The Owner | Calvo + Associates

After graduating Mercer Island high school in 1985 David served in the United States Marine Corps as an air traffic controller until 1988. David returned home and attended Bellevue Community College and eventually the University of Washington. He graduated with his BA degree in accounting and finance in 1994 and his Masters in Taxation in 1996.

He was recruited by KPMG Peat Marwick in Seattle where he spent his first couple of years performing tax research and compliance. Not satisfied with the work in Seattle he requested a transfer to the Los Angeles office to work in the Mergers and Acquisitions department. David spent about a year in the Los Angeles office before becoming disillusioned with the large firms and the work he was performing. In 1999 he left KPMG for Moss Adams, a regional firm that focused on apparel and technology clients. At Moss Adams David excelled in the audit department and eventually left to work for a client as their corporate controller.

In 2002 David returned to public accounting with a smaller firm in Los Angeles. David worked here for over 6 years, making partner in 3 years, and enjoyed the opportunity to lead the firm in a new direction as it grew from a small firm of six employees into a firm of 14 employees. At this firm he learned how to run a small practice and was mainly responsible for human resources, firm policies, employee benefits, incentives, hiring and reviewing staff, technology, new software, marketing and just about anything else on the administrative side of running an accounting practice. David’s largest client was a real estate conglomerate comprising approximately 120 real estate entities that were involved in the acquisition, development, and syndication of tenant in common interests in multi-family, commercial and mixed use properties. In addition, he worked with a number of individuals involved in the entertainment and technology industries.

Throughout all of his experience, the most valuable things David learned was that purpose in work is more important than profit and that the old ways of doing things were being disrupted by technologies that some practitioners were either not embracing or just didn't understand. So, in October of 2008 David went out on his own in order to create a smaller, more client focused firm that leveraged emerging technologies to assist clients in a more productive and cost effective way. This has allowed him to be more creative and more in tune with his client’s needs while exploiting paperless technologies that allow him to be more connected and mobile.

In 2011 David moved his practice from Los Angeles back to the Seattle area, eventually settling in Issaquah where he now resides with his two children Jacob and Jordan. When not in the office David enjoys spending time with his kids, relaxing in Hood Canal or spending time on the golf course.

David is licensed to practice in Washington and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Washington Association of Certified Public Accountants (WACPA) and the American Society of Tax Problem Solvers (ASTPS).

David I. Calvo, CPA, MPAcc