Partner Profile – Steve Combs

Steve Combs, CPA has spent his entire career with White Nelson Diehl Evans LLP. He joined the firm in 1999 shortly after earning his undergraduate degree. In 2002, he earned his CPA designation. “Twenty years ago, when I started as an intern, the partners saw all firm members as part of a family,” explained Steve. “It’s my pleasure to carry on that philosophy today as one of the newer partners.”

As a Tax and Advisory Services Partner, Steve’s specialty lies in providing tax compliance, planning, and consulting services for private middle-market businesses and individuals. He has a diverse background with extensive experience in corporate taxation, including consolidated and multi-state taxation. He serves clients in the manufacturing, retail, medical, personal services business, and technology industries. Steve describes his personal philosophy of service as “to always provide value to my clients in everything I do.”

“I love working at WNDE because of the people and the commitment the firm has made to their employees and clients,” Steve said. He added that “the firm makes client service one of its top priorities and is always striving to provide value to our clients.”

When he was a freshman in high school, Steve took a bookkeeping class for the first time. “I really enjoyed it and felt accounting was something that I would enjoy,” he explained. This experience, combined with the opportunity to discuss the profession with a partner from a local accounting firm, cemented Steve’s desire to pursue a career in the field.

Outside of the office, Steve spends a lot of time both watching his sons play sports and coaching them. They play baseball, soccer, flag football, and basketball. Most people know that Steve is a huge baseball fan, though not the extent of his love for the sport. He played baseball in high school—his team even won the CIF Championship his senior year. As an adult, he spends more time watching baseball than playing it. In fact, he’s been to nearly every major league baseball stadium—36 in total! The four stadiums on his “need to visit” list are those in St. Louis, Washington D.C., Minnesota, and Atlanta.

Born in Inglewood, California, Steve lived in both Torrance and Westminster growing up. He now resides in Fountain Valley with his wife, Lynlee, and their three sons. Steve met Lynlee in 2000 when they were both working as staff at WNDE. Before they had kids, Steve and Lynlee traveled to Europe on two separate occasions. They now mainly travel within the U.S., although they did vacation in Costa Rica last summer. They’re looking forward to visiting Yellowstone this year.