Gibbons continues father's work

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Gibbons & Company, CPA, PA, the oldest accounting firm in Clarendon County, which has served the area for over three decades, offering a wide array of services. Gibbons & Company’s clients receive assistance with payroll and payroll tax preparation, quarterly or annual income tax preparation, sales tax submission preparation, forensic accounting services, consultations, and full-service business accounting. Started by Al Gibbons in 1984, the company expanded to include Al’s son, Nelson Gibbons, in 2016. Together, they’ve created a business culture centered around family and community, which keeps clients coming back year after year. Gibbons’s deep ties to the community have helped him better understand the needs of his clients. Growing up in Manning, Nelson attended and played baseball for Manning High School, eventually marrying his high-school sweetheart. Family ties kept him close to home after graduation when he attended Francis Marion University in Florence. He studied accounting, and dove headlong into community service while there, participating in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VIDA) program, offering free tax services to the community. During his senior year, he worked at his father’s firm through an internship program, and after graduation in 2016 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Nelson joined Gibbons & Company full time. Following the example of his father, who is a member of the Rotary Club and sits on the Bank Advisory Board and the Disabilities and Special Needs Board, Nelson made community involvement a high priority. He currently serves as treasurer for the Junior Chamber of Commerce, which hosts fundraisers such as the Taste of Clarendon and the Annual Oyster Roast, raising monies which go straight back to Clarendon County. Nelson has also recently completed training as a volunteer fire fighter for Clarendon County. His pager sits on a shelf behind his desk while he works. “There was a big need and a big push for volunteer firemen, and I had someone approach me about it. I kind of jumped at the opportunity, and I’ve loved every minute of it.” Aside from the Junior Chamber and the fire department, Nelson is highly involved with the New Zion July Fourth celebration, a large community event near his home. “We have a big fireworks show and a parade. Everybody gets together, and we celebrate the Fourth.” The family farm is in New Zion, and Nelson lives only minutes away, close enough to lend a hand with the land or the horses stabled there. Much of his personal time away from work is spent trail riding, sometimes as much as 20 miles in one day during spring and autumn. In autumn, he also enjoys deer hunting, with coon hunting following in the winter, and hot summer days often spent on Lake Marion. Nelson loves the local area and the sense of family a smaller community offers. “I grew up here. I love the slower way of life, and I love the people we work for.” He relies on that love of community and family when, again following his father’s example, he strives to add the personal touch to his accounting services. More than anything, Nelson wants his clients to feel comfortable, as if they’re coming to talk to a trusted friend who remembers them, who knows their histories, and who genuinely cares about their financial needs.