PHB Employee Spotlight

Meet Craig Foster, PHB’s Senior Tax Manager. Craig joined the PHB six years ago and has been an integral part of our tax team. Prior to PHB, Craig spent 19 years with Robert E. Hart, MBA, CPA, P.C. preparing taxes. Craig and his wife Vickie have two kids, their son, Seth, is a freshman in college and their daughter, Hannah, is a freshman in high school. In his spare time Craig can be found playing golf, working in the yard, cheering his daughter on at the softball field or volunteering at his church where he serves as assistant treasurer and runs the sound system.

Here are a few more fun facts about Craig:

What is your role at PHB?

I serve as the Senior Tax Manager at PHB.  I manage the daily activities of the tax department staff. In addition to preparing tax returns, I also help on audits when needed.

How do you balance your career at PHB and family?

This can be hard because I struggled with this early in my career. You have to make a concerted effort to manage your time. During tax season, I work late one night and go home early the next. When home, it’s easy to hit the recliner and crash. I make sure to give the time required that my children and wife need. I also volunteer as a baseball coach for the recreational league. There’s nothing better to take your mind off work than teaching baseball to children. I also believe it’s important to get away whether it be taking a vacation or just long weekends with the family.

Tell us three things most people don’t know about you…

1. I was born in Munich Germany.
2. I coached recreational baseball from ages 5 to 12 for 9 years.
3. I hate reading and, of course, my job requires a lot of reading.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far?

1. Don’t procrastinate. It usually comes back to bite you.
2. Be a good listener to your clients and be a good communicator with them.
3. Manage your time. There are many things that pull for your time each day. Good time management can help lessen the distractions.

What do you like to do on your days off?

I like to play golf with my children and do yard work.

What one food do you wish had zero calories?

A good cheeseburger.

Where would you like to go on a dream vacation?

I would love to be able to go back to Munich Germany and visit where I was born. I was too young as a child to remember anything.