PROFILE
David Futcher, CPA

While a student at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1992, David Futcher's then-girlfriend, Valorie, made him promise that "if we ever ended up married, we'd live in her home area, the Pacific Northwest."
    After graduation, Futcher worked one tax season for a firm in Hattiesburg, Miss., and then moved to Longview, where the couple was married in August 1993.
    He was hired as a staff accountant by Davis & Associates (now Davis, Futcher & Associates) in the summer of 1993 and has been employed there ever since.
    Two days before Christmas 1996, the arrival of Andruw Flynn Futcher (named for Andruw Jones, outfielder for Futcher's beloved Atlanta Braves) made the Futchers a family of three.
    While Futcher is heavily involved in tax and business financial statement projects, he also has a strong interest in computers and the Internet. He first learned about computers in high school, and his interest blossomed during college.
    His computer knowledge has come from personal experience rather than formal training.
Recently, he developed an intranet for his firm, allowing the posting of information that used to be hanging around workstations.  Now frequently asked questions, staff meeting minutes, and other scheduling information is easily found by everyone on the intranet.
    He's also got his own web site at www.futcher.com, where he profiles his family, assists others named "Futcher" in finding their roots, and runs the "Name That Flag" contest. Visitors can guess which flags Futcher has displayed and enter to win a prize.
    He's created web sites for his employer, the Kelso Rotary Club (of which he is a member), and others. "I like to be involved in projects that I really have an interest in. I don't just try to get involved for the sake of being involved. I save my time for efforts I enjoy," says Futcher.
    Through his connection with the Society, he was asked to discuss Operation Can Hunger on the Longview Cable channel. "The appearance on the cable access channel really went well," says Futcher. "It played eight or nine times in March. In addition to discussing Can Hunger, I talked to the moderator about Rotary's Walk-N-Knock food drive."
    Futcher is incoming treasurer of his Rotary club's foundation, treasurer for his church's current building project, and treasurer for the local church softball league. He's also involved in the fundraising committee for the Longview Chamber of Commerce and a board member of the local CrimeStoppers

David Futcher built his firm's Internet site and intranet, as well as his own site at www.futcher.com. He enjoys using his technology and accounting skills to help out in his community.



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    Futcher's words of wisdom for newcomers thinking of a career in accounting goes like this:  "Well, I would encourage them to do what they can to mold the profession to their way of thinking and doing things, instead of conforming to past practices and thought processes.  In general the profession could use some modernization.  I think it's the younger generation of CPAs who are going to be able to dispel the stereotypes of the profession."

Futcher, Mix make history

To conduct the interview behind this profile, WSCPA Director of External Affairs John Mix interviewed David Futcher in the chat room of Futcher's website at www.futcher.com.