Timberline Portable Buildings

Andy Dutter wanted a business where he could work together with his two teenage sons, Ivan and Marshal. As he considered options, his interest was sparked in building mini barns. Through a series of events, his sons spent a few months learning the techniques of the trade. Next, Dutter and his sons developed a business plan, established an S-Corporation, and founded Timberline Portable Buildings in October 2020 in New Lebanon, Ohio.

The Dutters began building sheds and selling them in various styles and sizes on their property. To build capital, they intentionally deferred income for the first year. However, their business revenue grew rapidly as COVID forced people to spend more time at home, and they invested extra cash in home improvement projects.

“Because of the COVID relief dollars, people were not scared to spend money,” Dutter explained. The company's revenue skyrocketed from $700,000 in 2020 to $3.3 million in 2022. Since 2020, Timberline has expanded to nine different lots and employs ten contractors.

As the onboarding team at Gehman began working with Dutter to address his bookkeeping needs, they discovered additional issues with Timberline’s sales tax and tax preparation. The project's scope grew, but Dutter was thankful to be working with a skilled team.

“I felt blessed, and it was heartwarming that they took me on as a client,” he reflected.

The bookkeeping team at Gehman began reviewing Timberline’s records and correcting notable errors. They gained insight into Timberline’s business model by asking Dutter good questions and learning Timberline’s software, Shed Suite. This enabled them to reconcile past accounts and amend financial reports.

At the same time, the tax team at Gehman analyzed Timberline’s 2021 and 2022 business and personal tax returns. They amended the tax returns after discovering errors related to under-reported income and unreconciled accounts. Although these errors resulted in Timberline needing to pay back taxes, penalties, and interest, Dutter reflected, “While it was a costly lesson, it’s not all about the money.”