LEBANON COUNTY'S PREMIER INCOME TAX PROFESSIONALS
Person-to-Person Service Makes the Difference!
ABOUT US
Growing from humble beginnings in a Mt Zion residence 50 years ago, to two offices serving Central PA and beyond, Sonrise boasts 6 Enrolled Agents that are Licensed to Represent Taxpayers before the IRS. With countless hours of education and well over 125 years of preparation experience, our preparers stand ready to serve your income tax needs year-round. Home to the Industry Leading “Sleep-Tite Extended Warranty”, we go above and beyond to guarantee your confidence in our work. In addition to preparing individual 1040's, we also prepare returns for clients with small businesses, farms, rentals, non-profits, partnerships and more. Clergy Taxation is a specialty of our founder, Ken, who is nationally recognized as an expert in the field. Why agonize over doing your own taxes or worry about IRS letters? Let Sonrise take the stress out of your taxes!
MEET OUR STAFF
DEREK
SHANAMAN, MST
Derek has a B.S. in Economics and Finance from West Chester University and a M.S. in Tax and Financial Planning from Widener University. He has over two decades of experience in the realm of tax and finance. Derek has lived most of his life in Central Pennsylvania with his wife and two boys. When not in our Lebanon office, he is typically found spending quality time with his family. Over the years, he has coached various youth sports including T-Ball, Soccer, and Basketball; he is active with the Jackson Rec Park and Myerstown Soccer Club.
MATTHEW
BEHNEY, EA
Matt has over a decade of experience working in the area of tax and finance. He is an Enrolled Agent and he studied at HACC and Liberty University. Matt has expertise in the areas of tax audit, tax preparation, tax resolution, tax compliance, and more, as both an experienced tax preparer and collections specialist. He is considered an expert witness on the topic of personal income tax. Matt has lived most of his life in Central Pennsylvania with his wife and four kids. Matt plays the bass guitar for the worship team at LCBC. When he's not working in our Myerstown office, he's usually found coaching youth sports or cheering for his kids at a local sporting event.
KENNETH
SHIRK, EA
Ken's first exposure to tax preparation was as a teenager with several small businesses. Some years later, he enrolled in an income tax course and was subsequently offered a part time job as a preparer. That was in 1973. By 1990, tax preparation had become his full-time profession, leading him to pursue his accreditation as an Enrolled Agent with the Treasury Department. For over 30 years, his specialty has been clergy taxation, serving hundreds of clergy clients from all around the country as well as foreign missionaries. As the founder of Sonrise Tax, Ken has enjoyed seeing the business grow from a moonlighting enterprise to the largest independent tax firm in the Lebanon Valley. From carbon paper to digital copies, a lot has changed in 50 years, but his focus on giving personal attention to the needs of his clients has never wavered.
AARON
SHIRK, EA
Aaron is both an expert tax professional and an extremely knowledgeable Notary Public. He started working in the family business as a pre-teen and progressed to tax preparation before graduating from high school. Now, Aaron can be found at the Lebanon tax office on Cumberland St during the busy season, and at the Lebanon Notary Title and Tag office on 9th St the remainder of the year. Few have amassed Aaron’s experience and knowledge in taxes and licensing at such an early age. Attending tax and notary seminars and workshops throughout each year keeps his skills sharpened. Soccer has always been part of his life and in recent years he has become very involved with coaching and reffing in the local area & leagues. Aaron and his wife Heidi are active in their church and community and have three young daughters.
SHARON
ARNOLD, EA
Sharon has been preparing taxes for 18 years at Sonrise Tax. In 2012, she became an Enrolled Agent, licensed to practice before the IRS and represent clients. Sharon works out of our Myerstown office. Over the years, she has taken many continuing education classes and updates for tax preparation. Having lived on a farm all of her life, Sharon understands the farming lifestyle and specializes in farm returns. Her goal is always to use her experience with both taxes and life to take the stress out of tax preparation while building relationships and trust. Sharon has a green thumb; if you admire our beautiful landscaping, you have witnessed some of her handiwork.
DOROTHY
LINEAWEAVER, EA
Dorothy is an Enrolled Agent who works out of our Myerstown office, with a speciality in clergy taxes, church audits, and trusts. Previously, Dorothy was a manager working with clients to assist in various aspects of tax coordination regarding investment portfolios. In this position, she worked directly with client’s CPAs and tax preparation firms by providing tax reporting details and information necessary to complete personal, trust and foundation tax returns. Prior to this position, Dorothy worked over 15 years as a Tax Manager in the office of a regional CPA firm. This experience provided a solid tax foundation that has allowed Dorothy to understand complex tax-related matters.
HEIDI
KREISER
Heidi graduated from Lebanon Valley College with a B.S. in Accounting and has 14 years of tax preparation experience. Working out of our Lebanon office, Heidi prepares 1040's, PA Property Tax / Rent Rebates, Military Returns, Rentals, Direct Sellers and Small Business Returns, and more! Heidi lives in Myerstown with her husband, 2 kids, and multiple pets. In her spare time, she volunteers for the elementary school, coaches her daughter's soccer team, likes to read, and enjoys going ATV riding with her husband and daughters.
JESSICA
REIFSNYDER, EA
Jessica is an Enrolled Agent who graduated from HACC with an Associates degree in Business Administration and then a Bachelors degree in Accounting and Finance from Eastern University. After college, she worked at one of the Big 4 accounting firms in the tax department and then moved into a smaller local CPA firm where she gained experience in QuickBooks and non-profit accounting. Now Jessica serves Sonrise clients in our Myerstown office, with expertise in QuickBooks, business returns, and non-profit reporting. Jessica lives in Richland with her husband, 2 children, and 2 labs. Besides doing taxes, you'll often find Jessica baking bread, teaching violin, gardening, reading, and serving in the local church.
TANIA
GUTEKUNST
Tania received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Ministry at John Wesley University, and completed additional studies with Millersville University. She spent most of her life working in service oriented positions engaging with people of all ages, most notably working within the community in areas of administration and marketing. Tania grew up in the Lebanon and Myerstown communities, and now resides in Historic Annville. As Operations Manager, she works out of both our Lebanon and Myerstown offices. Along with sharing time with her family and animals, Tania enjoys cooking, outdoor adventures, reading, writing, and traveling.
Affiliations
OUR MISSION: To brighten your day through our friendliness, our integrity, our professional expertise and our genuine interest in meeting your needs, resolving your problems and earning your personal friendship.
OUR GOAL: To provide you with such delightful service that you will become a life-long client and a personal friend.