Forty Under 40: Jeffrey S. Fender

In baseball, utility players usually don’t qualify as MVP candidates.

At Springdale’s S.F. Fiser & Co., Jeff Fender, 36, is on his way to earning that distinction. In addition to his role as partner, Fender, who played baseball at North Arkansas College before earning a degree in accounting at the University of Arkansas, leads the firm’s recruiting efforts, is its unofficial IT expert and assists in billing and client relations.

Add all that together, and Fender’s daily experience defies the stereotypical image of an accountant.

“We’re not just the bean-counters in the back,” Fender said. “In public accounting, there’s constant change. In our office, it seems like you get a new job every week or sometimes every day.”

Fender, a Springdale Chamber of Commerce “Red Coat” Ambassador, chose accounting after noticing how many top management and board members at various companies were certified public accountants. After accepting an offer from Fiser, Fender said his boss “really became a mentor.”

“The biggest thing he taught me was building relationships and trust with clients,” Fender said. “Watching Sam [Fiser’s] interaction with clients showed me how it’s supposed to be done.”

Now Fender hopes to someday take the reins from Fiser. That would make him, in a sense, a player-owner.