The Exuberant Accountant - Scott Heintzelman

Phil was brought up in a home with parents that had a very unique perspective on where they would spend their money. In the Clemens’ household, very little emphasis was put on material possessions. His parents taught them that was irrelevant. Growing up, he and his family really didn’t have a lot even though his parents made a fair amount of money. Instead, they lived very frugally. To Phil’s parents, giving to others was a priority and at a very early age, Phil and his brothers were taught to first give to the church and make it a priority, then to save, and the rest they could spend. Phil’s parents also taught him and his brothers to work and at the age of 10, they had the option of doing more chores around house or go to work. Though neither job paid much, they had to do it.

The principles that Phil’s parents had taught him as a child also carried on through college, past his first job working at the family business, and continued into his marriage and eventually his own family. In his family life, Phil and his wife, Linda, had to manage their finances in a way that their choices would not impact their giving because giving still remained a priority. Early on, the lesson learned from his parents taught him that when you put God first in your finances, he will provide what you need.

As Phil and Linda matured in life, God continued to bless them by giving them far beyond what they needed and He allowed them to teach these same lessons to their daughters. They learned that first God wanted their lives and when you gave your life to Him, you really gave him everything you have – or will have – and when you willingly give something away, in return He gives it back to you.

Phil and Linda really believe that God has given them the gift of helping others with what He has given them and they see this both as a privilege and a responsibility. Today, they generally give away between 50 – 70 percent of their income and try to live on about 20%, knowing the rest will go to paying their taxes. And like in the lessons learned from his parents, Phil has seen that the more they have given away, the more God has blessed them. Phil says, “We believe this is what God has called us to do and we will need to give an accounting of what we did with what He gave us.”

Phil’s values have certainly carried through in his involvement with the family business. While not forgetting where it came from, The Clemens Family Corporation continues to look ahead by operating as a good steward of the community and the environment while offering innovative products and services to its valuable customers. Phil attributes the success of the business to its strong commitment to Christian values in the way it does business saying “It’s a tough vision to carry out in the 21st Century, but it reflects who we are as a family. Our family aspires to do business the right way.”

Phil Clemens is a “Servant Leader”.