The roots of the firm can be traced back to 1964, when Dunwoody Saul Smith & Co. opened a branch firm office under the management of Vern Hardie. In what was supposed to have been a temporary posting, Vern ended up staying in the community for 29 years.
Stan Pacak started working in November of 1966 with the Winnipeg office and in 1967 moved to Swan River. Dennis Kowal then joined the firm in November of 1968.
In 1972 Stan built a new office and rented it to Dunwoody & Co. Stan Pacak and Dennis Kowal graduated as Chartered Accountants in December of 1972.
Vern Hardie, Stan Pacak, and Dennis Kowal then purchased the practice from Dunwoody & Co. in June of 1973. Stan sold the building to the new firm and together with three other accounting and clerical staff, started Hardie & Company.
Technology soon allowed the firm to begin utilizing computer data processing services bureau in Winnipeg, beginning in 1973.
The firm continued to expand its services to the Valley, Parkland and northern areas.
The building and staff grew, and the office was expanded four times.
Bruce Hardie received his U of M Commerce Degree and joined the firm in April of 1978, joining his father in the business. Bruce Hardie received his CA designation in 1983.
Bev Leadbeater, a recent CMA graduate, joined the firm in September of 1978. It was a natural move for Bev as his wife was born in Swan River.
The firm acquired other businesses as well, including Bernie Mach’s public accounting practice in 1982 and Henry Kolynchuk’s public practice in 1996.
There were also some management changes of note, including Vern Hardie’s retirement to Winnipeg in 1992 which resulted in Bev Leadbeater and Bruce Hardie joining Stan and Dennis in the Partnership. Then in 2012, Linda Cole bought Bev’s partnership interest and joined Stan, Dennis, and Bruce as management. In Oct 2021 Dennis passed away, leaving Stan, Bruce and Linda as the current management of PKHC.
New office building construction was completed at the corner of Fourth and Main in 2000.
In January 2002 our name changed to Pacak Kowal Hardie & Company, Chartered Accountants and then in 2017 our name changed to PKHC Chartered Professional Accountants.
Together we have established and maintained a reputable and successful accounting firm in our community for many decades. We sincerely appreciate the dedication and loyalty of our employees, and we look forward to continuing to serve our clients with the same integrity and professional standards as we have in the past.
