Meet Our Team

A California native, Tyler Willis was born in San Francisco, educated in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. He began his accounting career in San Francisco, but ultimately decided to settle down on the Central Coast and joined the Hayashi Wayland team in January 2017.

Tyler specializes in:

Tax compliance and consulting.

He is known for:

Providing relevant, useful information to clients, that is easy to understand. He’s also prized for being quick to respond to emails and phone calls.

His best capabilities are:

Providing proactive advice and identifying opportunities and/or potential pitfalls early. He’s also skilled at asking the right questions to learn information that clients didn’t know might impact their tax situation.

What Tyler likes most about his job:

“I have stayed in public accounting because it allows me to learn about so many different businesses.” Tyler prides himself on taking the time to learn about his clients’ businesses and how they operate. “I enjoy easing the burden of small businesses related to taxes from the emotional and financial aspects.”

He works work with:

Family-owned businesses of all sizes, particularly wineries and vineyards.

Community-minded:

When Tyler isn’t taming taxes for clients, he’s helping people in the community to wrangle theirs. He works pro bono for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. He also provides monthly no-charge “office hours” at the San Luis Obispo Small Business Development center to help local startups and small business center members.

He’s a published author:
Tyler has written several articles which include:

• Six Ways the Trump Tax Plan Could Impact You and Your Business
• You May Be Paying Too Much Sales and Use Tax, Coastal Grower Magazine, Fall 2017
• Tax Reform Action Plan, Coastal Grower Magazine, Spring 2018

Professional Affiliations and Credentials

• Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
• Member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA)

Education

• Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara
• Master of Science in Taxation from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Continuing Education

Tyler’s continuing education focuses on educating others. For starters, he’s a member of the lecturer pool for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and teaches one class per quarter. He’s also taught and spoken on the following:

• CalCPA Ag Seminar – Tax Update
• UC Davis Extension – Accounting and Taxation for the Small Winery and Vineyard
• Local radio guest on “Mortgage Matters”

Awards and Recognition

Tyler graduated as valedictorian of the Master’s program he attended at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

What you may not know about Tyler…

A hands-on tax professional, Tyler is also all about hands-on fun. “I really like being outdoors and working with my hands. This includes home projects, woodworking and building furniture, and maintaining/restoring my old car.” He also loves spending time with his wife Katie. “My wife is a labor and delivery nurse, which helps keep things in perspective.” When it’s time for the two of them to relax, you might find them enjoying wineries, restaurants and breweries ─ locally and whenever they travel.

805.226.7375