Alumni Success Story: Brandie Heyboer ’16

As a Staff Accountant for Broadstone Accounting, Brandie Heyboer ’16 works behind-the-scenes as a bookkeeper and accountant for hotels and campgrounds around the Ludington area. Brandie values mentors and networking because of the connections she built growing up in a small town. She says, “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the great mentors in my life, including my current supervisor Robert Lancour ‘98, ‘13, a DU alumnus.” Learn more about Brandie and her role as an accountant below.

Tell us about yourself, Brandie!

I was born in Grand Rapids and raised in Ludington. After high school I attended West Shore Community College (WSCC) where I fell in love with accounting. My original plan was to be a pharmacist, but after my internship in WSCC’s accounting department and words of advice from my mentors, I was inspired to earn my bachelor degree in accounting at Davenport. After I graduated, I immediately got a job working as a Staff Accountant in my hometown.

As a graduate of DU, when you think of your experience what comes to mind?

It was great! I was student of the West Shore Community College 3 in 1 program, where I took classes at WSCC for 3 years and transferred to DU in my last year. I took most of my classes online while working full-time. I liked how my class work directly related to the experience I was gaining in my internship.

In a nutshell, what do you do?

I am a Staff Accountant at Broadstone Accounting. We manage the behind-the-scenes bookkeeping and accounting for hotels and campgrounds around the Ludington area. On a day-to-day basis, I handle payroll, accounts payable and accounting processes. I also have special projects – creating waivers for expansion and construction processes, working with banks to obtain records and assisting the staff with whatever they need help with. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the great mentors in my life. And luckily for me my supervisor, Robert Lancour who is also a DU grad earned his BBA in accounting in 1998 and MBA with an accounting concentration in 2013, has been a great mentor.

What is your dream job?

I enjoy my role now, but someday I would like to be a Finance Manager or a Payroll Manager for a larger company or maybe even start my own business.

What do you do when you are not working?

I am passionate about my community that I live and work, so I spend time volunteering at the Animal Shelter and other places in Ludington. I enjoy reading and spending time outdoors and I live in a perfect area to be able to do a variety of outdoor activities – kayaking, camping, hiking, snowmobiling, etc.