Meet the Team
Josef Westlake
Joe is the Owner and Accountant at Arrowhead Financial. He meets with people daily and offers tax and business advice.
He has a degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Joe is very grateful to have taken over the business that his grandfather, Sam Grozdanich, started over 40 years ago.
Joe enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family. He has also coached football for Greenway-Nashwauk-Keewaitn for the past 8 years. Joe lives with his fiancé and their dog Marley.
Deborah Shaw
Deb started with AFS in 2003 as a receptionist and did electronic filing of tax returns. Over the years, her role has expanded to include office billing, business account management, office support, and customer service.
Deb graduated from Hill City High School and also had a year of vocational training in the medical field. Deb and her husband enjoy riding the Harley, traveling, and dining out. She also participates in a yoga class and likes cooking at home.
She looks forward to seeing regular customers coming back every tax season, and gets excited about meeting the newcomers.
Lois Nelson
Lois is a tax preparer and accountant. She has been with Arrowhead Financial for over 40 years.
Lois has an AAS Accounting degree from St. Cloud Technical and Community College. In 1994, she received an Enrolled Agent Certification from the IRS.
Tammy Clayton
Tammy is a Tax Preparer and also does Payroll Administration. She’s been with AFS for 8 years, after receiving a B.S. in Business Administration from Bemidji State.
Tammy and her husband Ben own Clayton’s Produce in Grand Rapids. Her hobbies include cooking, traveling, and photography.
She loves helping small business owners handle their payroll so that they can free up their time and pursue their passions. She also really appreciates having such a great office relationship with her co-workers.
Miranda Frenning
Miranda is a Payroll Admin at Arrowhead Financial. She completes payroll services and other various office support tasks.
Miranda has a bachelor’s degree Accounting and a minor Business Administration from Bemidji State University.
She and her husband Joe have three children, a cat named Leo and a dog named Stella. Miranda likes to shop, bake, and cook. She also likes the work environment at AFS, and enjoys getting to know her clients.
Marilyn Backer
Marilyn is a Tax Preparer with an AFSP designation from the IRS. In addition to her 40+ years as a tax preparer, Marilyn also has a background as a Legal Assistant, Real Estate Paralegal, and Realtor.
In her spare time, Marilyn enjoys cooking, gardening, and being creative.
Marilyn loves meeting so many wonderful people in our community, and assisting them with their taxes.
Phyllis Brown
Phyllis is a Tax Preparer, and primarily works on individual, sole proprietorship, retirement, and investment tax returns. She earned her Mathematics degree from Mankato State.
Phyllis has been married 48 years to husband, Leonard. They have two children, one of whom lives in Minneapolis, the other in London. Phyllis enjoys reading, traveling, computers, and jigsaw puzzles.
She is proud to work with such a wonderful group of people at Arrowhead Financial, and loves helping her clients with their taxes.
Sandy Thomas
Sandy is a Tax Preparer and has been with AFS for over 14 years. She has been a Vita Volunteer for 17 years, and likes to go bowling.
She and her husband Bob have been married for 47 years. They have two children and two grandchildren. They also have a border collie/lab named Max.
Sandy enjoys helping her clients and meeting such great people!