Some stories start with,"Once upon a time..."

Ours began with, "We can do better."

After hearing our accounting and tax clients expressing frustration with the impersonal services and lack of expertise they received from the larger payroll processing services, Kemper CPA Group decided to create their own payroll company. Thus, Kemper 1st Choice Payroll was born.

In the beginning… another great start of a story… payroll services were offered only to existing clients. As word spread, Kemper 1st Choice Payroll grew. Today with the strength of our accounting foundation, the diversity of our professional staff and the support of our in-house technology division, we get to spend each day proving we can serve you better.

We offer payroll with tax pay and files services, workforce management tools and general accounting outsourcing. But you know the greatest asset in any company is their human beings. Kemper 1st Choice Payroll is driven to develop a diverse group of individuals who work as successfully independently managing their clients as they do together during a mean relay race we affectionately refer to as year-end.

If you want to know more about our humans to see if they would work with yours, check their stories out….

Ginger

Ginger began as a bookkeeper with Kemper CPA Group and was an influential factor in the development of Kemper 1st Choice Payroll. With 25 years of payroll experience and an Associate's degree in Accounting, she holds a Certified Payroll Professional designation from the American Payroll Association. Ginger has a key role in the smooth operation of the payroll division as well as troubleshooting complex payroll issues for our clients and staff. She and her husband stay active with their two teenage daughters' sports, church and school activities.

Janell

Janell joined the staff of Kemper CPA Group as a bookkeeper after several years in accounting for a local manufacturer. Janell also was very involved at the creation of Kemper 1st Choice Payroll. Armed with an Associate's degree in Accounting, Janell continues to grow the success of this division as our lead Tax Specialist. She is responsible for the accurate withholding reporting to all of the states our clients' employees live and work. Janell is the mother of four children … five if you count her husband.

Jeff

Jeff spent over 20 years in the coal mines before deciding to enter college in pursuit of an Associate's degree in Accounting and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He worked full time as an account rep for the first seven years with Kemper 1st Choice Payroll. His desire to work less hours led him to become our implementation specialist. Jeff enjoys pointing out he doesn't work full time to the rest of his peers.

Karen

Karen has an Associate's degree in Accounting. She has been an integral part of Kemper 1st Choice Payroll's success since 2010. As a Payroll Account Rep, her clients benefit from her tenure in a large health care system for more than 8 years. Over the last several years, Karen has worked with our Tax Specialist to assume an ever-increasing role in the payroll tax processes. Karen is married to her musician enthusiast husband. She also is a very proud mother of a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps

Michael

Michael earned a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from a local college where he also worked within the accounting department as a student and then an employee after graduation. In addition to his Account Rep responsibilities, he assumes a very active role in the implementation, maintenance and troubleshooting of the time labor management systems which makes him a natural resource for the manufacturing and professional service clients with shift differentials, incident reporting and unique PTO policies. Michael and his middle school teacher wife have two children under the age of three.

Kim

Kim graduated with an Associate's Degree in Business Management. Before coming on board with Kemper 1st Choice Payroll, Kim spent several decades in accounting, payroll and HR with at least 15 of them within the long term care industry. She quickly assumed several client accounts as well as taking responsibility for managing our yearly ACA reporting. Kim is also a single mom of a fine young man.

Connie

Connie earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Indiana. However, she decided to be a stay-at-home mom for numerous years raising her 3 children. She has more than 10 years of experience in bookkeeping and payroll. Connie and her husband enjoy travelling and will be empty nesters soon.

Angela

Angela earned an Associate’s degree in Office Administration. She has 17 years of accounting and payroll experience. She is married to her husband Nick of 8 years and has a blended family of 4 teen children that keeps them on their toes.

Amber

Amber joined Kemper 1st Choice Payroll as a Payroll Account Representative in 2023. She has almost ten years of experience working as a payroll processor and has worked with a wide variety of business owners consulting them on general business issues and payroll matters. Amber strives to provide superior customer service. Amber's years of experience have given her the knowledge to get it done right the first time with ease and assurance. When Amber isn’t processing payroll, she is managing her dog’s Instagram account, traveling with her husband, and rooting for her favorite sports teams.