OUR PEOPLE

James N. Chakires | CPA, CVA

Managing Partner  |  CEO

James N. Chakires (Jim) is the Founder of Apex CPAs which he began in 1998.  Through his leadership, Apex has recently celebrated its 25th year in business.

He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Illinois and Arizona as well as a Certified Valuation Analyst.   Jim’s role at Apex is to provide the strategic direction of the firm to meet the needs of its clients and team.  An entrepreneur and visionary at heart, Jim’s area of expertise is in business strategy, taxation planning for growth business, mergers & acquisitions, and business advisory services for Company owners.  Jim is a member in good standing with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Illinois CPA Society and the Arizona Society of CPAs. Jim is a graduate of Northern Illinois University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy in 1992.

Jim currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board for CASA Kane County as well as Finance Chair for the Arizona Small Business Association.  He is past Finance Chair of the Board of Directors for St Charles Country Club.   Jim has appeared on several local news outlets in both Illinois and Arizona providing his expert opinion on business strategy and tax planning.  Jim is a past Advisory Board member for American Bank & Trust. In addition, Jim founded Shave the Nation in 2010, a fundraising initiative that has received national attention raising over $50,000 for our military service members overseas. Jim is the Founder of Luggage of Love which began in 2014, a local fundraising initiative serving children in the foster care system which to date has raised $300,000 for children in foster care.

Jim splits his time between Illinois and Arizona with his wife Jessie and his two children, Hendrick and Wilhelmina. In Jim’s free time, he likes to hike, golf and spend time at his lake home in northern Wisconsin.

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