Shel Osborn started at Ross Buehler Falk & Company (RBF) in 2013. After leaving the firm in 2018, Shel rejoined the RBF team in 2023 as an Accountant II. In this role, he will provide tax and bookkeeping services to the firm’s nonprofit and manufacturing clients. Shel has an eye for detail and a desire to help however he can, which makes him a valuable member of the RBF team. His personal philosophy is: “Do the work that is in front of you, whatever that entails.” Shel truly embodies his motto by tackling a wide variety of projects and by always being the first to take on the “oddball” projects that leave others stumped.
Shel has a deep-seated desire to learn as much as possible, so it may not be surprising that he did not start college with the goal of becoming an accountant. In fact, when he began his studies at Juniata College, he was headed toward a major in marine biology and ichthyology, but organic chemistry proved too tricky to master. Shel’s dad is a CPA, so he decided to try out an accounting class and was pleasantly surprised by how much he enjoyed it. He excelled in his accounting classes, even winning an award for outstanding performance in accounting, and earned both his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Accounting from Juniata College.
Working at RBF was Shel’s first accounting job post-graduation, and he returns to the firm having gained experience working as accounting staff for different sized companies. He is excited to return to public accounting.
Originally from Lancaster, PA, Shel currently lives in his hometown with his husband; their cats, Turtle and Soup; a ball python named Pagliacci; and a school of tropical fish. He loves Lancaster for its fantastic variety of restaurants, plus the combination of urban and rural environments. He can just as easily take a walk downtown as he can hike in the woods.
Want to get to know Shel even better? Here are a few fun facts about him:
- Shel is teaching himself to play the mandolin.
- The last show Shel binge-watched was Letterkenny on Hulu.
- Shel’s hobbies include birdwatching and keeping fish. He keeps a couple of freshwater tropical fish tanks that he loves to talk about!
- His favorite book is Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg. He loves the way the story is told, through memories and news clippings, and how real all the characters feel.
- When Shel has a chance to travel, his favorite destination is Mountain, Wisconsin. He enjoys camping on the north branch of the Oconto River, where there is good hiking, good kayaking, and terrible cell phone service.
- His go-to Spotify playlist is Scandinavian folk and symphonic metal.