“Love God because you’re going to spend an eternity somewhere,” advised Stephen Myrick. “The 50 to 70 to 80 years you spend on this earth isn’t worth eternity. While you’re on this earth, if you want to make a lot of money, then work. Just love God and work, and it’ll solve a lot of problems in your life.”
Stephen Myrick takes his faith seriously, and he isn’t afraid of hard work. In fact, working hard is something that his parents taught him as he was growing up. It allowed him to become the man that he is today.
“I was raised fairly poor,” recalled Stephen. “My mom was a teacher’s assistant; my dad was a line worker at Masonite. They were the greatest parents you could ever ask for. They taught me, above all else, the value of hard work and to better myself to hopefully be able to do more than they did. I hope they’re proud of me from that standpoint because I’ve never been given anything in my life. I work for everything I have. God has blessed me beyond anything that I could ever imagine.”
His parents set an example for him with his work ethic.
“The most significant things in my memories involve my dad,” Stephen reminisced. “He believed in his God, and the moment that he left work, you could count on it that he was heading just as fast as he could to get home. Once he got there, if it was still daylight hours, then he was working. His hobby was working. He didn’t watch t.v. He didn’t watch or play sports. He worked. That’s all he’s ever known. He’s my hero, obviously. My mom was just as hard a worker. Where she grew up, she said there was no such thing as men’s work and women’s work. Everybody did everything. I think that’s why I’ve been able to make it here. I was raised with a certain amount of hardheadedness not to give up and to never quit.”
Aside from his parents, another person in his life that he valued and respected the opinion of is his father-in-law. He will never forget his interaction with his father-in-law when they first met.
“After my parents would be my father-in-law,” remembered Stephen. “I’ll never forget the first thing he asked me when I met Pam, the day I met him. He said that he heard that I was one of Buddy Sauls’. I told him yes, and he said that it was all he needed to know. Buddy Sauls was my football coach at Heidelberg Academy. I’d spent 11 years at West Jones through the Jones County school system and left West Jones as a junior and graduated from Heidelberg Academy. The moment Carter Jones knew who I was from that standpoint, that was it. He respected Buddy Sauls as much as anybody on this earth. I found out that the next Monday after we’d talked that he’d called him.”
Although he did play football while he was in school, it wasn’t his primary sport.
“I played football as a side thing,” informed Stephen. “I was actually a competitive body builder, believe it or not, when I was young. I placed fourth in the Teenage United States and was Teenage Mr. Mississippi. I had all kinds of regional to United States awards. That was really my claim to fame.”
Once he graduated from high school, he chose to continue his education and attain a career in something that interested him. The career path he chose is perfect for his preferences and personality.
“I got my AA degree from Jones Junior College. I went to USM and got an accounting degree, and then I got my CPA license,” explained Stephen. “When I was coming out of school, the only people in my families had been teachers. I didn’t really desire to be a teacher, so that never crossed my mind. My brother was going to USM, and he was majoring in business. I didn’t really want to major in business either. Somebody just mentioned to me that I should try accounting because I was good in math. Little did I know that accounting is more financial law than it is math. If you can add, subtract, multiply, and divide, then you can do accounting. It’s not the math; it’s the laws, especially in the auditing arena. It’s more of applying laws to things and making sure it’s done in accordance with the requirements and everything. Back then, I didn’t know what to major in, so I majored in it. Luckily, God made sure I got something I could do because I mostly sit in front of a computer all day. I’m kind of a loner and not somebody who is going to jump up to be at all these events.”
He had already obtained his degree and was working hard before he got married. It was after he got married that he moved to the area he loves to call home now.
“When I first got out of school, I went to New Orleans and worked for the defense department as one of their auditors. I audited military contracts. I despised living in New Orleans. I just didn’t enjoy it,” expressed Stephen. “I left there and went to work for a CPA firm downtown across from the governor’s mansion in Jackson and worked there for five years. During that time, Pam and I got married, and I fell in love with Quitman. I thought it was Mayberry. I’d never lived in a small town like this. In 1992, I left Jackson and went to a CPA firm in Meridian with the idea that I’d stay there for two years and open my own office in Quitman. I took two years to kind of get to know the people and everything before starting my own business.”
Since opening his on CPA firm in Quitman, he has been very successful and stays busy.
“I can remember when I got ready to open this back in November of 1994 that people told me that I’d lost my mind opening a CPA firm in Quitman and that I’d never make it, but I have. God has blessed me beyond anything I can imagine,” declared Stephen. “I still do a lot of travelling. Most of my income is made from performing audits of counties and school districts. Those are definitely the mainstay of my business. I do a good bit of taxes, but the bulk of my income comes from audits and what have you. From that standpoint, I travel all over the state. I’ve done Prentiss County, Madison County, Hinds County, and school districts. It takes me everywhere.”
While he loves his job, his family is extremely important to him.
“To me, of course, my family, my wife, my sons, and my daughter are by far the most important things on this earth for me,” proclaimed Stephen. “I’ve come to a point in my life where God has blessed me financially and with worldly possessions, but they don’t mean a whole lot without God and my family.”
Although he leads at his office, he prefers to take on a different role when he is not working. He would prefer to do what he can to help serve others instead of providing instructions.
“The best way to be a leader is to be a servant. Since 2017, I’ve tried to undertake being a servant for my God and do whatever He asked me to do. It may be uncomfortable, but I’m going to do it,” informed Stephen. “Initiative 28:19 has become real active at our church, and I try to help Matthew Johnson at the Baptist Center’ any way I can in that regard. I’m on the mowing crew at the church. I just think we need to stop trying to teach everybody to be leaders and start teaching people how to be servants.”
No matter what happens each day, Stephen will continue to serve those around him and work hard.
If you would like to nominate someone for Person of the Week, contact Brittney Mangum at 601-776-3726.
