Who We Are

Peggi Sturm

With over 25 years of consulting experience in a variety of fields, including business, education, communications, planning and labor relations, Peggi understands business, systems management, computers and accounting.  And, she is an expert communicator. She “speaks your language”, that is, she translates the “computer-eze” and “accounting-eze” into simple English.

Peggi loves to design your accounting system and train you in how to use it.  She has transformed, updated and modernized systems for more than 3,000 businesses over the last 20 years.  She’d like to add yours to her success stories!

In addition to consulting, Peggi offers seminars locally and is a renowned speaker and leader in the national Macintosh Community.  Peggi has served as a Director of the Apple Business Consortium, LAMG (LA Macintosh User Group), and as a member of Apple Computer, Inc’s Small Business Advisory Board.

Sue Peterson
Sue has an extensive background in small business, non-profits, vocational schools, entertainment and high net worth clients.  She has created office procedures for new businesses and restructured existing businesses, including their accounting software, setting up their filing systems, payroll, business licenses, insurance, managing every aspect of their finances. She has created their office staff by interviewing, hiring and training. She works, along with your company’s CPA, to manage the financials for running your business today and planning for tomorrow.

Sue ’s son, Evan, graduated CSUN with a degree in film. He loves sports and is currently interning with FOX Sports Radio.  Evan and Peggi’s son Josh are best friends!  She has five adopted cats. She lives in Sherman Oaks. She is also a property manager for her own and her clients real estate investments.

Charmaine Barnes
Charmaine brings multiple sensibilities to her work as a bookkeeper/consultant. With a Masters Degree in Fine Arts, she has found working in the creative fields particularly satisfying with clients ranging from interior design firms to small production companies.  She had fifteen years experience in the private banking and finance industries and served clients in a variety of capacities ranging from account representative to investor relations liaison. Here she learned the importance of confidentiality and trust. She honed her bookkeeping skills during the five years she served as office manager of a small business handling all aspects of its operations.

Born with a love of organization (she got all the organizational genes allotted to her family), she finds the orderly aspect of bookkeeping endlessly exciting. She even sees a touch of the romantic in her work when the numbers are perfectly matched and reconciled.

Sharon Croskery
Sharon entered the career world, late in life, while living in Cheviot Hills, during and after raising two children, two step children, three dogs, 10 cats and 4 male adults (not all at the same time).  She started off running, as an entrepreneur, purchasing a flower shop. The first project she tackled was setting up a computerized accounting and billing system (with the help of a consultant) for her business and the house charge account customers (remember those). After five 1/2 years, the shop was closed and Sharon went into the work force as the sole person in the accounting department for a small (6 attorney) law firm in Century City. That position continued for seven 1/2 years, until the operation was downsized.

After the downsizing, Sharon, joined Peggi Sturm & Associates and has lived happily ever after.  With her children now grown, she now resides, singlely, in Santa Monica with her cat family of Gerald Murray Ford, Tomas Jefferson and MeToo.

Josh
We started this business to provide for Josh when he was still in development (month 4). Now, at age 23, he’s all grown up and working, but not for us!  Josh graduated from Digipen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington. This is the premier college for future game programmers. It wass tough but he did it. In addition to learning all about computer programming, he learned really complex math and physics!

Josh is a computer whiz and a gamer through and through!  Now he works for Microsoft, in the Zune division.  He tests games and networking issues for the Zune.  And he loves it!  He lives in Redmond in a 5 bedroom house with 4 friends.  And on Saturday nights, they play board games with friends!  On the other nights, you’ll find him on line with a computer game or playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero with his roommates!

PJ Our Receptionist

PJ is pure poodle, although when he jumps into your lap, you’ll think he is half flying squirrel! His job is to make you feel welcome and relaxed.

He loves toys and will be delighted to play with you for a little stress relief. Need exercise? PJ is pure energy. He does figure eights in the back yard at 100 miles per hour! Let him inspire you.  PJ stands for Pure Joy, and I think he is Pure Love too!

Jennie

PJ was so lonely after Jake passed that we had to find him a new life partner.  So we adopted Jennie, the Pomeranian, in early July, 2006.  Jennie let PJ know right from the start that she is beautiful and she is the top dog!  They adore each other.

Jennie will come up and stand next to you for petting, but she won’t jump in your lap.  After 3 years of watching PJ leap through the air into Peggi’s lap, Jennie has suddenly started to do the same.  That’s a lot of dog for one lap!  Most of our students learn faster than Jennie!

Jake Security Guard Emeritus

Jake lived with us for 12 1/2 years. He guarded the house (security) and loved me with all his big heart. On April 25th, 2006 he was diagnosed with terminal cancer (leukemia). He was treated for pain successfully and lived pretty comfortably right til the end on Jun23rd, 2006. He was able to die at home with PJ (our poodle) and I by his side. We really miss him and his wonderful wagging tail. As cute as he was, and as loving, he guarded our equipment and office against strangers, UPS, FedEx, the postman and other serial murderers. Jake could jump 5 feet in the air and bark at the top of his lungs. Jake would lie at your feet and give you his cute loving look or you could pet his soft hair.

Jaya Receptionist Emeritus
Jaya Passed away on Friday, April 23rd, 2004 after a short bout with cancer

Jaya was 16 and a half years old.
He’ll join his brother, Punkin, who passed away 6 years before in heaven.

Jaya lived a wonderful and charmed life.
He was one of 5 kittens who were abandoned by their adult guardian on Wilshire Blvd in midtown. They scrambled up a tree for safety from the cars and people. They were found by a very nice lady who worked in a local PR Firm. She took them home, fed them and loved them, and found homes for them all. When Peggi Sturm came to see the kittens with her 18 month old baby, Josh, there were only 2 left. Peggi and Josh kept the brothers together and brought both home.

Jaya and Punkin were indoor cats on Texas Avenue. They were happy there, although they often sat in the window in Peggi’s bedroom and “clucked” at the birds in the jacaranda tree outside. “I’d catch you if I could get thru this window” Jaya said, over and over again!

When the family moved to Ayres Ave, there was a doggy door. Hooray for freedom! Jaya and Punkin were in and out, all the time.
And Jaya proved to those birds that he wasn’t kidding. He was a great birder, much to the disapproval of his resident humans.

Jaya “owned” Ayres Ave. His job in life was greeter-receptionist. He stood or sat on the sidewalk in front of our house and greeted everyone who passed by. Mothers with children or babies were his favourites. Jaya would roll onto his back and request that his friends rub his tummy. He had a loud voice and had a lot to say to his friends.

Once, in my work with Apple Computer, I was talking with a woman in their Santa Monica office. She noticed my address on my business card. I had know her for several years. She said, that after the earthquake they had relocated to Ayres Ave while their house was repaired. She had an infant and used to walk her baby on Ayres twice a day. She told me about this wonderful friendly cat on Ayres. He was black, with white paws and tummy, and a little white bib that jiggled when he walked. He was her first and best friend on Ayres. He talked to her and she rubbed his tummy. Yes, that was my Jaya!

All my clients who came to the house loved Jaya. He sat on the desk where we were working, usually right on top of their papers, and let them pet him. If they got stressed, he moved to their laps for more intense petting.

The humans of the house and the dogs loved Jaya too. Jaya was Josh’s little brother and they grew up together. In Jaya’s sickness, Josh even fed him! Jaya liked to sit on the sofa in Josh’s room. It was so soft with all those clothes on it. Jaya was warm and comfy.

The puppy, PJ, chased and annoyed Jaya some of the time, but other times, he’d rub faces and lick Jaya. “Adoration is sometimes annoying, but we have to honor our fans,” Jaya would say.

Jaya was afraid of the big dog, Jake. He would come in late at night and Jake would be asleep in the hall. Jaya slept on the bed by Peggi’s head. Jake blocked the path. Jaya would sit on the far side of Jake and call to Peggi: “Wake up, Get up, Come pick me up and carry me past the giant annoying animal to bed. NOW!” He would repeat himself until Peggi came. One night there was a battle of the wills. Jaya spoke until Peggi’s will was broken, 7 hours later!

Peggi and Jaya understood each other. As you can see from this Memorial, Peggi could always understand what Jaya was saying and often languaged it in English. Jaya’s voice was very expressive.

Jaya was cremated and his remains will live in our garden, so that he can continue to greet everyone, in spirit. We will all miss his smiling whiskers, his soft pettable fir and his indomitable spirit.