Kyla Hansen

Q: How do I contact her?

Call 651-379-5751 or email khansen@jakcpa.com.

Services Offered

Audit, Review & Compilation Services

Independent audits, reviews, and compilations for businesses, ESOPs, and nonprofits — GAAP conformity, risk as... Read more

GAAP Financial Reporting & Compliance

Financial statement and GAAP reporting engagements, including implementation of new standards such as ASC 842... Read more

ESOP Advisory & Accounting

ESOP feasibility analysis, transition support, financial statement reviews and audits, five-year projections,... Read more

Business Valuation Consulting

Range-of-value and floor value calculations, calculation engagements, formula-based calculations for buy/sell... Read more

Business Succession Planning

Exit strategy design across every path — family transition, key-employee buyout, outside sale, or ESOP — with... Read more

Specialties

Construction Accounting & CCIFP-Led Assurance

Construction is the industry John A. Knutson & Co., PLLP is best known for, with more than 100 years serving g... Read more

Audit, Review & Compilation Services

JAK's assurance department delivers every level of attestation: audits providing the highest level of assuranc... Read more

ESOP Advisory & Employee Ownership Transitions

Employee stock ownership plans are a dedicated JAK specialty. The firm advises owners on whether an ESOP fits... Read more

Business Succession & Exit Planning

Having navigated its own leadership transitions across 100 years and four generations, JAK understands success... Read more

Business Valuation & Value Consulting

JAK's value consulting team, which includes a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), helps owners understand what... Read more

Client Types Served

Family-Owned and Multigenerational Businesses

Construction Contractors and Subcontractors

Manufacturers

Employee-Owned Companies (ESOPs)

Industry Expertise

Construction

For more than 100 years JAK has helped general contractors, subcontractors, and construction-related businesse... Read more

Real Estate

JAK helps real estate professionals, investors, building owners, and commercial and residential developers nav... Read more

Retail

JAK works with brick-and-mortar and online retailers in the pharmaceutical, building supply, grocery, liquor,... Read more

Manufacturing

JAK's manufacturing clients range from structural steel manufacturing and assembly to steel coating, printing... Read more

Employee-Owned Companies (ESOPs)

JAK serves companies at every stage of employee ownership — from owners exploring whether an ESOP is right for... Read more

Languages Spoken

English

About Kyla Hansen

For Kyla, it's all about relationships. An Excel guru energized by the balancing of debits and credits, it's getting to know her clients and sharing in their journeys that has kept her passion for accounting strong. She came to John A. Knutson & Co., PLLP in 2005 with two prior years in public accounting, became Partner in 2018, and now leads the firm's Assurance Department.

Much of her practice focuses on the construction, manufacturing, and retail industries — guiding clients through financial statement issues and using her CVA and ESOP experience to assist business owners in the transition of ownership.

Speaking & leadership highlights:
• MNCPA Tax Conference — "Is an ESOP Right for Your Client" (speaker, 2022)
• Exit Planning Institute — "The Year of Risk and its Impact on Owning a Business" (2021)
• EmpowerHer x Bernstein — "Tax Strategies for Business Owners, Including the Section 1202 Gain Exclusion" (2025)
• Owners Edge Webinar — "Tax Updates, Entity Types, Tax-Saving Strategies, and Accounting Best Practices" (2026)
• Poised for Exit podcast — multiple episodes on ESOPs, sale preparation, and people-focused enterprises
• MNCEO & ACG Women's Leadership Series — Employee Ownership Panel (2022)
• Minnesota Center for Employee Ownership Advisory Committee (since 2020)

Areas of expertise:
• Assurance services (audit, review, compilation & other)
• Construction
• ESOP
• Manufacturing
• Real estate
• Retail
• Succession planning

Education

Bachelor of Science, Accounting

University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, 2003

Certifications & Licenses

Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

Minnesota Board of Accountancy

Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA)

National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts

Professional Memberships

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)

Member

Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)

Member

Minnesota Center for Employee Ownership (MNCEO)

Advisory Committee Member since 2020

Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants (MNCPA)

Member

National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA)

Member

National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO)

Member

The ESOP Association (TEA)

Member

Honors & Recognition

Speaker, "Is an ESOP Right for Your Client"

MNCPA Tax Conference

Panelist, Employee Ownership Panel — Women's Leadership Series

MNCEO & Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)

Presenter, "The Year of Risk and its Impact on Owning a Business"

Exit Planning Institute

Presenter, "Tax Strategies for Business Owners, Including the Section 1202 Gain Exclusion"

EmpowerHer x Bernstein

Finance & Accounting Mentor, EO Rally

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Availability

Available Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. Please contact for appointment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Kyla Hansen specialize in?

She heads JAK's Assurance Department — audits, reviews, and compilations for construction, manufacturing, and retail businesses — and uses her CVA and ESOP experience to guide business owners through ownership transitions.

Can she help me explore an ESOP?

Yes. Kyla is one of the region's recognized ESOP advisors: she has presented "Is an ESOP Right for Your Client" at the MNCPA Tax Conference, sits on the Minnesota Center for Employee Ownership advisory committee, and is a member of The ESOP Association and the NCEO.

What are her credentials?

Certified Public Accountant (2007) and Certified Valuation Analyst (2018). She joined the firm in 2005 and became partner in 2018.

How do I contact her?

Call 651-379-5751 or email [email protected].