About

Joe Sass, CPA, CA

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I’m a CFO by trade, a builder by instinct, and a long-term thinker by nature.

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Over the course of my career, I’ve operated at both ends of the spectrum — helping lead multi-billion-dollar public institutions while also building and advising entrepreneurial ventures from the ground up.

 

I’ve served as a senior financial executive in municipal government, overseeing complex capital plans, asset management systems, long-range financial strategies, and large organizational transformations. I’ve also co-founded and advised startups navigating uncertainty, growth, and the constant pressure of limited runway.

 

That range matters.

 

It means I understand governance, risk, and public accountability.
It also means I understand founders, cash flow stress, and the reality of making payroll.

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Through Keystone CFO, I bring big-organization financial discipline to small and mid-sized businesses — without the bureaucracy. My work focuses on financial clarity, capital strategy, risk management, and building durable systems that allow owners to make confident decisions. I don’t believe in extractive advisory relationships or jargon-heavy consulting. I believe in strengthening the core — the keystone — so the rest of the structure stands on its own.

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My approach is direct, analytical, and steady. I care deeply about fundamentals: balance sheets that make sense, forecasts that actually inform decisions, capital plans that align with strategy, and risk frameworks that hold up under pressure. In a world that feels increasingly unstable — economically, technologically, geopolitically — I focus on helping organizations build resilience instead of chasing noise.

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I’ve helped guide large-scale ERP transformations, long-term capital planning frameworks, service-based budgeting models, and strategic financial overhauls. I’ve built startups. I’ve navigated boardrooms. I’ve worked through crisis scenarios and expansion cycles. What ties it all together is this: clarity creates confidence.

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At Keystone, that’s the promise — strong financial foundations, thoughtful strategy, and broad shoulders when it matters most.

 

Outside of work, I’m deeply engaged in my community and family life in the Okanagan. I’m naturally future-oriented — always thinking about systems, incentives, and how today’s decisions shape tomorrow’s outcomes. I read widely, build things with my hands, and approach both business and life with the same mindset: strengthen the core first.

If you’re building something meaningful and want financial leadership that is steady, strategic, and grounded in real operating experience — I’d welcome the conversation.