Scott Ahola has devoted his career of 30-plus years to leading computer software development at Ahola and overseeing its technology functions.

As chief information officer, his exacting standards resulted in Ahola’s receipt of multiple IRS Magnetic Media awards for electronically filing more than 500,000 tax returns without error.

Scott enrolled Ahola in the Social Security Administration’s Magnetic Media Reporting and Electronic Filing (MMREF) pilot program, which was designed to improve the electronic transmission of W-2 forms. The MMREF system subsequently was implemented for businesses nationwide.

Scott headed the team that led Ahola to become the first company to voluntarily file Ohio withholding tax electronically. In addition, he worked with the state’s two major income tax collection entities, the Regional Income Tax Agency (RITA) and the Central Collection Agency (CCA), to design electronic remittance programs for local taxes. Both programs were subsequently adopted.

Scott also oversaw the development of Ahola’s first signature payroll processing software, called Generations. This software program was installed on-site with each client, allowing them to transmit data over the Internet, an innovation at the time. This system allowed greater flexibility, control and choice than previous approaches to payroll, and especially benefited small business owners.

His software engineering team also developed Ahola’s “Family Pay” system, which established separate payroll tracks for family and non-family employees within a company, offering enhanced security and confidentiality.

Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University, with a major in management information systems.

He is a member of the Independent Payroll Providers Association and the American Payroll Association.