Our CEO

Paul Bettencourt

Paul Bettencourt is the Chief Executive Officer and an Owner of   Bettencourt Tax Advisors, LLC.  Bettencourt Tax Advisors, LLC was formed in 2009 to bring Paul’s years of public service and knowledge of property taxes, as well as his years of business experience to the private sector. He spent ten years leading the Harris County Tax Office as the elected Tax Assessor-Collector in the nation's third largest county. As the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector, Paul managed nearly 500 employees who provided property tax services to millions of local residents in Harris County and collected 5 Billion dollars a year for 65 local taxing jurisdictions, the county and the State of Texas. Paul Bettencourt received the “Taxpayer Advocate of the Year” award from the Americans For Prosperity and many other recognitions of his statewide effort to reduce property tax increases for all Texas Taxpayers. Through Paul’s leadership at the Tax Office, his team developed a Customer Service driven organization which started with an extensive Web Site that included on-line tax bills, and then the first On-Line Automotive registration and Property Tax Payment System in Texas. The Harris County Tax Office became the first County Tax Office in Texas to bring automation in all areas of Tax Office operations by replacing all of its core business systems in Property Tax Collection, Automotive Registration, and Voter Registration with a 21st Century State of the Art Systems whcih quickly became industry standards.  Because of his vision and implementation of Technology, "Smart Government" policies, and Best Business Practices that the Tax Office was able to increase the number of Taxiing Jurisdictions it served from 44 to 65 during his tenure.  He did all this while maintaining his yearly 25 Million dollar operating budget flat over his decade long term of service.  Paul's career prior to taking public office included providing consulting services for clients in Industry and Government sectors; servicng as V.P. of Sales and Director of Sales and Marketing for the Industrial Systems’ Chemical, Oil and Gas Division of a large multinational firm where he oversaw an annual sales budget of $100million; and managing national accounts in the robotics industry both nationwide and abroad. Paul now brings the same vision, customer service effort, technology experience, and Best Business Practices to Bettencourt Tax Advisors, LLC where his decades of experience in property tax services, industrial/commercial sales, and management will bring comprehensive property tax solutions to taxpayers.

Our BTA Team of Experts

Henry Mehrdad

Henry Mehrdad is the Commercial Vice President at Bettencourt Tax Advisors, LLC.  He has over seventeen years in the commercial real estate and ad valorem tax industry.  He began his career developing and growing his own commercial real estate portfolio, as well as, third party management of premier commercial properties.  Henry’s management of his own commercial portfolio led him to develop the skills necessary to manage and reduce ad valorem taxes.  This experience was a natural segueway into the representation of other commercial property owner’s ad valorem tax matters as a Property Tax Consultant.  His ad valorem career has been focused on commercial, multi-family, industrial properties, and light business personal property.   Henry is an affiliate member of the Appraisal Institute, a member of the Texas Association of Property Tax Professionals (TAPTAP), and a registered Property Tax Consultant with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). 

Mr. Mehrdad’s experience and industry savvy enabled him to achieve outstanding results. While representing clients’ interests, he was successful in:

• Attaining an $18 million dollar reduction on a portfolio of Multi-Family Properties, saving the client $450,000 in property taxes.
• Correcting a completion estimate error, saving this Office Building Owner $144,000 in property taxes.
• Reducing the taxable amount of an Industrial Client’s BPP by 27%.

Michael Gould

Michael Gould is a Senior Commercial Property Tax Consultant with Bettencourt Tax Advisors, LLC. He has over 15 years of experience in ad valorem property valuation.  Following active duty, he worked for a real estate appraiser and attended seminars with the Appraisal Institute. He then spent four years with the El Paso CAD as a residential, commercial, and business personal property appraiser. This experience gives him a broad range of depth and capability to evaluate all aspects of an ad valorem property valuation problem.  He has represented nearly every type of taxable property in Texas and throughout the United States.  The knowledge he gained at the Appraisal Institute seminars combined with his experience and the common sense approach he brings to each valuation challenge gives Michael’s clients the best possible analysis of their specific situation.  His commitment to his clients is evident by the close interaction with each taxpayer and the time and attention he takes to earn their trust.  Michael has worked for property tax consulting companies for approximately 11 years.  He has had the opportunity to represent owners of a wide variety of properties. From residential tract homes to large commercial enterprises, Michael applies the same energy and experience to winning the largest valuation reduction he can for the client. He has vast experience valuing residential, commercial, and business personal property (fixed assets) in southeast Texas and nationally.  Some of his recent experiences have included assisting property owners with delinquent property taxes, as well as, working with a national funeral services company to value their properties nationwide.

Terrance Dwayne Holly

Terrance Dwayne Holly is a Senior Property Tax Consultant who manages our staff of experienced residential agents. He worked as an appraiser for the Harris County Appraisal District from 1989 to 2003. For the last seven years he worked as a Property Tax Consultant for a major consulting firm and was in charge of all the firm’s residential properties. In his spare time, he builds custom classic cars.

Terry Likins

Terry Likins is a Commercial Property Tax Consultant with Bettencourt Tax Advisors, LLC, licensed to practice in Texas. For the past 20 years, he was a senior executive with a large independently owned mortgage banking company. As a senior executive, Terry was directly involved with the acquisition and delivery of several billion dollars in residential mortgage loans to multiple institutional investors. His years of experience with appraisal methodology to support collateral values, has been quite beneficial for BTA clients. Terry’s past involvement with loss mitigation provides a distinct advantage to BTA clients in their Judicial Appeals. He brings a lifetime of experience and expertise to BTA and takes great pride in assisting taxpayers with their special issues.   

Bill Smith

Bill Smith represents BTA as a Property Tax Consultant. He is exceptional at determining client needs, educating them and working one-on-one with the client to meet a mutual goal. He works primarily with commercial clients; listening to what services their properties could benefit from, making sure they understand the process and showing them how BTA can help them maximize their savings. He gives his clients the best service possible throughout the protest process. Bill focuses on new client sales, but also works extensively with our existing client base.

Nicole Salha

Nicole Salha joined BTA as a Commercial Property Executive. She is in charge of new commercial accounts and maintaining the commercial portfolio. She is a licensed, experienced Property Tax Consultant. She has worked in sales, property management, and real estate since 2003. She is also a licensed Texas Realtor. She speaks fluent French. Nicole believes in customer service as a priority above all else and takes pride in her devotion to the satisfaction of all BTA’s clients. Nicole knows that taking the time to discover the needs of the client and building strong relationships are the most important parts of her job.