Vistage Member Company Smith & Howard Number One among Elite 50 Best of the Best Firms in the Nation

September 16, 2014, San Diego, CA – For the fifth consecutive year, Vistage member company Smith & Howard was included as a Best of the Best CPA firm by INSIDE Public Accounting (IPA.) This year, it was ranked the number one CPA firm in the nation among the Best of the Best firms and named an IPA Best of the Best Fastest-Growing Firm.

“The IPA Best of the Best firms represent the pinnacle of high-performing businesses in the U.S. Each firm demonstrates the right combination of vision, planning, training, and execution to deliver superior performance,” says Michael Platt, principal of the Platt Group and publisher of the accounting trade publication, INSIDE Public Accounting.

“Smith & Howard will receive the ‘Pyramid of Excellence’ award at the 2014 PRIME Symposium held in November, in Indianapolis,” says Kelly Platt, principal of INSIDE Public Accounting. “This year, more than 540 firms vied for the Best of the Best accolade, and Smith & Howard ranked number one,” says Platt.

Smith & Howard is a full service certified public accounting firm, with a hallmark of commitment to personal involvement with clients. Sean Taylor, partner in charge of the Accounting, Advisory, and Assurance Services group, has been a Vistage Chief Executive member in Atlanta since 2000.

Of the inclusion on the Best of the Best list and the firm’s first year as the number one firm, John Lucht, Managing Partner of Smith & Howard said, “Smith & Howard’s growth and our recognition on this elite list reflect our historical commitment to doing what is right for our clients and our people. We are honored and humbled to be included and are deeply grateful to our loyal clients, employees and friends for their commitment to each other’s success. Our growth value says, ‘We will not sacrifice quality for the sake of growth.’ IPA’s recognition of the quality of our operations and performance, combined with our recognition as a fast growing firm, underscores our commitment in this area and provides assurance to our clients and future clients that we will continue to provide them with superior quality as we grow.”

About Smith & Howard
Smith & Howard, one of the top Atlanta CPA firms in size and now the top CPA firm in the nation by way of this IPA ranking, provides global expertise and services with a personal, responsive level of service. Services include tax planning and compliance, state and local tax, sales and use tax, assurance, valuation, SOC reporting, CFO/Controller services, M&A, succession planning and more, primarily for middle market businesses.

About Vistage Worldwide, Inc.
Vistage is the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization for small and midsize businesses. For more than 65 years, we’ve been helping CEOs, business owners and key executives solve their greatest challenges through confidential peer groups and one-to-one executive coaching sessions. Today, more than 45,000 members in 35 countries rely on Vistage to help make better decisions for their companies, families and communities. The results prove it: Vistage CEO members grew their annual revenue on average by 4.6% in 2020, while nonmembers with comparable small and midsize businesses saw revenue decrease by 4.7%, according to a study of Dun & Bradstreet data. Learn more at vistage.com. Media Contact Katie McWeeney | Vistage 858.523.6875 | katie.mcweeney@vistage.com