Brown Edwards

What Brown Edwards does

Brown Edwards & Company, L.L.P. is a privately held, partner-owned CPA firm offering assurance, tax, and advisory services across the Mid-Atlantic region. Formed in 1967 through the merger of Fred P. Edwards (Bluefield, WV) and C.A. Brown (Roanoke, VA), the firm has grown to 450+ professionals, including 50+ partners, across 13 offices in Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Core service lines include financial statement audits, employee benefit plan audits, federal/state/local tax compliance and planning, business valuation, forensic accounting, IT audit and advisory, retirement plan administration, and outsourced accounting. The firm pursues deep vertical specialization across construction, community banking and credit unions, higher education, state and local government, not-for-profits, dealerships, manufacturing and distribution, healthcare, and energy.

The business operates on a traditional professional services model with engagement-based, quote-driven pricing and partner-led business development. Distribution is anchored by direct client engagement across 13 physical offices, supplemented by secure client portals (Suralink, Client Axcess) for document exchange and third-party payment integrations (Aiwyn, QuickFee). The firm is an independent member of BDO Alliance USA, which provides access to national firm resources while preserving local decision-making autonomy. Growth has been driven primarily through a sustained acquisition strategy — 12+ completed deals since 2008, including the 2025 acquisition of DesRoches & Co. (Hampton Roads / HOA accounting), the 2020 majority interest in Covenant Real Estate Services (title and settlement), and earlier acquisitions of Cherry Bekaert and Dixon Hughes Goodman practices. The firm has expanded its service portfolio beyond traditional CPA work into adjacent professional services and has been recognized on national rankings including Accounting Today Top 100, Inside Public Accounting Top 100, Forbes Best Accounting Firms, and ClearlyRated Best of Accounting (84.6% client satisfaction vs. 48% industry average).

Name

Brown Edwards

Legal name

Brown Edwards & Company, L.L.P.

Website

https://becpas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Brown Edwards is a privately held Mid-Atlantic CPA firm offering assurance, tax, and advisory services across nine verticals to enterprise, SMB, government, and education clients through 13 offices in Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Accounting and Advisory Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211)

akta.pro primary industry

Audit & Assurance Services (BPAHABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accounting & Bookkeeping Services (BPAHABAC)

Keywords

• Audit and assurance services
• Tax advisory services
• Employee benefit plan audits
• Forensic accounting services
• Valuation and litigation support

Headquarters

HQ city

Bluefield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Assurance Services: Audit, review, and compilation services for financial statements; employee benefit plan audits; compliance audits
2. Tax Services: Federal, state, and local tax return preparation; tax planning for corporations, partnerships, individuals; estate planning
3. Advisory and Consulting: Business valuation, forensic accounting, litigation support, IT audit and advisory, retirement plan administration, outsourced accounting

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Brown Edwards is a regional CPA and advisory firm that delivers audit, tax, and consulting services to businesses, government entities, nonprofits, and high-net-worth individuals. The firm combines industry-specialized assurance and tax work with advisory offerings such as IT audit, valuation, forensic accounting, retirement plan administration, and outsourced accounting. Its professionals operate from multiple U.S. offices and supplement their capabilities through the BDO Alliance, a national association of independent accounting firms.

Product overview

Brown Edwards is a full-service professional services firm offering a unified portfolio of assurance, tax, and advisory services. The core offering includes Assurance & Accounting (audits, reviews, benefit plan audits), Tax Services (federal, state/local, international), and Advisory & Consulting. These core services are supported by specialized sub-products including Valuation/Forensic Accounting/Litigation Support, IT Audit and Advisory, Retirement Plan Administration, and Outsourced Accounting & Advisory. The firm has expanded through acquisitions, including Covenant Real Estate Services (title and settlement) and numerous regional CPA firms. The service model emphasizes personalized client care combined with national firm resources through BDO Alliance membership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Covenant Real Estate Services, LLC: Full service real estate title and settlement firm serving attorneys, lenders, developers, investors and REALTORS with due diligence services for property purchase and refinancing.

Products and services

• Assurance & Accounting

Quantifiable outcome

• 84.6% of clients gave satisfaction score of 9 or 10 out of 10 (significantly higher than industry average of 48%)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered acquisition and core.

• DesRoches & Co.acquisitionStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2025Brown Edwards acquired DesRoches & Co., a firm specializing in accounting services for condominium and homeowners associations. The deal added over 25 professionals to Brown Edwards, broadening its expertise and market presence in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia.
• Covenant Real Estate Services, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Brown Edwards acquired a majority interest in Covenant Real Estate Services, LLC, a full-service real estate title and settlement firm. The firm assists attorneys, lenders, developers, investors, and REALTORS with due diligence for purchasing or refinancing real estate properties.
• BDO Alliance USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrown Edwards is an independent member of BDO Alliance USA, which provides access to the resources and expertise of a national firm while maintaining local decision-making authority. This alliance enables the firm to serve clients requiring national or international resources.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dixon Hughes Goodman: Large regional accounting firm (now part of Forvis) whose Roanoke and Newport News practices were acquired by Brown Edwards in 2017-2018; directly comparable in industry verticals, mid-market client focus, and Southeast/Mid-Atlantic footprint.
• Citrin Cooperman: Top-30 US accounting firm with a national footprint and strong PE-backed acquisition strategy targeting regional CPA firms; directly comparable in service mix and middle-market client orientation.
• Elliott Davis: Top-30 US accounting and advisory firm with strong Southeast presence; comparable in size, industry-verticalized service model, and acquisition-driven growth strategy targeting regional CPA firms.
• Carr Riggs & Ingram (CRI): Top-25 US accounting firm with a comparable acquisition-driven growth strategy, mid-market client focus, and regional concentration in the Southeast; directly competes for similar construction, government, and banking clients.
• Cherry Bekaert: Top-25 US accounting firm with a strong Mid-Atlantic and Southeast presence; Brown Edwards has acquired two of its practices (Roanoke and Lynchburg in 2019), making it a directly comparable regional peer in size, services, and client mix.
• Aprio: Top-30 US accounting and advisory firm with strong Southeast presence and a PE-backed growth model; competes in similar construction, government, and middle-market verticals.
• Forvis: Top-10 US accounting firm formed from the merger of BKD and Dixon Hughes Goodman; a primary acquirer of regional CPA talent and client relationships in the same Mid-Atlantic and Southeast geography that Brown Edwards serves.

Broad incumbents

• Wipfli: Top-20 US accounting firm with strong middle-market focus and a national footprint; comparable in industry specialization and acquisition-led growth but with broader geographic reach.
• Baker Tilly US: Top-10 US accounting and advisory firm with broad national presence and significantly greater scale; competes for the same mid-market and institutional clients in Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions.

Regional players

• PBMares: Mid-Atlantic-based CPA firm with comparable size and service offerings, headquartered in Virginia; competes for the same regional clients, particularly in construction, government, and not-for-profit verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/brownedwards
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC3ReCSn6AFfdQiCUsH4oopA
• Facebookfacebook.com/brown-edwards-150325881646015
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/443952

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brown Edwards