SEK, CPAs & Advisors, LLC

What SEK, CPAs & Advisors, LLC does

SEK, CPAs & Advisors, LLC (legal name: Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC) is a privately held regional certified public accounting firm founded in 1963 and headquartered in Hagerstown, Maryland. The firm employs 200+ professionals structured under 27 Members (partners) and operates from six offices: five in Pennsylvania (Camp Hill, Carlisle, Chambersburg, Hanover, York) and one in Maryland (Hagerstown). SEK delivers four integrated service lines — Audit & Assurance, Tax & Advisory, Outsourced Solutions (bookkeeping, payroll, outsourced CFO, QuickBooks consulting), and Retirement Plan Administration — with the TPA practice currently administering over 470 retirement plans. The firm also maintains nine specialized industry practices covering Affordable Housing, Agribusiness, Construction & Real Estate, Financial Institutions, Healthcare Organizations and Professionals, Local Government, Manufacturing & Distribution, and Nonprofit sectors.

SEK's revenue model is wholly professional services-based, with fees generated from engagements billed across its four service lines and industry specialties. Pricing is quote-based and engagement-specific, supplemented by recurring TPA fees across its retirement plan book. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, augmented by content marketing (blog/News, Video Vault, publications), email newsletters, free educational events/webinars, and active social presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Customer acquisition is heavily referral- and community-driven in the Pennsylvania and Maryland tristate market, reinforced by the firm's student pipeline (ExploreSEK, internships, campus recruiting). Leadership transitioned to Kara Darlington as Chief Executive Officer, and the firm is a member of Allinial Global, providing international reach for cross-border engagements.

The firm relies on standard professional accounting technology plus third-party integrations: NetLinks Solution client portal, SafeSend Returns and Suralink for secure document exchange, Aiwyn for client payment processing with installment options, and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor partnership. There is no proprietary technology, no API offering, and no disclosed AI/ML capability. SEK has earned regional recognition as #21 in the 2025 Best Places to Work in PA Medium Employer category (up from #23 in 2024) and was voted Best Accounting Firm in the Tristate by Herald Mail readers in 2025. The firm is independently held with no disclosed private equity, venture, or parent-company backing.

Name

SEK, CPAs & Advisors, LLC

Legal name

Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC

Website

https://sek.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SEK, CPAs & Advisors, LLC is a privately held regional CPA firm founded in 1963, providing audit, tax, advisory, outsourced accounting, and retirement plan administration services to businesses, nonprofits, and individuals across Pennsylvania and Maryland from six offices with 200+ professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hagerstown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Audit & Assurance Services: Provides audits, reviews, compilations, employee benefit plan audits, and peer reviews for clients.
2. Tax & Advisory Services: Business tax advisory, individual tax preparation, business valuations, estate planning, mergers & acquisitions, research & experimentation tax credit, state & local tax services.
3. Outsourced Solutions: Bookkeeping & payroll, outsourced CFO & accounting, outsourced human resources, QuickBooks consulting.
4. Retirement Plan Administration: Third-party administration of retirement plans including 401(k), profit-sharing, 403(b), and 457 plans. Currently managing over 470 plans.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SEK, CPAs & Advisors, LLC is a regional certified public accounting firm delivering Audit & Assurance, Tax & Advisory, Outsourced Solutions (bookkeeping, payroll, outsourced CFO, HR, QuickBooks), and third-party Retirement Plan Administration services to businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, local governments, and individuals across Pennsylvania and Maryland. The firm operates through six offices staffed by 200+ professionals and 27 Members, applying CPA-led expertise across nine industry verticals. Revenue is generated primarily through professional services fees billed on a custom engagement basis.

Product overview

SEK, CPAs & Advisors, LLC is a regional certified public accounting firm operating as a multi-service practice with four integrated service lines. The core offerings consist of Audit & Assurance Services (financial audits, employee benefit plan audits, peer reviews), Tax & Advisory Services (business tax, estate planning, M&A, R&E credits, SALT), Outsourced Solutions (bookkeeping, payroll, outsourced CFO, QuickBooks support), and Retirement Plan Administration & Planning (TPA services for 401k, 403b, 457 plans managing 470+ plans). These services are delivered through six offices across Pennsylvania and Maryland, supported by a CPA-led team and technology integrations including client portals (NetLinks, SafeSend, Suralink), payment processing (Aiwyn), and QuickBooks ProAdvisor partnership. The firm also offers industry-specific expertise across nine sectors including healthcare, nonprofit, manufacturing, and government.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audit & Assurance Services Comprehensive audit, review, and compilation engagements including financial statement audits, employee benefit plan audits, and peer reviews for other CPA firms, delivered across multiple SEK-served industries.
• Tax & Advisory Services Full-spectrum tax and advisory offering including business tax advisory, individual tax preparation, business valuations, estate planning and compliance, mergers & acquisitions advisory, Research & Experimentation (R&E) tax credit services, and State & Local Tax (SALT) services.
• Outsourced Solutions Comprehensive outsourced accounting and operations support including bookkeeping and payroll processing, outsourced CFO and accounting services, outsourced human resources support, and QuickBooks consulting (Certified ProAdvisor) covering setup, training, and ongoing support.
• Retirement Plan Administration & Planning Third-party administration (TPA) of retirement plans including Traditional, Roth, and Safe Harbor 401(k) plans, profit-sharing plans, 403(b) plans for tax-exempt organizations, governmental money purchase plans, and 457 plans. SEK manages more than 470 plans with services covering plan design, compliance testing, IRS and DOL representation, and Form 5500 preparation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 470 retirement plans managed as third-party administrator
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Allinial GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEK is a member of Allinial Global, an international association of accounting and consulting firms. This membership provides access to global resources, expertise, and a network of professional firms for serving clients with international needs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RKL LLP: Pennsylvania-based regional CPA and advisory firm with comparable headcount, multi-office footprint, and similar mix of audit, tax, outsourced accounting, and retirement plan services to SEK. Directly competes for Mid-Atlantic middle-market clients.
• Brown Plus: Regional PA-based accounting and advisory firm offering audit, tax, and outsourced services with a similar middle-market focus and vertical specialization. Comparable scale and geographic overlap with SEK in central Pennsylvania.
• Stambaugh Ness Business + Technology: York, PA-headquartered accounting, technology, and business advisory firm with multi-office regional presence. Comparable size, vertical mix, and geographic footprint to SEK across south-central Pennsylvania.

Broad incumbents

• CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA): Top-10 U.S. accounting firm with strong presence in the Mid-Atlantic providing audit, tax, advisory, and outsourced services to middle-market clients. Competes directly for SEK's larger clients while operating at substantially greater scale.
• Baker Tilly US: Top-15 national advisory, tax, and assurance firm with significant Mid-Atlantic operations. Competes for SEK's middle-market audit and advisory engagements with broader geographic reach.
• Forvis: Large national CPA and advisory firm formed from the FORVIS/BKD merger, with established presence across the eastern U.S. Provides the same core services as SEK to middle-market and closely-held business clients.
• Plante Moran: Top-15 U.S. CPA and advisory firm with strong middle-market orientation. Competes for SEK's larger engagements while offering broader industry specializations and a national platform.
• Aprio: National advisory and CPA firm with strong East Coast presence, formed in part by mergers of regional firms. Competes for SEK's middle-market audit, tax, and outsourced CFO engagements with broader geographic coverage.
• CohnReznick: Top-25 national advisory, tax, and assurance firm with significant Mid-Atlantic operations and nonprofit, real estate, and financial institutions specializations that overlap with several of SEK's vertical practices.

Others

• Wipfli LLP:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SmithElliottKearns
• Facebookfacebook.com/smith-elliott-kearns-company-llc-102905344623
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sekcpas
• Instagraminstagram.com/lifeatsek
• Xx.com/sekcocpa

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 SEK, CPAs & Advisors, LLC