Harper Rains Knight & Company

What Harper Rains Knight & Company does

Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A. (HRK) is a privately held certified public accounting firm structured as a Mississippi Professional Association. Founded in 1994 through the merger of two local CPA firms that had operated for over 30 years prior, the firm provides a comprehensive suite of professional services including tax preparation and planning, audit and assurance, client accounting services (QuickBooks outsourcing, payroll, AP automation), IT auditing (using the Qualys Consultant Solution), litigation support, fraud examinations, insurance regulatory examinations, business valuations, and industry-specific consulting across 19 verticals such as healthcare, government, financial institutions, oil and gas, agriculture, construction, and not-for-profit organizations.

The firm operates from two offices — its Ridgeland, Mississippi headquarters and a Washington, D.C. office — and serves clients ranging from individuals and small/closely held businesses to federal agencies, hospitals, banks, and insurance entities. Its revenue model is professional-services-fee based with custom quote-based engagements and multi-year client relationships. Technology is operational rather than proprietary: the firm leverages QuickBooks Online as a ProAdvisor, Qualys for IT vulnerability testing, and standard CPA toolchains; it has no disclosed software products, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities. Marketing is content-driven via a website blog covering tax updates, accounting best practices, and regulatory changes, with direct client engagement as the primary go-to-market motion.

Ownership rests with partner-level professionals including CEO Cecil Harper (43+ years public accounting experience), Managing Director/President Bill Felder (30+ years), and approximately 12 directors with tenure ranging from 13 to 39 years. No external investment, private equity, or parent company involvement is disclosed. The firm holds no patents, has issued no public funding rounds, and operates as a traditional partner-owned regional CPA practice.

Name

Harper Rains Knight & Company

Legal name

Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A.

Website

https://hrkcpa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Harper, Rains, Knight & Company is a privately held CPA firm founded in 1994 that provides tax, audit, client accounting, IT auditing, litigation support, fraud examination, and business valuation services across 19 industry verticals from offices in Ridgeland, MS and Washington, D.C.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ridgeland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Fees: Fees for accounting, auditing, tax preparation, tax planning, and consulting services provided to individuals, businesses, and organizations across various industries
2. Client Accounting Services: Outsourced accounting services including full service accounting solutions, payroll processing, accounts payable automation, and financial statement preparation

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A. (HRK) is a certified public accounting firm delivering audit, tax, consulting, client accounting, information technology, litigation support, fraud examination, insurance examination, and business valuation services. The firm serves individuals, businesses, financial institutions, government agencies, not-for-profits, and employee benefit plans through offices in Ridgeland, MS and Washington, D.C., with specialized expertise across 19 industry verticals.

Product overview

Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A. is a certified public accounting firm offering a comprehensive suite of professional services rather than a software product. The firm's core offerings include Tax Services, Audit & Assurance Services, Client Accounting Services (including QuickBooks outsourcing), Information Technology Services, Litigation Support, Fraud Examinations, Insurance Examinations, and Business Valuations. Services are delivered across 19 industry specializations covering sectors such as agriculture, construction, healthcare, government, not-for-profit organizations, oil & gas, and retail. The firm operates offices in Ridgeland, Mississippi and Washington, D.C., serving clients of all sizes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tax Services
• Audit & Assurance Services
• Client Accounting Services
• Information Technology Services
• Litigation Support Services
• Fraud Examinations
• Insurance Examinations
• Assurance & Consulting
• Business Valuations
• Industry-Specific Services

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Mississippi Department of InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerforms regulatory insurance examinations for the Mississippi Department of Insurance. Firm has a certified financial examiner who is a member of the Society of Financial Examiners and Mississippi Association of Self Insurers. Has conducted numerous insurance examinations in life, accident and health, credit life and disability, property and casualty, medical malpractice, surety, title, and health insurance sectors.
• QualyssupportingTechnology or IntegrationUses Qualys Consultant Solution for IT control vulnerability testing as part of IT auditing services provided to clients.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• HORNE LLP: Mississippi-headquartered regional CPA and advisory firm of comparable size offering tax, audit, advisory, and industry-specific services to similar client segments including government, healthcare, and financial institutions.
• Plante Moran: Large U.S. regional CPA firm providing audit, tax, and consulting to mid-market clients with comparable industry specialization in manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services.
• Rehmann: Mid-sized U.S. CPA firm with comparable service mix including audit, tax, client accounting outsourcing, and IT advisory, serving similar mid-market and government clients.
• Crowe LLP: Major U.S. accounting firm of comparable scale with strong government contracting, financial institutions, and healthcare audit practices overlapping HRK's industry specializations.
• Eide Bailly LLP: Top-25 U.S. regional CPA firm of similar scale offering audit, tax, and consulting with comparable industry specialization across government, healthcare, financial institutions, and construction.
• FORVIS (formerly BKD + Moss Adams): Top-10 U.S. CPA firm formed through merger of comparable regional firms; offers the same tax, audit, and advisory services to similar mid-market, government, and healthcare clients.
• Cherry Bekaert LLP: Top-25 U.S. accounting and advisory firm serving government, nonprofit, financial services, and healthcare — directly overlapping HRK's vertical mix and federal/state audit capabilities.
• Carr, Riggs & Ingram (CRI): Top-25 U.S. accounting firm with comparable multi-office regional model, providing audit, tax, and advisory services to similar mid-market and government clients.
• Wipfli LLP: Top-25 U.S. accounting and advisory firm with a similar mid-market focus and analogous industry vertical coverage including manufacturing, healthcare, government, and financial services.

Broad incumbents

• BDO USA: Top-5 global accounting network with substantially greater scale and reach; competes for the same government, financial institution, and middle-market audit mandates that HRK services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Harper Rains Knight & Company