Coulter & Justus

What Coulter & Justus does

Coulter & Justus is a privately held professional services firm headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, that provides accounting, assurance, tax, business consulting, litigation support, and forensic accounting services to both individuals and businesses. Founded in 1993 when former Ernst & Young partners Sam Coulter and Ron Justus acquired the firm's Knoxville practice, the firm has grown to include more than 40 CPAs and over 60 staff, positioning it as one of the largest CPA firms in East Tennessee. The firm operates with a vertical specialization strategy, organizing dedicated industry groups around Closely-Held & Family Owned Businesses, Employee Benefit Plans, Government Contracting, Healthcare, Mining, Public Companies (SEC Services), and Restaurants, and holds PCAOB and CPAB registrations that enable service to publicly registered companies in the United States and Canada.

The firm's service portfolio is structured around four core lines — Accounting & Assurance, Business Consulting, Tax Services, and Specialty Industry Practices — with revenue generated through professional service fees on engagements priced by scope and complexity. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, supported by content marketing (tax planning guides, monthly newsletters, blog articles), community involvement, and an online pay-invoice portal (credit card, ACH, and QuickFee installment plans). Operating geographies include East Tennessee, the broader United States, and Canada via membership in CPAmerica International (a Crowe Horwath International alliance). The firm has a sub-brand, C&J Wealth Advisors, extending into financial planning and investment management. Technology is described as a standard CPA stack (tax preparation, audit tools, financial reporting); no proprietary technology, APIs, or AI/ML products are offered. Leadership transitioned in September 2024 when Rob Wildi became Managing Principal, succeeding Mike Parton who had held the role since 2013.

Name

Coulter & Justus

Legal name

Coulter & Justus, PC

Website

https://cj-pc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Coulter & Justus is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based CPA firm providing accounting, audit, tax, consulting, and wealth advisory services to individuals and mid-market businesses across the United States and Canada, with specialty practices in healthcare, mining, government contracting, public companies, and restaurants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounting & Advisory Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting & Bookkeeping Services (BPAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting Advisory (GAAP/IFRS) (BPAHABAF)

Keywords

• Public accounting services
• Tax compliance consulting
• Audit assurance services
• Forensic accounting litigation
• Industry-specific CPA services

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Fees: The firm generates revenue through professional service fees for accounting, assurance, tax, and consulting services provided to individuals and businesses. Revenue is generated through service engagements with fee structures based on scope and complexity of services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Coulter & Justus is a full-service CPA firm that delivers accounting and assurance, business consulting, and tax compliance and planning services to individuals and businesses. Services are organized into four core lines — Accounting & Assurance, Business Consulting (including Litigation Support & Forensic Services), Tax Services — plus specialty industry practices covering closely-held/family-owned businesses, employee benefit plans, government contracting, healthcare, mining, public companies, and restaurants. The firm serves clients ranging from startups to large Tennessee organizations, with engagement-based service fees across the United States and Canada.

Product overview

Coulter & Justus is a full-service CPA firm offering a unified portfolio of professional financial services organized around four core service lines: Accounting & Assurance, Business Consulting (including Litigation Support & Forensic Services), Tax Services, and Specialty Industry Practices. The specialties include Closely-Held & Family Owned, Employee Benefit Plans, Government Contracting, Healthcare, Mining, Public Companies (SEC Services), and Restaurants. Additional client-facing services include Online Payment Processing and Client Newsletters. The firm is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee with over 40 CPAs and 60 staff members, serving clients throughout the United States and Canada through its membership in CPAmerica International and Crowe Horwath International.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• C&J Wealth Advisors: Wealth advisory services offering financial planning and investment management, including Associate Financial Advisor positions for candidates with 2-6 years of brokerage, insurance, or similar services experience.

Products and services

• Accounting & Assurance Comprehensive accounting, assurance, review, compilation, and agreed-upon procedures services for private, not-for-profit, and public companies, including internal control assistance and specialized accounting consultation for clients from startup companies to large organizations in Tennessee.
• Business Consulting Strategic business advisory services including forecasting, accounting for complex transactions, financial close review, internal controls assessment, and chart of accounts development for businesses needing strategic planning and financial assessments.
• Litigation Support & Forensic Services Litigation support for defendants and plaintiffs including forensic accounting, lost profits calculations, and forensic investigations performed by Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs) and CPAs certified in financial forensics (CFFs).
• Tax Services Tax compliance, consulting, and planning services for individuals, corporations, LLCs, partnerships, trusts, and estates, covering U.S., state, local, and international taxes, including federal and state audit representation.
• Closely-Held & Family Owned Business Services Specialized services for closely-held and family-owned businesses including business tax planning, audit and review services, merger and acquisition due diligence, and business succession planning.
• Employee Benefit Plan Services Audit and tax services for employer health and retirement benefit plans including 401(k), profit sharing, defined benefit plans, ESOPs, and Form 5500 preparation and electronic filing. The firm is an AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center member.
• Government Contracting Services Specialized services for government contractors covering Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), unallowed costs, indirect cost rates, Section 316 audits, financial statement audits, and tax services including domestic and inbound/outbound transaction advisory.
• Healthcare Industry Services Financial services for healthcare organizations including acute care hospitals, retirement communities, physician groups, and clinics, covering financial statement audits, internal controls, physician income allocations, and tax compliance.
• Mining Industry Services Financial statement audits, tax compliance, transfer pricing, international structuring, and foreign investment analysis for mining industry clients. The firm is registered with PCAOB and CPAB.
• Public Companies (SEC Services) SEC Services Group providing audits, prospectuses, proxy statements, Form S-1s, 10-Qs, 10-Ks, reverse merger, IPO guidance, and PCAOB-standard audits for publicly traded mid-sized and emerging growth companies.
• Restaurant Industry Services Industry-specific accounting, tax, and advisory services for restaurant businesses including franchisors, franchisees, and independent owners across quick service, fast casual, casual dining, and fine dining segments.
• C&J Wealth Advisors Wealth advisory sub-brand offering financial planning and investment management services, including Associate Financial Advisor positions for candidates with 2-6 years of brokerage, insurance, or similar services experience.
• Online Payment Processing Three online payment options for client invoices including credit card processing (3% fee), electronic funds transfer (ACH), and monthly payment plans through QuickFee for invoices totaling $5,000 or more.

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CPAmerica InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2015Coulter & Justus joined CPAmerica International, an accounting association of independent CPA firms that provides shared best practices, networking opportunities, and access to expert resources. As a member of CPAmerica, which is part of Crowe Horwath International with offices in over 100 countries, the firm gains worldwide resources to better serve clients internationally.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LBMC: Tennessee-headquartered full-service accounting and advisory firm with similar size, service mix (audit, tax, advisory), industry specialties (healthcare, government contracting), and regional mid-market client base. Directly comparable in scale, geography, and PCAOB-registered capability.
• Dean Dorton Allen Ford: Mid-size regional CPA and advisory firm based in Kentucky with overlapping services in audit, tax, healthcare consulting, and government contracting — directly comparable in size, scope, and southeastern U.S. regional focus.
• WithumSmith+Brown: Top-30 U.S. mid-market accounting and advisory firm with similar scale, comparable service mix (audit, tax, advisory), and strengths in closely-held business and SEC/public company services — directly comparable as a mid-tier PCAOB-registered firm.

Broad incumbents

• FORVIS: Top-10 U.S. accounting firm formed from the merger of Dixon Hughes Goodman and BKD. Offers the same core CPA services with broader geographic reach; competes directly with regional firms like Coulter & Justus for mid-market and public-company engagements.
• Cherry Bekaert: Top-25 U.S. accounting firm providing audit, tax, and advisory with strong practices in government contracting, healthcare, and real estate — overlapping specialties and competing for similar mid-market clients as Coulter & Justus.
• CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA): Top-10 U.S. accounting firm with strong practices in healthcare, government, and closely-held business advisory. Competes in overlapping specialty verticals and offers similar outsourced business advisory services.
• Crowe LLP: Top-10 U.S. accounting and advisory firm affiliated with CPAmerica International (Coulter & Justus's alliance partner). Overlapping audit, tax, and consulting capabilities with comparable vertical strengths in healthcare and government contracting.
• BDO USA: Top-10 global accounting network with strong assurance practice for public, private, and not-for-profit clients — including specialty practices in healthcare and government contracting comparable to Coulter & Justus's verticals.
• Plante Moran: Top-15 U.S. accounting and business advisory firm serving closely-held and family-owned businesses, manufacturers, healthcare, and government entities — overlapping service portfolio and mid-market client focus.

Regional players

• Pugh CPAs: Tennessee-headquartered regional CPA firm serving closely-held businesses, healthcare, and government clients across the Southeast. Directly comparable in size, geographic positioning, and industry specialty mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/coulterjustus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Coulter & Justus