Daniel Ratliff & Company

What Daniel Ratliff & Company does

Daniel Ratliff & Company, doing business as DRC Tax & Accounting, is a privately held CPA and business advisory firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, founded in 1996. The firm delivers four core service lines: tax planning and preparation (individual, partnership, corporate, estate/trust, and nonprofit), audit and attest services (delivered through affiliated AAPG, LLP within the Aline Accounting Partners Group network), general accounting and bookkeeping, and strategic business development consulting including exit and succession planning. Its client base spans seven verticals: restaurant and hospitality, retail, wholesale distribution, real estate and construction, manufacturing, medical practices, and professional services firms, with documented multi-location franchise operators and healthcare practices as anchor accounts.

The firm operates on a fee-for-service professional services model with no publicly disclosed pricing and no subscription or technology licensing revenue. Its technology stack is built on mainstream small-business accounting platforms — QuickBooks (via membership in Intuit's QuickBooks Professional Advisors Program) and Peachtree/Sage BusinessWorks (via the SAGE Alliance Program) — used both internally and for client training and support. There is no proprietary software product, API, or SaaS offering. Distribution is direct and regional, relying on client referrals, professional networking through AICPA and NCACPA memberships, and the centralized marketing apparatus of the Aline Accounting Partners Group, whose member firms extend across Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Ownership is held by senior partners including Brian E. Huber (CPA, NC #25248), Matthew P. Miller (CPA, NC #24082, head of audit and assurance, co-owner since July 2006), and Deborah K. Johnson (CPA licensed in NC, SC, and NY). The firm has 11-50 employees, a single Charlotte office at 3800 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 500, and serves clients primarily in the Carolinas and broader Southeast. No external funding, M&A activity, or AI/technology differentiation signals are present in the source data.

Name

Daniel Ratliff & Company

Legal name

Aline Accounting Partners, LLC

Website

https://danielratliff.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Daniel Ratliff & Company (dba DRC Tax & Accounting) is a Charlotte, NC-based CPA firm founded in 1996 providing tax, audit, bookkeeping, and business development services to SMB clients across seven verticals including restaurants, healthcare, retail, construction, manufacturing, wholesale, and professional services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounting & Tax Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Tax Preparation Services (541213)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting, Audit & Tax (CPA/CA/ACCA CPE) (EDAAALAA)

Keywords

• Accounting services
• Tax preparation
• Business consulting
• Audit services
• Financial advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Accounting Services: Fee-based professional services including tax preparation, audit services, and general accounting/bookkeeping assistance. Revenue is generated through professional service fees charged to clients for ongoing accounting, tax, and business consulting engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DRC Tax & Accounting is a Charlotte, NC-based CPA firm providing tax planning and preparation, general accounting and bookkeeping, business development consulting, and audit/attest services (the latter delivered through affiliated firm AAPG, LLP). The firm serves businesses ranging from startups to established multi-location corporations across verticals including restaurant/hospitality, retail, wholesale, real estate/construction, manufacturing, medical practices, and professional services, primarily in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Product overview

DRC Tax & Accounting operates as a traditional accounting firm offering a unified suite of professional services rather than a software platform. The core offerings include Tax Services for tax planning, preparation, and resolution; Accounting & Business Services for bookkeeping and financial statements; Business Development for strategic consulting; and Audit & Attest Services delivered through affiliated CPA firm AAPG, LLP. The firm positions itself as a business development partner providing guidance beyond traditional accounting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accounting & Business Services General bookkeeping assistance and periodic financial statement services providing business owners with timely information about their company's financial status, including QuickBooks and Peachtree training and support. Designed for SMB owners who need timely financial visibility.
• Tax Services Tax planning and preparation services for individual, partnership/LLC, corporation, estates/trusts, and non-profit tax returns, plus tax dispute resolution and IRS representation. Targets individuals, business owners, and organizations across NC and SC.
• Business Development Strategic consulting services helping businesses identify growth opportunities, increase profitability, develop success strategies, and plan exit strategies through analysis of critical success factors. Designed for business owners planning growth, transition, or succession.
• Audit & Attest Services Independent audit and attestation services including financial statement audits, compliance audits, agreed-upon procedures, compilations, and reviews, delivered through affiliated firm AAPG, LLP. Targets businesses requiring formal attest engagements.

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Aline Accounting Partners GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRC Tax & Accounting operates as a member firm of the Aline Accounting Partners Group network. The network consists of AAPG, LLP (licensed independent CPA firm providing attest services) and Aline Accounting Partners, LLC (dba DRC Tax & Accounting) which provides tax and business consulting services. The network includes multiple regional accounting firms across Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Forvis (formerly DHG): Top-10 US accounting firm headquartered in Charlotte, NC formed via the 2022 DHG-BDO regional merger; competes for many of the same Carolinas clients but operates at far greater scale with full advisory, tax, and audit capabilities.
• CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA): Top-10 US accounting and advisory firm serving middle-market and SMB clients with tax, audit, and outsourced accounting services comparable to DRC's offerings, but with substantially broader geographic and service reach.
• RSM US LLP: Large US middle-market-focused CPA firm with a Charlotte presence, providing tax, audit, and consulting to mid-sized businesses that overlap DRC's client profile, though at a much broader scale.
• BDO USA, P.C. Top-5 US accounting network with significant Charlotte presence (BDO previously merged into Forvis regionally but retains national brand); competes for the same multi-location franchise and middle-market engagements DRC targets.
• Marcum LLP: Top-15 US accounting and advisory firm with strong middle-market and family office practice; uses private equity backing (RiverGlade Capital) to roll up smaller firms similar to DRC.

Regional players

• Eide Bailly LLP: Top-25 US CPA firm primarily serving Midwest SMB and mid-market clients; comparable SMB/mid-market service mix and PE-backed growth posture make it a useful analog for assessing DRC's scale and growth path.
• Wipfli LLP: Top-20 US CPA and advisory firm serving middle-market companies with tax, audit, and outsourced accounting services; PE-backed via New Mountain Capital, it is a leading consolidator of small regional firms like DRC.

Direct peers

• Cherry Bekaert LLP: Top-30 US CPA firm headquartered in Raleigh, NC serving middle-market businesses across the Southeast with tax, audit, and advisory services directly comparable to DRC's core offerings and regional focus.
• GRF CPAs & Advisors: Mid-Atlantic regional CPA firm serving nonprofit, government, and commercial clients with tax, audit, and outsourced accounting; similar firm size, structure, and value-based positioning as DRC.

Emerging players

• Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLC: PE-backed (NewSpring Holdings) regional CPA firm pursuing aggressive tuck-in acquisitions of small CPA firms; competes for the same talent pool and represents a likely exit path or acquirer of DRC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aline-accounting-partners

Compliance5 records

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 Daniel Ratliff & Company