GREERWALKER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Partner, Assurance Services
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Instructor, Developer, and Leader of Training
- Partner, Assurance Services
Tony Smith is the Partner-in-Charge of GreerWalker's Assurance practice and has the overall responsibility for the firm's Not-for-Profit and Motorsports practice areas. He also provides consulting services on a large range of business issues, including risk management and compliance consulting. In addition, he has experience with businesses from mid-size closely held to large publicly owned corporations, including multinational SEC registrants. Like everyone at GreerWalker, Tony is focused on maximizing the value of the services provided to his clients. He prides himself on delivering practical common-sense business solutions to his clients by accurately analyzing and evaluating critical issues.
Prior to joining GreerWalker, he worked for Dellinger & Deese, PLLC for ten years and BDO Seidman, LLP for seven years, the last three years as an audit partner.
Tony serves as a regular instructor, developer, and leader of training for GreerWalker and other organizations.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner of Greer
- Partner, Tax Services
- Partner, Tax Services / Greenville
Barry Leasure is the managing partner of GreerWalker's Greenville office. He has more than 20 years of experience providing tax and business advisory services to a large number of clients of all sizes across a wide spectrum of industries. He primarily focuses his practice in the construction, property management and real estate development industries including developers, owners, brokers, and investors. Barry has extensive experience in acquisition-related issues, like-kind (1031) exchanges and involuntary conversions, cost segregation studies, low-income house credits, and special partnership allocations and distributions. His strong technical skills and comprehensive industry knowledge allow him to provide practical advice in a wide range of business areas that helps his clients to plan ahead and respond effectively to business challenges and opportunities.
Job Titles:
- Partner and Head of Client Accounting Services
Beth is a Partner and Head of Client Accounting Services ("CAS"). Beth joined GreerWalker LLP in 2003 upon graduation from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Accountancy. Prior to joining CAS, Beth was a senior manager in our business assurance practice and the team leader of the firm's Not-For-Profit Practice.
Brian Smith - Chief Compliance Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Compliance Officer
- Board Member of Faith
- Chief Compliance Officer, Wealth Services
Brian Smith is the Chief Compliance Officer at GreerWalker Wealth. Brian began his financial services career in 1989 and has experience in IA & BD Compliance, Financial Statement Reporting, IA and BD Sales, Practice Management, Operations, Trading, Process Improvement, Project Management, and Supervision. He has worked with Consulting Firms, Independent Investment Advisors, Broker-Dealers, Custodians, Wrap Account Platforms, TAMP's, TPA's and Banks. He holds Series 7, 9, 10, 24, 27, 63, 65 & 82 licenses.
Brian serves as a Board Member of Faith, Hope & Love - a Christian-based, after-school mentoring program in Charlotte, NC. He also enjoys woodworking, running, traveling, trout fishing, gardening, and helping to support international missions.
Brian lives in Tryon, NC with his wife Lisa and their ridiculous cats; Chuck, Taylor, Linus, Pepe' and Mr. Swat.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Client Accounting Services
Job Titles:
- Treasurer and Finance Committee Member
Job Titles:
- Partner, Tax Services
- Presbyterian Hospital Foundation - Board Member
Charlie Greer founded GreerWalker, together with Kevin Walker, in 1984. Charlie has 35 years of experience serving manufacturers and distributors. He played a crucial role in building GreerWalker's manufacturing and distribution practice, which is today one of the cornerstones of the firm. In addition, Charlie also has a great deal of experience working with businesses in the construction and motorsports industries. Charlie assists closely held companies and their owners with tax planning and compliance needs and provides advice on a wide range of business issues, including entity structure, mergers, acquisitions, trusts, and individual tax matters. Having a strong background in succession and estate planning, Charlie has also worked closely with numerous family-owned businesses in transferring ownership to younger generations.
Charlie prides himself in establishing long-term relationships with his clients, working hard to help them achieve their business and personal goals. His well rounded background allows Charlie to provide highly valued business consultation services designed to meet the specific needs of his clients.
Charlie is also an accomplished speaker, regularly called on to provide taxation related industry updates and has lectured on topics relative to S-Corporations, LLCs, closely held and family businesses, succession planning, and gift and estate taxes.
Job Titles:
- Manager With Greer
- Manager, Assurance Services
Cori Pruner is a manager with GreerWalker's business assurance practice. She has experience with clients in a variety of industries including manufacturing, distribution, professional services, motorsports and real estate. She also has significant experience in employee benefit plan audits and assists clients with defined contribution plan research and projects.
Cori started with GreerWalker as an assurance associate in the Fall of 2016. She was first introduced to GreerWalker when she attended GreerWalker's summer leadership conference while in her senior year at UNCC.
Job Titles:
- Assurance Partner With
- Partner, Assurance Services
- Partner, Assurance Services / Greenville
Keith Hendrix is an assurance partner with GreerWalker LLP. His experience in accounting and auditing dates back to 1993. Keith offers specific skills and a deep understanding of financial reporting and disclosure requirements for privately-owned organizations and publicly traded companies in the areas of manufacturing, distribution, technology, investments, and nonprofit. Additionally, he is a key resource for employee benefit plan audits and the fiduciary responsibilities of benefit plan sponsors.
Keith is originally from Greenville, South Carolina and is a magna cum laude graduate from the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. He began his assurance career with Ernst & Young and later transitioned to the private sector, spending 4 years as a Controller for firms in the manufacturing and technology industries. He returned to public accounting, serving as Audit Shareholder-in-Charge with the Charlotte office of a large regional CPA firm, and was most recently the Partner-in-Charge of the audit practice at a Charlotte-based local firm.
Job Titles:
- Latin American Economic Development Corporation - Treasurer
- Partner, Tax Services
David strives to be more than just a tax advisor to his clients. He provides proactive advice on industry information that he obtains from continuing education classes, in discussions with clients in similar industries and by his active involvement in various trade associations. He has presented to various groups on the topics of international tax filing requirements, tax strategies for global businesses, like-kind exchange, and energy incentives.
Job Titles:
- League - past Board Member and Coach
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Tax Services
- Senior Tax Manager at Greer
Emily Murdoch is a senior tax manager at GreerWalker and a member of the firm's real estate practice team. Emily joined the firm in January of 2011. She has served companies in various industries, including manufacturing and distribution, service firms and real estate. Emily's area of expertise includes commercial real estate, residential real estate and complex partnership structures.
Emily focuses on providing high quality client service by understanding the client's business and assisting with business solutions through tax planning and compliance. She also strives to be a business advisor to her clients by providing value added recommendations for her clients' business and individual needs.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Accounting, North Carolina State University
Master of Accounting, University of North Carolina Charlotte
Certifications
Certified Public Accountant
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Managing Partner
- Partner, Wealth Services
Eric Hutchby is the Managing Partner of GreerWalker Wealth and a founder of Traverse Wealth, serving clients through holistic financial planning and proactive personal service.
Eric credits many of his core principles to his time as a member of the National Ski Patrol while a student at his alma mater, Appalachian State University. "My years serving others while on the National Ski Patrol were priceless. I genuinely wake up every single day to try and find a better way to help our clients traverse through the complexities of life. I am committed, we are committed, to helping our clients."
Eric began his financial services career in 1994, working for one of the country's largest and most respected insurance companies. He subsequently became an advisor at a small, local firm. Both experiences sparked a desire in him to provide a better client experience with better services. Many companies, large and small, just want to sell a product. That was not the culture Eric wanted to promote or the value he intended to deliver for his clients. "It was through these experiences that I felt compelled to create a firm with an entirely different set of values. To build a company with a tenacious focus on serving the clients' best interests."
Eric is actively involved in the community. He and his wife, Beth, serve on the Mooresville School District Foundation Board, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the financial needs of Mooresville Graded Schools teachers and students. In addition, Eric currently serves on the Board of the Lowe's YMCA, as a member of the YMCA Charlotte Association's Foundation Board and as a member of the Mooresville/Lake Norman Rotary Club.
Eric and Beth live in Mooresville and have four wonderful children (all with red hair and blue eyes), two dogs and saltwater fish/corals. He enjoys spending time with his family, saltwater fishing, collecting and drinking wine and listening to the Mooresville High School Marching band.
Job Titles:
- Senior Assurance Manager
- Senior Manager, Assurance Services
Eric Ritz is a senior assurance manager at GreerWalker. He has more than 15 years of professional assurance experience providing audit and assurance services to a variety of closely held businesses. Eric specializes in serving clients in a variety of industries including manufacturing & distribution, and healthcare, including several clients with international affiliates. He also specializes in providing audit services for employee benefits plans, including both defined benefit and defined contribution plans.
Eric focuses on providing high quality client service by understanding the individual business needs of each client and seeking to provide reasonable business solutions to those needs. Like everyone at GreerWalker, Eric is focused on maximizing the value provided to his clients. He prides himself on delivering practical common-sense business solutions to his clients by accurately analyzing and evaluating critical issues.
Prior to joining GreerWalker, he worked for BDO USA LLP for five years.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Hofstra University
Certification
Certified Public Accountant, North Carolina Certificate #34809
Job Titles:
- Corporate Finance
- Managing Director
- Founding Member and Managing Director of GreerWalker Corporate Finance LLC
Gary is a founding member and Managing Director of GreerWalker Corporate Finance LLC, the investment banking arm of GreerWalker LLP, a 100 + person full-service accounting firm in Charlotte. In addition to his 20 years of experience as a merger and acquisitions and exit planning advisor, Gary offers clients the benefit of professional experience in business valuation, commercial banking and business consulting.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Assurance Services
- Mindshop Advisor
Jeremy is an accredited Mindshop advisor and provides business and leadership coaching, and business growth workshops. Jeremy is committed to providing his clients with high quality service and being a trusted advisor for their business solutions and needs.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Tax Partner
John Norman is a Tax Partner and serves as the Managing Partner of GreerWalker LLP. He has more than 25 years of experience in tax and business advisory services with a strong focus on domestic corporate as well as international tax issues. He provides tax planning, compliance, and consulting services to a wide range of clients. John has significant expertise in entity selection and structure, ownership changes, mergers and acquisitions, and transfer pricing.
John is also Managing Director of GreerWalker LLP's exit planning and investment bank affiliate, GreerWalker Corporate Finance, LLC. John started his career as a tax consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers before he joined GreerWalker in 1993.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, IT Risk Services
Job Titles:
- Partner, Assurance Services
- the Arts and Science Council - Member of the 2015 Campaign Cabinet, Cultural Leadership Training Program Graduate
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner, Tax Services
Jonathan McLester is the Partner-in-Charge of GreerWalker's tax practice as well as the practice area leader of the firm's Real Estate practice. He has over nineteen years of public accounting experience, including over twelve years with Deloitte Tax, LLP. During his professional career, Jonathan has served clients across a wide spectrum of industries including the real estate, construction, professional sports, hospitality, manufacturing, professional services, hedge fund and private equity industries. However, for the last fourteen years, Jonathan's practice has focused primarily on the real estate industry. During this time, he has served clients in virtually every sector of the real estate industry. Among past and present clients are public and private companies of all sizes including: a major league professional football team; multiple clients in the motorsports industry; nationally and internationally known real estate and hotel companies; local real estate investors and developers; two large foreign owned manufacturing companies; several contractors; and one of the most prominent private equity firms in the world.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate, Wealth Services
Katie Wallace recently joined GreerWalker Wealth after spending five years as a Certified Public Accountant in GreerWalker's tax department. One of her primary areas of practice while in the tax department was in the individual taxation of high net worth individuals, making her transition to GreerWalker Wealth a natural fit.
Job Titles:
- Partner, Forensic Valuation Services
Kevin Walker founded GreerWalker LLP, together with Charlie Greer, in 1984. He has more than 38 years of audit and assurance experience in a variety of industries including construction, manufacturing & distribution and professional service firms. Kevin has the overall responsibility for the firm's litigation support and business valuation practice.
He has provided services to numerous clients and counsel in civil and criminal cases involving lost profits and other economic damages, internal investigations, employee fraud, and internal controls. He has testified in court as an expert witness on numerous occasions. Kevin is a regular speaker and panelist on the above topics and has appeared on TV and radio on a number of occasions.
Kevin is a graduate of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. He is a Certified Public Accountant, with an Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) designation issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), as well as the CFE designation issued by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Kevin also serves as an arbitration panelist for the American Arbitration Association.
Areas of Expertise
Litigation Support, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Financial Damages, Forensic Accounting, Business Valuation
Education
BBA in Accounting, Hofstra University
Certifications
Certified Public Accountant North Carolina, Certificate #13109, Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Job Titles:
- Assurance Partner With
- Partner, Assurance Services
Mike McNamara is an assurance partner with GreerWalker LLP. He has 30 years experience in accounting and in providing financial advisory services. He supervises engagements in various industries, including manufacturing and distribution, global services and not-for-profit. Mike is a noted expert in employee benefit plans. His knowledge and experience combined with his personal style allow him to build trusting relationships with clients. Mike's wide range of leadership experience within public accounting and industry provides him with a unique practical approach to solving problems for clients.
Beyond audit and review services, he has advised on mergers and acquisitions, strategic financial planning, internal controls, and performance reporting. Leveraging this experience to identify revenue and cost savings opportunities and to solve challenging strategic issues lies at the core of the value GreerWalker brings to clients.
Prior to joining GreerWalker in 1997, Mike held a controller's position with Progress Energy in Raleigh. His public accounting career includes six years experience with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Charlotte. He began his career as a staff accountant for the SEC in New York.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Forensic & Valuation Services
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Tax Services / Greenville
Job Titles:
- Partner, Forensic Valuation Services
Job Titles:
- Partner, Assurance Services
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Client Accounting Services
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Tax Services
Job Titles:
- Partner in Greer
- Partner, Tax Services
John Sciascia is a partner in GreerWalker's tax practice and a member of the firm's global services team. He has more than twelve years of tax and accounting experience, focused primarily on domestic and international tax issues for a broad range of companies and their owners. John serves a diverse and sophisticated client base that includes inbound and outbound international clients, family-owned and multinational manufacturers and distributors, industrial contractors, private equity investments, hedge funds, high-growth technology firms (including SaaS), family partnerships and high net worth individuals.
He regularly provides solutions related to tax-efficient structuring, transfer pricing, tax due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, complex capital structures, state and local tax planning, and business planning for family-owned and closely held businesses.
John takes great pride in establishing and maintaining value-added, lasting relationships with each of his clients. He is committed to identifying and solving all of their business and personal needs. John's diverse background presents a valuable perspective to his clients, which allows him to provide a unique hybrid of technical expertise and practical advice.
Prior to joining GreerWalker, John began his career with Ernst & Young in the Financial Services practice in Boston, Massachusetts.
Job Titles:
- Associate Advisor, Wealth Services
Job Titles:
- Manager, Assurance Services
Job Titles:
- Manager, Assurance Services
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Tax Services
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Assurance Services / Greenville
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Assurance Services
Job Titles:
- Partner, Forensic Valuation Services