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Management team grows into Chattanooga’s biggest locally based CPA firm

HHM Certified Public Accountants recently promoted 22 staff members to new management or supervisory roles in the accounting firm, including on the top row from left: Will Clegg, Adam Osborne, Jon Paul Davis and Rob Malone; on the middle row from left: Zach Hutcherson, Weston Porter, Brennan Purcell, Travis Phillips; and on the bottom row from left: Kathy Sanders, Josh Jolley, Sarah Clegg and Chad Goodman.
HHM Certified Public Accountants recently promoted 22 staff members to new management or supervisory roles in the accounting firm, including on the top row from left: Will Clegg, Adam Osborne, Jon Paul Davis and Rob Malone; on the middle row from left: Zach Hutcherson, Weston Porter, Brennan Purcell, Travis Phillips; and on the bottom row from left: Kathy Sanders, Josh Jolley, Sarah Clegg and Chad Goodman. HHM Certified Public Accountants recently promoted 22 staff members to new management or supervisory roles in the accounting firm, including on the top row from left: Will Clegg, Adam Osborne, Jon Paul Davis and Rob Malone; on the middle row from left: Zach Hutcherson, Weston Porter, Brennan Purcell, Travis Phillips; and on the bottom row from left: Kathy Sanders, Josh Jolley, Sarah Clegg and Chad Goodman.

By Dave Flessner 2 min read

In 1981, four accountants formerly with the James B. Frost Co., in Chattanooga decided to step out on their own, buy the 18-year-old practice and create their own CPA firm to focus on small- to medium-sized businesses and nonprofits and individuals needing accounting, audit and financial assistance. Thirty-five years later, the partnership begun by Carl Henderson, Donnnie Hutcherson, Larry Walker and Ladell McCullough has grown into Chattanooga’s biggest locally based accounting firm with 97 employees.

Henderson Hutcherson & McCullough, PLLC (Walker left the company a decade ago) bills itself as HHM and has grown to include 13 partners. The firm recently promoted 22 managers and supervisors – its biggest annual promotion ever – as part of its continued growth and succession planning.

McCullough said from its start, the partners of HHM has tried to create a business that offers a wide variety of services for clients and a family-friendly environment for employees.

“We offer advice and expertise to help our clients succeed,” she says. “We also have a culture here where the partners have an open door and where we try to hire good people, make sure we train and give them the support they need to succeed.”

HHM does not audit any publicly traded companies, but it does audit a billion-dollar-plus credit union, the city of Chattanooga and a variety of businesses and nonprofits of varying sizes.

Last November, the firm acquired another CPA firm in Memphis to open HHM’s first location outside of downtown Chattanooga. At its main office in the historic, century-old Freight Depot Building that the firm bought and renovated in 2005, HHM also has three sister companies that offer financial and marketing help beyond the accounting, tax, valuation and audit work done by HHM

HHM Wealth Advisors is a boutique investment firm started about a decade ago to serve both HHM and its clients; Freight Depot Accounting, started in June 2015, offers bookkeeping services for small businesses; Southside Creative Group is a full-service marketing and advertising firm.