NACCSE
February’s Member Spotlight – Bennett Thrasher
  What is your business industry category or specialty?
Bennett Thrasher, one of the largest and fastest-growing accounting firms in the country, is the leading Atlanta-based international accounting and tax advisory firm. For decades, we have been helping inbound and outbound international businesses, as well as individual investors, reduce their worldwide tax burdens and fulfill financial reporting requirements. Multinational businesses in real estate investment, manufacturing and distribution, technology and many other sectors turn to our experienced team.
How do you describe your job to people outside the industry?
My job, along with the other members of our team, is to help simplify and clarify the challenges that come with international business. We help international companies establishing or expanding operations in the United States and domestic companies opening an overseas subsidiary establish a solid foundation for global growth. We accomplish this goal by managing all federal, state and local level issues including auditing financial statements, complying with foreign reporting requirements, preparing transfer pricing studies, minimizing worldwide tax burdens, planning for state and local implications and complying with tax requirements domestically and internationally, and identifying and taking advantage of foreign tax credits and other incentives that may be available to your company.
Who are your main competitors and what differentiates you from the competition?
What makes you unique?
What sets Bennett Thrasher apart from other accounting firms is our devotion to collaboration – both with our clients and among our professionals. Perhaps this distinction is never more critical than with our international team whose ability to serve a myriad of client interests both in the United States and abroad relies on the broad array of contacts and professionals around the globe. Our affiliation with DFK International and the Leading Edge Alliance, worldwide associations of independent accounting and consulting firms, facilitate efficient delivery of tax and accounting services to clients with multinational operations. An ongoing emphasis on collaboration and communication with the client and global project team members helps manage the tax structures, financial reporting regulations and cultures of multiple countries. When you select Bennett Thrasher for your international financial needs, you benefit from the talent of consultants seasoned on the global stage but who operate with the personal touch of a local firm. With a worldwide outlook, our team can assist with any international matter – from Atlanta to the Netherlands to Shanghai and everywhere in between.
How was the business started?
Bennett Thrasher was founded in 1980 by Rick Bennett and Ken Thrasher, who were at the time working at Price Waterhouse. With the support of their families, Rick and Ken decided to start a new accounting firm because they wanted a different kind of life-one that would allow them to put down roots in Atlanta and one where they would be home at night to help them put the children to bed. By putting their families first, Rick and Ken also set the tone for a different kind of firm-one where the people who make up the firm are valued and respected above everything else and laid the foundation for a firm that attracts dynamic professionals and clients who hold those same values. Thanks to that solid foundation, Bennett Thrasher has grown into one of the largest and most respected firms in Atlanta and in the United States.
How many employees does the business have?
Bennett Thrasher has 38 partners and 300+ associates.
How did you end up in Atlanta?
There are two stories. The “official story” is that I moved to Atlanta in 2004 to study economics at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. The “real story” is that I moved to Atlanta in 2004 because my then girlfriend (now wife) was going to attend law school in Athens and nothing was more important to me than being close to her.
What is your number one business goal over the next year?
Our number one goal is to serve our clients by building trust through insight and involvement and to provide professional fellowship and prosperity for everyone in the firm, for our clients and in our community.
What is the best advice you have received regarding doing business with the Dutch/Americans?
The best advice I received as an American doing business with Dutch is to not assume that the cultures are the same just because Dutch speak great English and are so welcoming to U.S. tourists and businesses. One must be observant, respectful and accommodating of differences.
Any other personal information you would like to share, e.g. hobbies, special interests, family etc…
More than anything, I enjoy spending free time with my wife, three daughters and dog. I also love to cook (and eat), travel and go jogging.
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For questions or comments, or if you would like to be featured in an upcoming Member Spotlight, please send an email to info@naccse.org
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