LBMC More Than Doubles Forbes Best-In-State CPA Honorees, Expanding Recognition to Four Markets in 2026
Seven advisors. Four cities. Forty years of staying when things get complicated.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LBMC, a top 35 U.S. accounting and business consulting firm, a USA Today Most Recommended Firm, and the Southeast’s No. 3 Regional Leader, today announced that seven of its advisors have been named to Forbes’ 2026 America’s Best-In-State CPAs list — marking the firm’s second consecutive year of recognition. Honorees were selected through independent nominations and evaluated on expertise, thought leadership, experience, and service to the profession.
In 2025, three Nashville-based advisors earned the inaugural recognition. In 2026, seven honorees from Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Louisville represented both male and female leaders across tax, audit, and advisory practices. This reflects a firm deepening its advisory bench and the trust our clients place in us.
Their client work centers on what middle-market CEOs, CFOs, and high-net-worth individuals face most acutely: healthcare system complexity, founder-to-institution transitions, multigenerational wealth, M&A execution, and the demands of private equity-backed growth. For a firm that has expanded across markets over four decades, doubling its Forbes representation in a single year is not a coincidence. It is compounding investment in people. Credentials don't earn the first call. Relationships do.
The Advisors CEOs and CFOs Call First
LBMC was founded in 1984 on the conviction that clients deserved advisors who stayed — through a difficult quarter, through a deal that changed shape, through the years when a business moved from founder-led to institutionally backed. That operating principle has not changed as the firm has grown. The expansion into new markets confirms what clients in LBMC’s established markets have known for years: growth has not diluted quality. It has extended it.
LBMC also earned the 2025 Fortune Best Workplace in Consulting and Professional Services designation and the Great Place to Work certification for the sixth consecutive year — with 90 percent of employees saying LBMC is a great place to work, 33 points above the national average. That number and back-to-back Forbes recognitions are not unrelated. By investing in its people over decades — developing expertise, supporting growth, and fostering long-term relationships — LBMC has built a team of trusted advisors clients rely on for their most consequential decisions.
"This recognition spans our markets, our practices, and our generations of leadership. It reflects what we have always believed: that the best service comes from advisors who are still present when things get complicated. That is what LBMC has built, and it is what we intend to keep building," said Jim Meade, CEO and Managing Shareholder, LBMC.
The 2026 Forbes Honorees
LBMC’s seven recognized advisors include its current and former chief executives, its co-founder, and market leaders in healthcare audit, high-net-worth wealth management, and business advisory services.
Jim Meade, CEO and Managing Shareholder, Nashville
Meade has led LBMC’s growth strategy, technology investment, and talent development since assuming the CEO role after 26 years in the firm’s audit and assurance practice. Under his leadership, LBMC has grown to more than 1,000 team members across eight locations and reached the top 35 ranking nationally. He serves on the boards of Williamson, Inc., the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and Nashville Capital Network.
David Morgan, Co-Founder, Nashville
Morgan co-founded LBMC in 1984 and shaped its culture and strategic direction for more than 40 years, most recently serving as Chairman of LBMC Financial Services. His 48-year career in public accounting was recognized with the Tennessee Society of CPAs TSCPApex Lifetime Achievement Award. His conviction that relationships matter most has guided LBMC for 40 years, a principle that continues to shape the firm’s commitment to trust, responsiveness, and lasting client partnerships today.
Jeff Drummonds, Shareholder, Former CEO, Nashville
Drummonds led LBMC as CEO and Managing Shareholder from 2015 to 2023 through significant service-line and geographic expansion. As former Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s tax division, he built his practice advising privately-owned and PE-backed companies on M&A transactions across healthcare, manufacturing, and technology. Although retired and currently holding an inactive CPA license, he has been recognized nationally as a Top 100 Financial Influencer, Power 100 Industry Giant, and Most Admired CEO and continues to be recognized for the significant impact he built throughout his distinguished career.
Courtney Bach, Shareholder, Healthcare Audit, Nashville
Bach is a member of LBMC’s healthcare audit practice and serves on the firm’s board of directors. Her practice serves hospitals, behavioral health providers and long-term care companies. She is among the female leaders named to the Forbes list at a time when LBMC’s leadership announcements have named more women than men, a reflection of deliberate investment in developing and advancing female leaders.
“Healthcare clients are operating in an environment where complexity is constant. Margin compression, evolving reimbursement, and ongoing transaction activity are all happening simultaneously. What they need is an advisor who understands the business and works alongside them, not one who shows up when a deliverable is due,” said Bach.
Nicole Jeppesen, Shareholder, High-Net-Worth Tax, Chattanooga Market Leader
Jeppesen leads LBMC’s high-net-worth practice in the Chattanooga market. Her work centers on complex wealth planning for founders, executives, and families navigating liquidity events, multigenerational transfers, and the tax implications of privately-owned and PE-backed business transitions. Her recognition reflects the depth of LBMC’s advisory capability outside of Nashville and the firm’s collaborative approach to serving high-net-worth clients — partnering alongside attorneys, financial advisors, family offices, and other trusted professionals to help clients navigate complex business and personal wealth decisions.
Bill Meyer, Shareholder, Tax, Kentucky Market Leader
Based in Louisville, Meyer leads LBMC’s Kentucky market, where the firm serves privately-owned businesses, family enterprises, and private equity portfolio companies across the region. His recognition confirms that LBMC’s expansion beyond Tennessee delivers the same advisory quality the firm established in its home markets.
Lindsey Franks, Manager, Tax, Knoxville
Franks represents the next generation of LBMC leadership recognized at the national level. She brings specialized corporate tax strategy expertise to manufacturing and distribution clients across East Tennessee. She advises clients on complex tax matters, operational strategy, and evolving industry developments and was recently recognized as a TSCPA Women to Watch Emerging Leader. Her inclusion alongside the firm’s co-founder and two CEOs reflects the depth of LBMC’s bench across tenure, geography and career stage.
What This Recognition Means for Clients
For a CEO or CFO evaluating advisory relationships, these are advisors that other professionals in the field have identified as the best at what they do.
For LBMC's clients — middle-market businesses, family owned, private-equity-backed companies, and high-net-worth individuals — the Forbes recognition answers the question that comes up at the start of every consequential advisory relationship: are the people across the table genuinely expert in my situation, or are they generalists who will learn on my time?
LBMC advised on approximately 150 middle-market transactions in the past year alone. That volume produces a ground-level view of what separates companies that are prepared to move from those that are not, particularly as PE expectations, capital deployment timelines, and deal complexity continue to tighten.
Seven honorees across multiple markets for the second consecutive year is a data point. Combined with 40 years of client and talent referrals as the firm’s primary growth driver, it is a track record.
About LBMC
LBMC is one of the Southeast’s largest accounting and business consulting firms and a nationally recognized top 35 firm serving approximately 14,000 clients with diverse needs across a spectrum of industries. Primary client groups include privately-owned and private-equity-backed middle market companies in the healthcare, manufacturing/distribution, real estate, and technology spaces. LBMC leverages advanced business intelligence and AI technologies to drive growth, efficiency, and strategic insights for our clients. Founded in 1984 as a traditional accounting firm, LBMC today is an industry leader in audit, tax, advisory, technology, human resources, and wealth advisory services for businesses and individuals. LBMC has more than 1,000 team members, with offices in Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Memphis, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; Charlotte, North Carolina; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Chennai, India (a subsidiary of LBMC); and a dedicated Remote Office supporting clients nationwide. For more information on LBMC’s experts and comprehensive services, visit our website or call 615-377-4600. Discover career opportunities and learn more about how LBMC’s services and culture can support your business goals. Connect with us on LinkedIn for the latest insights on talent, client engagement, and business growth.
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Lisa Namm LBMC 6153092356 lisa.namm@lbmc.com
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