personalities: nicholson & company

NICHOLSON MCWHORTER TOPP

Nicholson & Company P.A.Taking Into Account

thirty yeas and still growing

Rewind the clock thirty years
ago to Nicholson & Company of
Hattiesburg’s first tax season.
Armed with little more than
pencils and calculators, the
manual system of the account-
ing world was poised for a rad-
ical technology revolution.
“Back then, when we started
our business in Hattiesburg,
everything was manual,” said
founding partner Carl
Nicholson, Jr., Certified Public
Accountant (CPA). “Technology
has changed everything. N o w
with the use of computers,
we’ve entered into the era of
paperless accounting.”
The business world of today
is a far cry from pencil-marked
tax returns, clipped with
adding machine tape for finan-
cial statement verification, said
Managing Partner Frank
McWhorter, Jr., CPA.
“I believe our first computer
came in the 1980’s,” said
M c W h o r t e r . “We simply could
not do then what we do now,
either in volume or sophistica-
tion, without the advances
allowed by computers.”
The duo, along with partner
and fellow CPA Richard Topp,
founded the accounting firm
thirty years ago in what they
considered the heart of a strong
South Mississippi economy.
“Our success is a direct
reflection of the viability of our
clients,” said Nicholson. “ A s
this region’s economy has expe-
rienced steady growth, due in
part to the tremendous con-
struction still going on along
the entire Gulf Coast after
Hurricane Katrina, we believe
we will have more opportuni-

STORY BY LAYLA ESSARY

PHOTOS BY LAYLA ESSARY AND COURTESY NICHOLSON & COMPANY

1 8 • south mississippi scene

ties to expand.”
And expanding is exactly
what’s in store for the compa-
ny, with construction underway
on a sprawling 24,000 square
foot office building on Veterans
Memorial Drive, across from
the Hattiesburg Family Y.
“We believe having the new
facility will greater enhance our
capacity to assist our clients,
these people we’ve come to
really know over the years,”
said McWhorter. “ P e o p l e
become comfortable with their
C P A ’ s . They have to trust
t h e m . With that trust, we learn
a great deal about their family
history, and these are really
matters of the heart. The great
friendships we’ve developed
 over the years have been
rewarding for me.”
Even for a hometown firm
in South Mississippi, the capac-
ity to trust accountants was
challenged by scandals such as
the “Enron” debacle. “We all
felt the impact,” said
Nicholson, adding that it forced
the industry to set even higher
2 0 • south mississippi scene
standards to renew credibility.
And now, three decades
later, with a legacy of perform-
ance in the Pine Belt, the part-
ners believe the firm is primed
for more regional growth
opportunities in the next ten
years.
“We are growing our busi-
ness in the southern part of this
state and beyond to the entire
Gulf Coast,” said McWhorter.
One of the very first clients
to use the services of Nicholson
& Company, recalled Carl
Nicholson, was Finlo
Construction of Hattiesburg.
“Even in the early days of
our business, I tended to work
closely with businesses in the
construction field, including
Finlo Construction, and then I
branched into other areas of
service,” said Nicholson. A n d
he’s helped develop a staff
diverse in ability and experi-
ence, as well. Services range
from basic tax and accounting
services to litigation support,
consulting services, financial
planning and business valua-
tions.
Partner Richard Topp said
the diverse range of services
has allowed each staff member
the opportunity to follow their
own passions.
“Each partner is able to take
on a specific direction of spe-
cialty and it’s allowed us to
serve clients better,” said
T o p p . “We have, in a sense, a
‘go-to’ person for each area.
We are always drawn to those
things we like to do, and this
allows us to hand off work to
someone within the firm who
really enjoys that area of
expertise better. So the client
wins and we’re enjoying the
work we get to do for them.”
Out of more than sixty
employees, twenty-three have
been designated as CPA’s with
a license to practice public
accounting in Mississippi, and
several are licensed in other
southeastern states.
“In our profession, our peo-
ple really are our greatest
asset and I think it’s the mix-
ture of varied talents here that
produces success,” said
Nicholson Partner Bill Kelly,
C P A . “We have different per-
sonalities and gifts allowing
for specialized service in dif-
fering industries. This wide
variety of talents gives us the
ability to provide niche servic-
es.”
Personal involvement with
clients is crucial said partner
and CPA, Jeff Allen.
“We don’t just ask for infor-
mation to be dropped off and
churn out a tax return,” said
A l l e n . “We get involved with
our client. We evaluate the
business and see what’s hap-
pening, go on site, and ask a
lot of questions. And frankly,
we listen. This in turn gives
us a chance to see things that
may be needed. We look at all
aspects of the client’s well-
b e i n g . From estate planning to
other services, we’re doing
things for not only this genera-
tion but for the next genera-
tion as well.”
And benefiting the next gen-
eration is what inspired so
many of the Nicholson &
Company staff members to
branch out into the community
and participate in community
service endeavors.
Partner Susan Riley, CPA,
said the firm’s philosophy is to
both provide the most com-
plete accounting, auditing and
tax services, in the most effi-
cient manner possible, while
striving to make a difference
in the lives of others.
“There is desire here to have
a positive impact on others in
the community where we
live,” said Riley. “Our staff is
represented in a number of
service organizations. We feel
that it is important to give
back to the community that
has been so good to us.”
Both Nicholson and
McWhorter have both served
as past presidents of the Area
Development Partnership
(ADP), the local chamber and
economic development organi-
zation. Area realtor Gwen
James has been a client of
Nicholson for nearly thirty
years and said the firm has
established a rich tradition of
community service and leader-
ship.
“They’ve shown genuine
concern for this great commu-
nity and for the personal wel-
fare of their clients,” said
J a m e s . “It has kept me return-
ing to their firm for many
years for personal, corporate
and community needs. T h e y
know my children, my inter-
ests, and they continue to be a
resource for me over and
above preparing tax returns
and audits.”
“Our staff is heavily invest-
ed in the community, from the
Red Cross to the ADP and
beyond,” said McWhorter.
“We’ve coached little league
baseball and served with the
United Way. It is all about
establishing and maintaining
the best possible relationship
with our staff and clients.”
Partner and CPA Dawn
Jones said that developing
strong personal ties to clients
makes Nicholson & Company
unique.
“We have the type of rela-
tionship with our clients
where they know that we care
about their financial success,
but we also care for them indi-
south mississippi scene • 2 1
personalities: nicholson & company

NICHOLSON & C OMPANY

ACCOUNTING AND F INANCIAL
CONSULTING SERVICES

•Accounting Services, Audits, •Reviews and

Compilations
• Tax Services
•Consulting Services, such as •Fo r e n s i c
Accounting, Litigation •Support and Fi n a n c i a l
A dvising in Public Fi n a n c e
• Financial Forecasts & Projections
• Financial Planning
•Retirement Plan A d m i n i s t ra t ive Services
•Cash Flow & Budgeting A n a l y s i s
•Business Va l u a t i o n

vidually,” said Jones. “Along with having a

strong interest in the welfare of their business,
we feel it is important to know their families and
perhaps their hobbies. We strive to create those
kinds of lasting bonds with our clients.”
Those bonds can sometimes mean partnering
with their clients to do business with them. C a s e
in point; Finlo Construction, one of the firm’s
longest standing clients, was hired to construct
their new office complex in Hattiesburg.
“We live here, too,” said McWhorter. “ I t ’ s
important that we have an interactive approach
to our customers. And this carries over into our
work, too. We are doing more and more work
with other professional practices in a coopera-
tive way. That’s the future of this firm and the
entire industry of accounting.”
Work on Nicholson & Company’s new build-
ing is currently underway and when it is com-
pleted later this year, it will be one of the few
“Class A” designated office facilities in the
Hattiesburg area. Space will be available for
lease.
For more information on Nicholson &
Company, call 601-264-3519 or visit their website
at www.nicholsoncpas.com.

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