Past, Present and Future

With a handful of committed clients, a supply of ledger paper and pencils, and an intense desire to succeed, Jim Howard and Joe Smith left a national CPA firm in 1971 to start Smith & Howard. They didn’t have a written mission or values statement at the time, but they knew exactly what they wanted to do: develop loyal relationships with their staff and with Atlanta businesses, business owners and families by providing quality CPA services with a level of attention that few seemed to be experiencing.

Though the firm has grown and changed over the years, the commitment to Jim and Joe’s vision of the firm has not. What’s more, we’re still serving those first few clients.

It is impossible to reflect on our past without looking toward the future. After all, Jim and Joe have had the future firmly in mind for more than three decades. During that time, Smith & Howard has experienced tremendous growth — both in our

people and our client base. We’re proud that our clients represent the South’s most successful and entrepreneurially-driven individuals and businesses, and include some of the largest companies in the Southeast. And our staff has grown — in number and sophistication — to serve those clients.

Our philosophy all along has been to bring about thoughtful, focused growth for the purpose of enhancing the lives of our people and contributing to the success of our clients. We’ve seen that most often, "growing" our own people provides our clients with the highest possible level of service and expertise while giving employees an opportunity to explore their diverse interests, all with the Smith & Howard values as a driver for the ultimate success of everyone. That philosophy has created loyal clients and loyal staff.