Rev. Clarence Richard Barnes: Beloved Pastor, Veteran, and Musician Remembered
The Rev. Clarence Richard Barnes was called home to be with God on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. He was born
Growing up in Venice, Louisiana William Taylor always knew he would have a career in accounting. He set his sights on opening his own firm in high school. He had a plan to begin working at a firm after college, learn as much as he could, and, eventually, open his own firm. His plan proved to be paying off when he came to Columbus and ended up starting his own firm, Taylor CPA & Associates. Though he faced obstacles with the beginning of his establishment, Taylor did not allow that to stop him from reaching his goal, “A big obstacle was getting people to trust in the firm. The goal was not to be just a stereotypical black firm. The goal was to operate as a firm that just happened to be owned by someone who is black,” said Taylor. Having been open for over 20 years, Taylor wants to continue to grow and expand his offices.
Taylor and his firm have been recognized with many accolades over the years, including the TCPA Minority Business of the Year in 2018, the JR Allen Leadership Award in 203. The most recent being recognized as #4 of 10 fastest growing firms in the United States, from the smallest of CPA firms to the Big Four. These accomplishments have been a driving force in the efforts to continue growing his firm, “Right now there are about 700,000 CPAs in America, but less than 1% are black. That’s only about 6,000 people out of 700,000 that look like me,” said Taylor.
As he marches forward, Taylor plans to continue growing as an operation. He would like to continue to add employees and grow technologically. With he and his staff having worked on projects spanning from Columbus all the way to London, England, Taylor would like to continue expansion as time progresses. He foresees a merger in the next few years in order to accomplish a significant expansion beyond Columbus and the state of Georgia.
For more information about Taylor CPA & Associates visit their website here or call (706) 494-3802.