2016 Business Class: KPM CPAs PC

Strategic acquisitions in 2013 and 2014 helped KPM CPAs PC to nearly triple its revenue growth percentage to 27.4 percent last year from 9.4 percent in 2014. Now numbering nearly 100 employees, the firm is focused on internally supporting that growth through engaging employees in its corporate culture and investing in more robust technologies.

Financial Performance
KPM Managing Shareholder Jim Lewis points to the of two mergers in 2013 – Davis, Lynn & Moots PC – and 2014 – Hlavacek Morris McIntyre Yates & Danielson PC – as driving KPM’s financial performance in recent years.

Lewis says each brought something new to KPM’s book of business, be it school district accounting or payroll services, respectively.

“We’ve had a couple other firms call us that were interested in merging, but I think they were more the owner or partner looking for a way out and wanted us to be the succession plan,” Lewis says. “For us, there has to be a reason to do it rather than to help you retire.”

Innovation
With 50 percent employee growth over the past three years and the addition of new practice areas, Lewis says KPM needed to add infrastructure in the form of more employees and more robust technology. Positions added included a full-time human resources director and a marketing coordinator to help Marketing Director Crystal Mapp – and Lewis says the firm may need more help there soon. He also estimates the company has spent $50,000-$100,000 over the past year upgrading technology to allow employees the ability to work remotely, either when bad weather precludes driving to the office or if they’re just staying home with the kids.

Mapp says updating the firm’s look and feel in the wake of the mergers also has been a priority.

“When you take three separate firms that are of a decent size, what do you do afterwards – you want to make one consistent brand,” she says.

Community Involvement
Last year marked the first time KPM offered a 25 percent matching donation in the firm’s annual United Way of the Ozarks campaign drive, bringing KPM’s total contribution to nearly $15,000.

Lewis says while the decision hasn’t been finalized, he anticipates KPM will do it again this year.

Mapp last year rebranded the company’s internal community involvement program KPM Cares, which tracks volunteer hours, dollars donated and the organizations assisted. While the rebranding produced a more coordinated effort from employees to take part and raised the company’s visibility, Mapp says the other benefit is in prospecting new employees, particularly among millennials seeking hands-on opportunities to give back.

“Young staff members, before, they kind of felt like they didn’t have a voice in the process because they weren’t on a board,” Mapp says of the program. “We’ve had more engagement from people this year than ever before.”