Our History

In 1991, Keith Barfield, Don Murphy and John Shank decided to leave a large, local firm to establish a new type of public accounting firm. The goal was to build a workplace that values character, family and life/work balance while creating a professional environment where each individual is treated with respect.

Nearly 30 years later, BMSS has grown into a top three accounting firm in Alabama with 30 partners, 88 certified public accountants and approximately 225 people across all businesses and offices. Broadly based, BMSS serves clients in the revenue range of $1 million to $50 million. The majority of the firm’s clients are family-owned/operated businesses; however, we work with startups, private equity firms, smaller main street businesses, nonprofits and municipalities, and we serve one of the largest family-owned businesses in the state of Alabama, which operates worldwide with over $3 billion in revenue. BMSS is a member of the prestigious BDO Alliance USA, which allows access to BDO’s tremendous national resources.

Over the last 10 years, BMSS has been consistently named as one of the top places to work by the Birmingham Business Journal and has kept true to its founders’ vision of adding value for clients by fostering an environment of personal and professional fulfillment.