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BMSS (BMSS,) the largest, locally-owned accounting firm in Birmingham, Alabama, is celebrating 25 years of delivering exceptional service to its clients who represent a variety of industries. Don Murphy, John Shank & Keith Barfield founded the firm in 1991 when they realized there was a need for an accounting firm who could provide peace of mind for clients through excellent service and building relationships while understanding the value of employees’ lives outside of the office as well. They began the firm as the only employees, working out of the basement of one of their homes. Steve Smith joined the firm in 1994 and rounded out the firm’s name. BMSS now consists of more than 130 employees and is one of the top 10 accounting firms in Alabama and one of the top 100 firms of the AICPA G400.
“It’s a humbling milestone and an honor to be celebrating 25 years in business,” said Murphy who is a founding member and serves as the managing partner. “We are proud to provide an exceptional client experience; it’s been our priority from day one. Our people play a huge role in that experience, which is why we believe that our firm culture and emphasis on life / work balance allows us to retain the top talent in Birmingham, Alabama. There are members of our team that have been with us for almost twenty years. This milestone is a testament to their dedication to the firm and their dedication to our clients.”
The firm’s anniversary coincides with the company’s recent rebranding, which includes a redesigned website, logo and the introduction of a new tagline, “Local Firm. National Knowledge. Global Reach.” The tagline is a key component in a major rebranding initiative that highlights the firm’s reputation of being a relationship-focused, local firm that delivers an exceptional client experience, while also emphasizing in-house expertise as well as additional resources available through their membership in the BDO Alliance USA.
Founding member, John Shank, who oversees the firm’s marketing and growth strategies, noted that the branding is significant as their client base expands outside of the Birmingham market, “With planned growth, it was critical to assess what was important not only to our business and our team, but also to our clients.” He elaborated, “A great deal of our clients are located within a 100-mile radius of Birmingham, but what a lot of people don’t know is that we have clients with operations in all 50 states as well as multiple international clients. Ultimately, we wanted to update our branding to reflect the vast experience and capabilities that we are able to provide to our clients.”
The previous logo was designed 20 years ago and featured a solid blue square with a set of white circles representing an abacus, which was used in accounting practices long before the technology of today. The new logo is symbolic and intentional as well, featuring that same abacus, but the square has been removed. “Our people think outside the box, we are constantly questioning the status quo and looking for innovative solutions to assist our clients and their business. Therefore, we decided our logo should be ‘outside the box’ as well,” explained Shank. The color green has been incorporated into the logo and elements of the branding to represent not only the firm’s growth but their goal in helping their clients’ business to grow and flourish as well. Shank continued, “It is an exciting time to be at BMSS. We have built such an exceptional team but none of it would have been possible if it were not for our wonderful clients. We thank them for their loyalty and look forward to creating another 25 years of peace of mind for them.”