John ShankCPA, CGMA

  • Chief Practice Officer
  • Birmingham

John is a Founding Member of BMSS and serves as the firm’s Chief Practice Officer and executive committee member. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing Human Resources, Marketing and Business Development and driving the firm’s Exceptional Client Experience.

John’s client responsibilities include overseeing clients’ service needs (corporate and personal tax, financial reporting and estate planning) while advising them in strategic areas such as business operational issues, mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation, and transition and strategic planning. He has extensive experience with clients in the manufacturing, wholesale distribution, finance, venture capital and nonprofit industries. John works with larger companies that typically need audits or reviews and have complex accounting and tax needs.

John attributes his success to his father, who was an extremely hardworking person but always made time for his family. Starting a successful business can be extremely difficult, but with his work ethic, perseverance and knack for business, John and the other founding members of BMSS have fostered the success their business enjoys today. John and his partners founded the company because of a love for accounting and the belief that they could provide great accounting services to clients while also creating an environment that fosters a life-work balance for their employees.

John was born in Illinois but moved to the South at an early age and considers himself a Southerner. He and his wife, Eva, reside in Birmingham and enjoy spending time with their three adult children and their first grandchild. John is involved at Covenant Presbyterian Church and also loves spending time outdoors, whether it’s working in his yard, camping, hiking or whitewater rafting.

Education

  • Huntingdon College
    • Bachelor of Arts, Accountancy, cum laude

Memberships

  • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
    • Council Representative for the State of Alabama (past)
    • Member, AICPA Joint Trial Board
  • Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants (ASCPA)
    • Chair, Chair-elect, Vice-Chair and Secretary-Treasurer (past)
    • Chair, Chair-elect, Vice-Chair and Secretary-Treasurer of the Birmingham Chapter of the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants (past)
  • Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants’ Education Foundation
    • Chair and Board Member (past)
  • Birmingham Business Alliance
    • Trustee (past)
  • Kiwanis Club of Birmingham
    • Member
  • Vistage Worldwide
    • Member
  • Covenant Presbyterian Church
    • Deacon
    • Chair of Finance Committee
  • Birmingham Venture Club
    • Board Member (Past)
  • AICPA Benevolent Fund
    • Member, Board of Trustees (Past)
  • UAB Accounting Advisory Board
    • Board Member (Past)
  • Huntingdon College Alumni Association
    • Board Member (Past)
  • Birmingham Boys Choir Foundation
    • Board Member and Treasurer (Past)
  • Arthritis Foundation
    • Jingle Bell Run Corporate Chair (Past)

Awards

  • Birmingham Business Journal “Top 40 under 40”
  • Birmingham Business Journal “Who’s Who in Law and Accounting”
  • Birmingham Business Journal “2023 C-Suite Awards”

Designations

  • Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
  • Certified Global Management Accountant (CGMA)

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