Nichols & Company, CPAs (N&Co.) has been voted Best of the Best Accounting Firm (fewer than 20 CPAs) by readers of Columbus CEO magazine, a recognition the Westerville-based firm sees as a reflection of both the clients it serves and the team behind that work.
“This one means a lot because it comes from the people who trust us for advice, both personal and complex,” said Gwen Nichols, President and CEO of N&Co. “And it’s possible only because of our team who shows up to serve those people well every single day. Those two things go hand in hand for us.”
N&Co. serves more than 3,500 individuals and closely held businesses across Central Ohio and nearly 20 other states, with a philosophy built around being proactive rather than reactive: bringing clients ideas before they have to ask, explaining strategy in plain language, and staying engaged well beyond tax season.
That same investment extends inward. Nichols often describes a CPA firm as a fountain: the talent is the water, and if it isn’t flowing it stagnates. In practice, that means N&Co. puts real effort into developing staff who create meaningful careers and become future firm leaders.
The firm also structures its year to create balance. After tax season wraps, N&Co. moves to a four-day workweek, giving employees nearly every Friday off from May through December, time the firm sees as essential after months of long hours spent delivering thoughtful, timely service to clients.
“We don’t pretend tax season is easy, for us or for our clients,” Nichols said. “But we’ve built a culture where our team shows up for each other, and where clients know we’re jointly invested in their outcomes.”
That balance is anchored by five core values the firm returns to constantly: being astute, collaborative, innovative, committed to constant improvement, and actually loving tax season.
“Being named Best of the Best by the readers who use accounting firms like ours is exactly the kind of recognition that matters most to us,” Nichols added. “It tells us that what we bring to every day in every way for clients and for each other, is actually hitting the mark.”