Category Archives: Member Announcements

Mauldin & Jenkins Appoints 10 New Partners

ALBANY, GA, September 1, 2022- Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC, a leading accounting and advisory firm in the Southeast and nationwide, is pleased to announce the appointment of 10 new firm partners, effective September 1.

“We are thrilled to welcome these 10 outstanding individuals as partners in the firm,” states Managing Partner Hanson Borders. “Each one has played an important role in our continued firm growth and brings a high caliber of expertise. These new partners have demonstrated exceptional leadership within the firm and their communities, and we look forward to their continued success in the future.”

Daniel Anderson, CPA, Partner (Bradenton)
Daniel focuses on serving governmental and non-profit entities throughout Florida. He is a regular speaker at FGFOA and FICPA events on state and local government topics. Daniel is a graduate of Leadership Manatee and the FICPA Emerging Leaders Program. He currently serves on the Board of the Center of Anna Maria Island. He resides in Bradenton with his wife, Gina, and two children, son, Nolan and daughter, Sutton.

William Birmingham, CPA, Partner (Atlanta)
William practices in the Private Client Services practice. Since joining Mauldin & Jenkins in 2013, William has specialized in providing proactive tax planning and compliance services to entities and individuals involved in a wide variety of industries, including construction, manufacturing, professional services, hospitality, and real estate, with a focus on closely-held, family-owned businesses.

Grant H. Davis, CPA, Partner (Columbia)
Grant received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Georgia Southern University in 2011 and in 2012 received his Master of Accounting also from Georgia Southern University. Since starting his career in 2012 in the firm’s Macon office, Grant has focused on serving a wide variety of state and local governmental entities primarily in Georgia and South Carolina.

Kelsie Deiter, Partner (Atlanta)
Kelsie serves as the HR & Marketing leader of Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC. With more than 15 years of experience at M&J, she supports not only the growth of the Firm but also the professionals that make M&J a great place to work. She plays a critical role in aligning the strategic direction of the Firm’s leadership to the HR and Marketing team functions. Kelsie holds a PHR Certification and is an active member of the Accounting Marketing Association and SHRM.

Emily K. Dent, CPA, CRCM, CAMS, Partner (Albany)
Emily specializes in regulatory compliance and Bank Secrecy Act consulting services for financial institutions. She has over 20 years of experience working in and with financial institutions and 15 years in public accounting. She has extensive experience with internal controls related to both financial reporting and compliance operations. Emily is a member of the AICPA, GSCPA, ABA and ACAMS.

Rob Douglas, CPA, Partner (Albany)
Rob is involved in the Firm’s Private Client Services and Financial Institutions practices. Rob began his career with Mauldin & Jenkins in 2011. He specializes in assurance, tax and advisory services for a variety of businesses including banks, agri-business, large growers, medical practices and family-owned businesses and their owners. Rob and his wife, Parker, have two children, Rett and Louis.

Justin M. Elliott, CPA, Partner (Macon)
Justin received his BBA in Accounting in 2010 and MAcc in 2011 from Georgia Southern University. Justin’s primary focus has been serving governmental entities across the Southeast. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Government Finance Officers Association. Justin resides in Macon, Georgia with wife, Jessica, and children, Sutton and Wells.

Tiffany Galligan, CPA, Partner (Albany)
Since joining Mauldin & Jenkins in 2001, Tiffany has spent the majority of her time working in the Private Client Services area. She focuses her career on income taxes and closely held businesses with a concentration in the agricultural and real estate industries. Tiffany is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Christopher McKellar, CPA, Partner (Atlanta)
Christopher received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Information Systems from Georgia Southern University. He also graduated with his Master of Accountancy from Georgia Southern University. Since starting his career in 2005, Christopher has focused on serving state and local governments throughout the Southeast. Christopher currently works and resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, Alisha, and their son.

Ashton Pellicano, CPA, Partner (Atlanta)
Ashton has been with the firm since 2013. He received his BBA in Accounting in 2012 and MAcc in 2013 from The University of Georgia. Ashton has focused his career on tax planning and preparation of individual and business tax returns, and audits of financial institutions and employee benefit plans. Ashton is a member of the AICPA and GSCPA.

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About Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC
Mauldin & Jenkins is annually recognized as a Top 100 Certified Public Accounting firm by
Accounting Today and Inside Public Accounting and provides assurance, tax and advisory
services to clients. Founded in 1918, the Firm serves clients in a range of industries including
governmental, banking, health care, construction, not-for-profit, financial services, film &
entertainment, entrepreneurial, and higher education. For additional information, please visit
www.mjcpa.com.

For more information, contact:
Katie Funderburk, 229-446-3631

Merit Financial Advisors has acquired Dasher & Padgett Financial Advisors

Merit Financial Advisors (“Merit”), a Georgia-based financial advisory firm that specializes in financial planning and wealth management solutions for high-net-worth individuals and families and those navigating life transitions, today announced it has acquired Dasher & Padgett Financial Advisors, Inc. (“D&P”). The firm, which has an office in Albany, Georgia, expands Merit’s presence in the region with its fourth Georgia location. The acquisition increases Merit’s assets by $118 million.

D&P specializes in providing investment management for individuals and businesses. Co-owners Thomas Padgett, Thomas Gay, and Bruce Gordon will assume new roles at Merit as Wealth Managers and be joined by their entire team. D&P will receive back-office and operational support from Merit.

“We selected Merit to align ourselves with a national advisory firm that can provide our team and clients with the necessary back-end and operational support,” said Bruce Gordon. “We are thrilled to be joining forces with Merit’s Atlanta office and leveraging the team’s expertise to deliver the best possible service to our clients.”

“Dasher & Padgett is an excellent addition to our growing team,” said Rick Kent, CEO, and Founder of Merit. “With their years of experience we are eager to welcome them and expand our presence in Georgia.”

This is Merit’s seventh acquisition since taking a minority investment in December 2020 from Wealth Partners Capital Group (“WPCG”) and a group of strategic investors led by HGGC, leveraging its Aspire Holdings platform. Earlier this month, Merit announced its acquisition of Union Financial Advisors, which added $370 million in acquired assets and established its presence in Oklahoma.

“I am excited to be a part of Merit’s local and national expansion,” said Kirk Wilkerson, Co-Regional Director of the Atlanta region. “The acquisition of Dasher & Padgett brings Merit to 28 offices around the country, four in our region, and I thank the entire Merit team for all the hard work transitioning Dasher & Padgett into our family.”

The merger was finalized on May 20, 2022. Financial and legal terms of the deal were not disclosed.

For more information, please visit https://www.meritfinancialadvisors.com/for-advisors/.

Joey Magaddino has been promoted to Regional President of PeopleSouth Bank

PeoplesSouth Bank, a community bank headquartered in Colquitt, Georgia with thirty-one full service locations in Georgia, Alabama and Florida, is pleased to announce the promotion of Joey Magaddino to Regional President over Albany, Americus, Dawson, and Phenix City, Alabama.  In his new role, he will be instrumental in leading his team to pursue excellence and share our philosophy of striving to maintain an environment where the customer and prospective customer will want to bank for a lifetime.

Joey joined PeoplesSouth Bank five years ago as Albany’s City President.  In this role, he demonstrated successful business development skills and leadership skills which had a profound impact on the reputation and profit for the company.

“Joey is an extremely talented banker with strong values. He will be influential in helping our bank continue to grow and prosper.  Joey’s extensive banking knowledge and his high-quality customer service skills will add value to our customers, employees, and shareholders in the communities we serve.  Promoting Joey to the leadership team is well-deserved.” said Erin Stuckey, PeoplesSouth Bank President

Joey is an Albany native who graduated from Albany High School in 1995.  He then attended The University of Georgia – Terry College of Business where he graduated in 1999.  Joey is also a 2010 alumnus of LSU Graduate School of Banking.  He has also successfully completed Leadership Albany, Leadership Lee, South GeorgiaLEADS, and Georgia Academy for Economic Development.

Joey has served on numerous boards in the community, including Chairman of the Leesburg Chamber of Commerce, Treasurer of the Albany Tech Foundation Board of Trustees, Past President and Chairman of the Artesian City Sertoma Club, Past Vice Chairman of the Community Bankers Association Leadership Division, Past Vice Chairman of the United Way of Southwest Georgia, Past Board Member of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, and Past Board Member of Leadership Albany.  He was also recognized as Sertoman of the Year and was a recipient of the Albany Herald 40 Under 40 of Southwest Georgia.

Joey resides in Lee County with his wife, Jennifer, and two teenage children – daughter, Kameron and son, Alex.

Royce Marlin Cannington, III (Beau) joins PeoplesSouth Bank Board of Directors

PeoplesSouth Bank, a community bank headquartered in Colquitt, Georgia with thirty-one full service locations in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, announced the appointment of Royce Marlin Cannington, III (Beau) to the Bank’s Board of Directors.

“Our Commitment to Albany and every market we serve starts with proven leaders who know the region and embrace our southern values and customer service oriented community banking approach.  Beau is an exceptional addition to our board on both fronts.  We are thrilled to have someone of his caliber and reputation on board to help establish our presence and have an immediate impact in the market.” said Caleb Stuckey, PeoplesSouth Bank President

Royce Marlin Cannington, III (Beau) grew up in Iron City, Georgia and attended Southwest Georgia Academy (SGA). After graduating from SGA, Beau then attended Presbyterian College (PC) and graduated summa cum laude with honors in Biology in 1999. After PC, Beau was accepted into medical school at Mercer University School of Medicine where he earned his medical doctorate and graduated in 2004. After obtaining his MD, Beau attended the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville for radiology residency and completed an extra year at UF specializing in musculoskeletal radiology. Upon graduating from the University of Florida in 2010, Beau joined South Georgia Radiology Associates where he has been a partner since 2011.

Beau is married to Erin M. Cannington, MD who practices allergy and immunology in Albany, Georgia. They have two children (Cole and Caroline) and enjoy playing and watching sports, hunting, fishing, traveling, and watching UGA play football on Saturdays in the fall.