Van Buren accounting firm has new partner, new name

by Paul Gatling ([email protected]) 1,168 views 

Van Buren accounting firm Hubbs Belcher & Co. has a new partner and, correspondingly, a new name.

The company has rebranded to Hubbs & Whitehead CPAs. It is reflective of the business’ new partner, Kenny Whitehead. He previously worked at Landmark PLC (formerly Beall Barclay) in Fort Smith as a senior accountant before changing jobs in June. The name change took place in early September.

Cliff Hubbs, the company’s managing partner, recruited Whitehead after Blake Belcher left the company to become the chief financial officer for one of his clients.

Hubbs remains a majority owner of the company, though Whitehead’s stake may increase in a few years.

“I’m very excited to have a more direct day-to-day contact with clients and help them in their daily decision-making,” Whitehead said. “A smaller firm is a better fit for my personality.”

Hubbs and brothers John and Clifford Lyon founded the business in March 1985 as Hubbs Lyon & Co. It became Hubbs Belcher & Co. in 2012.

The firm today has 10 employees and two CPAs on staff.

Whitehead is a member of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 2019 Fast 15 class. He joined Landmark in 2015 as an accounting intern and was promoted to senior accountant three years later.