For the eighth time, PYA has earned the designation of a “Top Workplace” and received numerous Cultural Excellence Awards from Knox News. Additionally, PYA CEO Marty Brown received a 2026 Top Workplaces Leadership Award.
PYA is the highest-ranking accounting and professional services firm of all 72 honorees in all size categories across multiple industries to be honored with the Top Workplace designation. It is ranked third of 17 midsize companies across all industries and the only accounting and professional services firm in the midsize category. The firm has been named a Top Workplace honoree every year it has participated in the program.
The 2026 awards recognize the firm’s outstanding workplace culture as reported solely by employees through a confidential, voluntary third-party survey that measures several aspects of the culture, including respect, support, growth opportunities, and empowerment.
This is the fourth Top Workplaces Leadership Award for Brown. The award is based on employee survey responses compared across all results in each size category. It reflects a consensus of employees who relayed they trust the leader and believe he is leading the company in a positive direction.
PYA also received 2026 Cultural Excellence Awards in the categories of
- Purpose and values
- Leadership
- Innovation
- Compensation and benefits
- Employee appreciation
- Work-life flexibility
- Employee well-being
- Professional development
These designations recognize the firm’s focus on leading with integrity and a strong vision, continually innovating to benefit clients, and cultivating a positive and collaborative workplace.
“We’re honored that PYA’s culture is recognized again across the region as a standard in our industry,” said Brown. “From our founding more than 40 years ago, our culture has been our guiding light and foundation. The cultural excellence awards demonstrate that unwavering dedication to upholding our enduring values.”
“PYA’s recognition again as a Knoxville top workplace is a high honor because it comes authentically from our employees, who celebrate and embody our unique and special culture,” said PYA President David McMillan. “The 2026 awards extol values that are emboldened by our top leader, Marty Brown. On behalf of all PYA employees, I congratulate Marty for the well-earned recognition of his passionate support of our culture and his unfaltering leadership of our firm.”
In addition to the Knox News Top Workplaces honors, PYA is consistently recognized with national esteemed rankings and awards. In 2026, Accounting Today named PYA a Top 100 firm for the 10th year and again the U.S. leader in consulting among firms of similar size. The firm was also named an INSIDE Public Accounting 2025 Top 100 Firm for the 10th year. PYA is the only firm headquartered in East Tennessee to be ranked among the nation’s Top 100 by both Accounting Today and INSIDE Public Accounting.
PYA’s Tax and Accounting services were recognized in 2026 when the firm was again named by USA TODAY as one of America’s Most Recommended Tax and Accounting Firms. Additionally, in 2026, six PYA leaders were named by Forbes as Best-in-State Top CPAs, and two were named to the Forbes list of America’s Top CPAs in Valuation.
In 2026, PYA also partnered with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business, to launch a national healthcare finance education program for physician leaders. For the 19th year, Modern Healthcare ranked PYA among the Top 20 healthcare consulting firms in the U.S.
PYA serves clients in all 50 states and around the world from offices in Atlanta, Charlotte, Kansas City, Knoxville, Nashville, and Tampa.
