Our History

Ed Pershing and Doug Yoakley were troubled by the client service limitations they experienced while working together in a “Big Eight” accounting firm, so they set out to found a company built on a commitment to long-term relationships. In 1983, Pershing and Yoakley, CPAs was born.

That focus on client relationships was a formula that resonated. In less than 10 years, the Firm outgrew its office space twice. In 1992, the Firm renovated a historic 1927 schoolhouse to accommodate its rapid growth. By 2010, the Firm needed even more space, renovating a 1917 textile mill for the development of a nearly 200,000-square-foot campus.

The Firm is now known simply as PYA, and our promise remains to deliver Vision Beyond the Numbers,^TM a rare combination of unmatched personal service, genuine concern for every client’s success, and our continuing commitment to long-term relationships.

From its meager beginnings 40 years ago, PYA and its affiliated firms now comprise more than 350 employees with offices in six cities serving more than 3,500 clients in all 50 states. The PYA Enterprise of affiliated firms includes Realty Trust Group, PYA Waltman Capital, Intuitive MB, and Crux Strategies.

Today, PYA is listed by Forbes as one of America’s Best Accounting and Tax firms, is consistently ranked among Modern Healthcare’s Top 20 healthcare consulting firms, has been ranked third-highest in female ownership among Top 100 Accounting Firms by Inside Public Accounting, and is a Top 15 auditor of the nation’s largest health systems.

PYA’s core values are the touchstone for every decision we make. It’s “The PYA Way,” and the results are measurable. We are immensely grateful that hundreds of clients have chosen relationships with the Firm for more than a decade, with many relationships spanning multiple decades. 

To this day, the original sign that once hung at the small office where it all began is on display in the lobby of PYA’s headquarters. It serves as a reminder of the journey’s humble beginnings; the opportunities that lie ahead; and, as all the PYA owners believe, “the best that is yet to come!”