Accountants with Purpose
We are a team of experienced, dedicated, and proactive tax and accounting professionals. We empower businesses and individuals to focus on what’s important, whether that’s running their businesses or having more time to enjoy life!
- Experienced – Our team has over 80 years of combined experience serving the tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs of businesses and individuals.
- Dedicated – Our team is dedicated to our clients, teammates, families, and the communities we serve.
- Proactive – Our team proactively looks for solutions that help our clients.
- Empowering – Our team is accessible, responsive, and delivers peace of mind to every client.
Our Team
Ryan C. Blair, CPA
Ryan has more than 20 years of tax leadership experience in publicly traded corporate tax departments and public accounting firms, including broad experience in all areas of tax and accounting. Ryan prides himself on getting to know each client’s business and/or individual situation, servicing them as a professional, and treating them as a friend.
Away from the office, you will find Ryan spending time with his wife Teresa and their three children, Caroline and twins Julia and Charlie. Their family enjoys frequent hiking trips in the High Country and their Friday night movies together. Aside from work and family he enjoys home improvement projects, shooting sporting clays, and an occasional golf game.
Highlights
- Over 20 years of experience serving both privately held and publicly traded companies ranging in size from sole proprietors to Fortune 500.
- Specialties include – federal and multi-state tax preparation and planning for businesses and individuals, compensation and payroll tax issues for business owners and their employees, due diligence and execution of mergers/acquisitions/dispositions, accounting for income taxes, and IRS and state audit resolution
- NC CPA License #36228
- B.S. Business Administration, Accounting, University of Pittsburgh
John B. Barry, CPA
For 30 years, John has established long lasting relationships with small businesses and individuals throughout the High Country. Over the years, John has prepared and reviewed a wide variety of income tax returns of varying degrees of complexity. He has provided accounting and payroll services to his clients at every level of business. This diverse experience has given John the skills and knowledge to better serve his clients and meet their needs. In his spare time, John enjoys spending time with his wife and children, working outdoors, and reading.
Highlights
- Founded John B. Barry, CPA, P.A., a highly respected CPA firm providing exceptional tax, bookkeeping, and payroll services to clients in the High Country for 30 years
- NC CPA License #17778
- B.A. Business Administration, Wake Forest University
- Master of International Management, American Graduate School of International Management
Danny J. Keeler, EA
Danny leads our 1040 department and technology improvement initiatives. With over 16 years of experience in the accounting industry, Danny is a driven and service-minded Enrolled Agent who serves a diverse client base. He believes that doing the job properly requires diligence and a “Put yourself in their shoes” mindset. To the best of his ability, he treats every client with the same care he would want. Integrity, honesty, and a conservative approach to tax and accounting work are his standards when helping others.
Danny’s experience in accounting began at his father’s CPA firm and over the years he has prepared thousands of individual and business income tax returns, managed a payroll team that processed over 100 custom payrolls per week, and assisted clients with valuable tax credit claims during COVID. When he isn’t serving clients, Danny likes to spend time with his lovely wife and three “somewhat” lovely children. He enjoys playing chess with his kids, thinking about and discussing difficult topics, and – of course – he revels in a great cup of coffee.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Over 16 years of Individual Tax Return preparation and planning experience
- Specialties include – individual and business return preparation and planning, identification of individual tax issues and researching and resolving them, payroll specialist, implementation of tax technology solutions and process improvement strategies
- Enrolled Agent; Enrollment #00112697-EA
Rebekah L. Messer, EA
Rebekah has 15 years of experience in the accounting industry and wears many hats at the firm. She is the head of our Bookkeeping Services team and is also responsible for office management, training, and personnel development. She also assists with the preparation of business tax returns. Rebekah began her accounting and business career in a family business which gave her a huge appreciation and understanding for the day-to-day operation of small and medium sized businesses.
In her time away from a desk, Rebekah loves spending time with her husband and two small children. She also enjoys picking up a good book to read, playing the piano, serving her communities, and crafting.
Highlights
- 15 years of experience in bookkeeping and managing the finances for small and medium sized businesses
- Specialties include – QuickBooks consulting and set-up, book cleanup and monthly bookkeeping, business and personal tax return preparation and planning
- QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor
- Enrolled Agent; Enrollment # 00134216-EA
- B.S. in Accounting, Liberty University
- M.S. in Accounting, Liberty University
Simon D. Esmond, EA
Simon is a woodworker turned accountant having previously worked for a cabinet manufacturer and installer for 9 years in Idaho. Simon heads up our Payroll Services team and works on the Bookkeeping Services team as well. You can trust that Simon will handle your payroll and bookkeeping needs with the same practical and passionate approach that he applies to woodworking.
In his time off, Simon is a big fan of Sci-Fi, being outside, reading and listening to books, road trips, and board games.
Highlights
- 4+ years of payroll, bookkeeping, and QuickBooks experience
- Specialties include – Payroll set-up and processing, payroll tax payment and return preparation and remittance, 1099 and W-2 processing and filing, Employee Retention Tax Credits (ERTC), Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
- Enrolled Agent; Enrollment # 00136184-EA
- Currently studying for the CPA exam
- B.S. Business Administration, Accounting, Lewis-Clark State College
Faith Church
Faith grew up in Valle Crucis and has lived there for most of her life. Faith has many roles at the firm and enthusiastically helps the team whenever she can, whether it be assisting with payroll or firm administrative work.
Faith is also our resident musician. She's been playing violin for over 16 years and performs at weddings and events throughout western NC. Faith and her husband live in Boone. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, walking on the greenway, hiking, and spending time with family.
Email Faith
Connor Wilcoxen
Connor is a critical part of our robust individual tax returns department, a role that he has successfully fulfilled since 2020 as an intern before joining our firm full-time in 2022. He also assists with payroll and tax preparation for solopreneurs and small businesses. Away from the office, Connor enjoys spending his time in Boone’s bountiful outdoors, taking in the views on the parkway, carving the slopes on his snowboard at App and Sugar Mountain, fly fishing in local rivers, or catching a live show with his brother.
Highlights
- B.A. Accounting, Appalachian State University
