Carl George has decided to retire after spending 42 years at Top 100 Firm CliftonLarsonAllen, including 16 years as chief executive officer of predecessor firm Clifton Gunderson.

George joined the firm in 1971 and made partner in 1976. He served as partner-in-charge of the firm’s Danville’s office until 1980, when he took on the role of COO. By 1993 he moved up the ranks to CEO and held onto that position for 16 years. Kris McMasters, who took over as chief executive, worked with George and the former CEO of LarsonAllen, Gordy Viere, to complete the merger of Clifton Gunderson and LarsonAllen, on Jan. 1, 2012.

“Carl has been a significant force at CliftonLarsonAllen, beginning with his legacy at Clifton Gunderson and including his integral role in the merger of Clifton Gunderson and LarsonAllen to become CliftonLarsonAllen,” McMasters said in a statement.

In 2007, George was inducted into Ball State’s School of Business Hall of Fame. He has served in numerous leadership positions with the AICPA and is also a member of the Illinois CPA Society and Indiana Association of CPAs.

Over the years, George received a number of awards and recognitions in the accounting profession including frequent appearances on Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People list. He also received recognition from the AICPA for its Financial Literacy Initiative, and from Ball State University as an Alumnus of Distinction.