Southern accounting firm Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC has expanded its footprint in Southern Georgia by merging in the local firm BowenPhillips LLP.

William Carr

The merger adds two offices to CRI, in Tifton and Valdosta, Ga., bridging the Enterprise, Ala.-based firm’s service area between Atlanta, Ga., and Tallahassee, Fla.

“We have a practice in southern Alabama in Geneva, and in Florida in Tallahassee, and it was a perfect location to provide expanded services to our clients and as well as a physical presence in Southern Georgia,” said CRI brand manager Bri Harding. 

The merger took effect on January 1 but was announced Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Approximately 50 people from BowenPhillips are joining CRI as a result of the merger, including five partners. One of them is Tom Davis, a prominent technology consultant in the Valdosta office. Partners at the two firms came to know each other through their involvement in the CPAmerica association of accounting firms. (CRI is not a member of CPAmerica, a spokesperson for the association noted, but another firm that merged into it was in the past.)

“CRI is focused on geographic growth, but the firm is also always expanding our technological abilities and service capabilities while investing in our staff—for both the benefit of the firm and our clients,” said CRI chairman and managing partner William H. Carr in a statement. “The BowenPhillips team offers a perfect complement to our firm with their Southern Georgia locations, technological systems and processes, and depth of specialty accounting services.”

In addition to technology services, BowenPhillips also specializes in servicing physicians as well as agribusinesses, according to Harding, and will be bringing a number of those clients to the combined firm.

With the latest merger, CRI now has 30 office locations. In addition to Alabama, Florida and Georgia, CRI also has offices in Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

CRI ranked 33rd on Accounting Today’s 2011 list of the Top 100 Firms. The firm currently earns $105 million in annual revenue, according to Harding.