Henderson Hutcherson & McCullough, PLLC (HHM), a local accounting firm that has provided accounting, tax planning, management consulting and specialized services since 1981, announced Andrew Ruffner, CPA, Travis Flenniken, CFA, Amber Brown, Sue Carpenter and Felicia Lasater have joined the firm.

Andrew Ruffner, CPA, joined HHM as senior manager. He is a financial accounting professional with 19 years experience in public accounting and corporate management.  He has experience in financial statement audit, due diligence and financial consulting.  He serves as the board treasurer for the Taraloka Foundation, and the Erlanger Health Systems Foundation. Mr. Ruffner obtained a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He resides in Signal Mountain with his wife, Meredith and their daughter, Alex.

Travis Flenniken, CFA, joined HHM as a Litigation/Valuation specialist. He has more than 14 years experience as a financial professional serving businesses and individuals. Before joining the firm, he worked with some of Chattanooga’s top investment management companies, as well as a business valuation firm in Memphis where he focused on mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Flenniken has extensive experience in corporate finance as an advisor to corporate executives on making strategic acquisitions, and by representing business owners in the sale of their company.  Outside of work, he serves as adjunct professor at Bryan College, designing the curriculum and teaching courses in managerial economics and finance. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Mr. Flenniken is married to Amber and they have three children, Jacks, Wil and Tate.

For more than 25 years Sue Carpenter has worked in a controller capacity for numerous car dealerships across the country. Her innate understanding of this office culture makes her a valued member of HHM’s Dealership Services Group. Spending much of her time on the road, Ms. Carpenter provides hands-on service to each client including controller consulting, closing month-end books, conducting year-end audits and anything else the client may need to be successful. She obtained a Masters in Accounting and Financial Management from Keller Institute of Business Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Denver Technical College.  Originally from Wisconsin, Ms. Carpenter lived in Denver, Co. before relocating to Chattanooga. She resides in East Brainerd with her husband, Jim. 

Amber Brown joined HHM as senior accountant.  Previously she served as a senior accountant with a top 4 CPA firm in Atlanta, working with some of the country’s largest corporations. Today she lends this expertise to HHM’s tax planning group. Ms. Brown began her career tackling international tax issues then transitioned into compliance and consulting work for large insurance companies, such as BlueCross BlueShield and UNUM. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a Master of Science in Accounting – Taxation from the University of Memphis. Ms. Brown is enjoying living in Chattanooga and working closely with clients to impact the day-to-day operations of their businesses.

With an extensive tax background including federal & state, corporate, partnership, and trust preparation, Felicia Lasater is a valued member of HHM’s Tax Services Team.  Prior to joining HHM, Ms. Lasater spent 25 years assisting clients with tax planning and preparation at Chattanooga accounting firms. She obtained a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Ms. Lasater and her husband, Buddy, are members of Bayside Baptist Church and reside in Ooltewah with their children, McCall and Bradford.