New practice brings IPO readiness, SEC reporting, private equity advisory, and public company audit capabilities to a traditionally underserved market

WEST PALM BEACH, FL / ACCESS Newswire / February 24, 2026 / Carr, Riggs & Ingram (CRI), a top 25* nationally-ranked accounting and advisory firm, announced the launch of its Capital Markets practice, a new service line focused on providing IPO readiness, SEC reporting, PCAOB-compliant audit, and private equity accounting and advisory services to small-cap and middle-market companies across the United States.

The practice will be led by Brent Leslie, who joins CRI as the Partner-in-Charge of the Capital Markets Accounting and Advisory group. Leslie, who was named to the Forbes America's Top 200 CPAs list, brings more than 20 years of experience helping growth-oriented companies raise capital, access public markets, and navigate the regulatory complexities of SEC compliance. He is joined by fellow partners and practitioners Michael Corkery, Elizabeth Marks, and Joshua Hallett, as well as Jim Duffy, who will oversee business development for the group.

The new practice addresses what CRI sees as a significant gap in the market. Companies with revenues ranging from pre-revenue to $1 billion often find themselves caught between the nation's largest firms, which concentrate their capital markets resources on Fortune 500 clients, and smaller regional firms that often lack the technical depth required for PCAOB audits, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance, and SEC financial reporting. CRI's Capital Markets practice is designed to fill that gap with national-caliber expertise and the hands-on, responsive service model that has defined the firm since its formation in 1997.

"Capital markets are at the center of how companies grow, and until now, CRI hasn't had a dedicated practice serving clients in this space," said Bill Carr, Chairman of CRI. "With the addition of Brent and his team, we're changing that. This group brings the technical expertise and deep market knowledge that companies need when preparing to go public or working through a private equity transaction. It also complements the work our Transaction Advisory team and CRI M&A Advisors are already doing for clients across the firm. We see this as a natural extension of CRI's commitment to serving growing businesses at every stage."

CRI's Capital Markets practice will serve clients nationwide, with physical operations in New York City and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and will offer a full range of services across two primary areas. For companies pursuing an IPO or operating as public entities, the practice provides IPO readiness assessments, SEC registration and periodic reporting, PCAOB-compliant audits, SOX compliance, technical accounting and GAAP advisory, and ongoing public company support. For companies and firms involved in private equity transactions, the team offers Quality of Earnings (Q of E) analyses, buy-side and sell-side due diligence, purchase price allocation and valuation services, and portfolio company audit and tax services. Working closely with CRI's existing Transaction Advisory team and CRI M&A Advisors, the Capital Markets practice aims to create even more integrated service capabilities for clients navigating complex transactions.

"Small cap and middle market companies have been underserved in the capital markets space for a long time," commented Brent Leslie, Partner in Charge of the Capital Markets group at CRI. "These are companies doing meaningful work in technology, software, manufacturing, and many other sectors, and they deserve the same quality of accounting and advisory support that larger companies receive. Our team has spent our careers focused on this segment of the market, and CRI's national platform gives us the resources and reach to serve these clients at a level they haven't had access to before."

For more information about CRI's Capital Markets practice, please visit criadv.com.

Media Contacts
Cheryl Hunt, Chief Marketing Officer
629.208.7705
chunt@criadv.com

Betsy McTee, Director of Communications
629.208.7706
bmctee@criadv.com

About CRI
CRI is an accounting, advisory, and consulting firm located in more than 40 markets across the United States and serving clients nationally. CRI's industry specializations include construction, government, banking/financial institutions, healthcare, insurance, not-for-profit, manufacturing, and distribution. CRI offers traditional and specialized services, including audit and assurance*, business outsourcing and support, forensic accounting, IT auditing, retirement plan auditing, SEC compliance, service organization reports* (SOC), business valuation, tax planning, and trusts and estates work. Additionally, CRI's portfolio companies deliver data analytics, investment banking, retirement administration services, business consulting, professional athlete tax strategy, wealth management, payroll management, and trust and estate services. CRI is a top 25* nationally ranked accounting firm. For additional information, please visit CRIadv.com.

_{^{†This is not a CPA firm.
*Assurance, attest, and audit services provided by Carr, Riggs & Ingram, L.L.C.}}

_{^{"Carr, Riggs & Ingram" and "CRI" are the brand names under which Carr, Riggs & Ingram, L.L.C. ("CRI CPA"), CRI Advisors, LLC ("CRI Advisors" or "Advisors"), Capin Crouse, LLC ("Capin Crouse CPA"), and CRI Capin Crouse Advisors, LLC ("Capin Crouse Advisors") provide professional services. CRI CPA, Capin Crouse CPA, CRI Advisors, Capin Crouse Advisors, Carr, Riggs & Ingram Capital, LLC, and their respective subsidiaries operate as an alternative practice structure in accordance with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and applicable law, regulations, and professional standards. CRI CPA and Capin Crouse CPA are licensed independent certified public accounting ("CPA") firms that separately provide attest services, as well as additional ancillary services, to their clients. CRI CPA and Capin Crouse CPA are independently owned CPA firms that provide attestation services separately from one another. CRI Advisors and Capin Crouse Advisors provide tax and business consulting services to their clients. CRI Advisors and its subsidiaries, including Capin Crouse Advisors, are not licensed CPA firms and will not provide any attest services. The entities falling under the Carr, Riggs & Ingram, or CRI brand are independently owned and are not responsible or liable for the services and/or products provided, or engaged to be provided, by any other entity under the Carr, Riggs & Ingram, or CRI brand. Our use of the terms "CRI," "we," "our," "us," and terms of similar import denotes the alternative practice structure conducted by CRI CPA, Capin Crouse CPA, Capin Crouse Advisors, and CRI Advisors, as appropriate.}}

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SOURCE: CRI