Beyond the List: How BerryDunn's CEO Built a Blueprint for Growth

PORTLAND, Maine – December 01, 2025

When Forbes named BerryDunn CEO Sarah Belliveau to its 2025 list of America’s Top 200 CPAs, it was a significant personal honor recognizing a nearly 34-year career. Yet, beyond the individual accolade lies a deeper story about strategy, culture, and adaptation. This isn't the first time the Portland-based firm has seen its leadership on the prestigious list; two principals were recognized in the inaugural 2024 edition. This pattern of recognition is no accident. It’s an external signal of an internal strategy that has allowed BerryDunn not only to thrive but to redefine success in an accounting industry grappling with profound change.

The Forbes list, selected through a rigorous process of independent nominations and expert review, honors CPAs for their achievements, professional influence, and community contributions. For a firm to consistently place its leaders among this elite group points to an organizational DNA that cultivates excellence. Belliveau’s inclusion is a capstone on a period of deliberate, strategic expansion since she took the helm in 2021, transforming a personal honor into a case study on modern professional services leadership.

A Culture That Breeds Recognition

In a professional landscape defined by a severe talent shortage—with 340,000 fewer accountants in the U.S. than five years ago—a firm’s culture is no longer a soft benefit but a hard-edged competitive advantage. BerryDunn’s repeated presence on the Forbes list is a direct reflection of its stated “people-first, client-centered culture.” While many companies espouse similar values, BerryDunn provides a tangible model of how that philosophy translates into industry leadership.

Belliveau’s own journey is the primary exhibit. Starting with the firm before her graduation from the University of Maine, her entire career has been a product of BerryDunn’s environment. Her ascent to CEO demonstrates a system that doesn't just recruit top talent but actively cultivates it for the long term. In her own words, “The partnerships we’ve built with clients, employees, and communities have always been at the heart of our success.” This statement, while seemingly standard corporate fare, gains weight when viewed through the lens of a 34-year tenure. It speaks to a stable, empowering environment where long-term vision can be executed.

Tammy Brunetti, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, noted that the recognition reflects Belliveau’s “commitment to our firm’s people-first, client-centered culture.” This isn't just about creating a pleasant workplace; it’s about building a resilient organization. In an era of high burnout and turnover, retaining and developing leaders internally is a powerful engine for stability and sustained growth. The firm's consistent ranking in the Top 50 of both INSIDE Public Accounting and Accounting Today's Top 100 lists—climbing to #43 in 2024 and 2025—is the financial proof of this cultural investment.

Growth Beyond the Balance Sheet

Under Belliveau’s leadership, BerryDunn’s growth has been both aggressive and precise. The firm saw a 21% increase in revenue in 2023, a figure that significantly outpaces many industry competitors. This isn’t just broad-based expansion; it is targeted, strategic movement into niche and high-growth sectors. The firm has deepened its expertise in healthcare compliance, state and local government consulting, and renewable energy—areas that demand specialized knowledge far beyond traditional tax and audit services.

One of the most telling moves was the late 2024 merger with Burzenski & Company, a firm specializing in the veterinary practice and construction industries. This wasn't a simple acquisition to increase headcount; it was a strategic injection of deep domain expertise, adding a new service line and expanding BerryDunn’s geographic footprint in Connecticut. This kind of M&A activity showcases a leadership team that is looking beyond immediate revenue to build a durable, diversified portfolio of services.

This strategy directly aligns with the most significant trend in modern accounting: the rise of Client Advisory Services (CAS). With AI and automation handling routine compliance tasks, the future of accounting lies in strategic counsel. Industry data shows that 80% of firms are seeing increased client demand for services like financial planning, technology consulting, and business strategy. BerryDunn’s steady growth in its advisory practice, supercharged by its expansion into these specialized niches, shows it is not just reacting to this trend but actively leading it. Belliveau has steered the firm from being a provider of answers to a partner in asking the right questions.

Navigating an Industry in Flux

The challenges facing the accounting profession are systemic. The talent pipeline is shrinking, technology is automating core functions, and client expectations are evolving at a breakneck pace. A firm’s ability to navigate this environment is the ultimate test of its leadership and strategy. BerryDunn’s success offers a compelling blueprint for how to meet these challenges head-on.

By fostering a culture that retains talent for decades, the firm builds an institutional knowledge base that is difficult to replicate. This experience becomes a critical asset when advising clients through complex economic cycles. Furthermore, by embracing strategic growth in advisory and niche industries, the firm insulates itself from the commoditization of traditional compliance work. It is positioning its people not as number-crunchers who will be replaced by algorithms, but as strategic advisors whose value is enhanced by technology.

The recognition of Sarah Belliveau by Forbes is, therefore, more than a celebration of one leader's career. It is an affirmation of a holistic strategy. It validates the idea that investing in people, cultivating a long-term vision, and strategically diversifying into high-value advisory roles is the most effective way to build a resilient and impactful professional services firm for the 21st century. It proves that in an industry undergoing a fundamental transformation, the most innovative move is to build an organization that empowers its people to grow with it.