A North Carolina accounting firm is expanding its services by launching a Charlotte information technology subsidiary.
Davidson, Holland and Whitesell & Co. — a Hickory-based accounting company — started Paladin Business Consulting in the fourth quarter of last year. The IT services firm is without a physical location but has two remote specialists based in Charlotte's Elizabeth neighborhood. It plans to hire more employees later this year.
Paladin's services include cybersecurity prevention and monitoring, managed network and personal computer infrastructure, disaster recovery, data backup, and restore and technology management consulting.
"Paladin’s service and product offerings immediately complement the accounting and business advisory services that DHW has delivered since 1990," Herb Whitesell, managing partner at DHW and co-leader of Paladin, said in a statement. “Paladin will forge enduring partnerships with businesses, prioritizing their needs and goals.”
DHW has offered advisory services to its clients for decades, but found that IT issues were one of their main challenges, a spokesperson for the company told CBJ. The accounting firm formed Paladin to help support the increasing IT needs of small to midsize businesses locally, in North Carolina and nationwide through its remote service offerings.
Whitesell, along with Rex Benfield, who is based in Charlotte, oversee Paladin. Whitesell is a DHW founder who became managing partner of the firm in 2002. His background includes health care, manufacturing and distribution, technology, cost accounting, and Enterprise Resource Planning systems. Whitesell is a graduate of Wake Forest University.
Benfield joined Paladin last year, serving as executive vice president. He has more than 20 years of experience in the information technology space. Benfield also has been a small-business owner for 14 years. He earned his master’s degree in management from Western Governors University and a bachelor’s degree in business ethics from John Wesley University.
Benfield has served as an advisory board member and adjunct instructor at Catawba Valley Community College over the last eight years. There, he's taught courses centered around cybersecurity and networking.
“I’m excited for this unique opportunity to join the excellent Paladin executive team and begin helping clients with cybersecurity proficiency and a holistic approach to business success,” Benfield said in a statement.
