Pease & Associates is one of the best accounting firms to work for in Northeast Ohio, and its track record proves it. The firm earned the NorthCoast 99 award for the seventh consecutive year in 2015, a distinction granted by the Employer Resource Council (ERC) to organizations that excel at attracting, retaining, and motivating top talent. Fewer than 100 companies across the entire region receive this honor each year, making a seven-year streak a clear signal of sustained workplace excellence.
The NorthCoast 99 program does not simply reward perks or flashy office spaces. It evaluates how companies build environments where high-performing professionals choose to stay and grow. For a CPA firm competing for talent against larger national practices, earning this recognition repeatedly speaks to a deliberate strategy around culture, development, and employee engagement.
This article answers one central question: what does a seven-year NorthCoast 99 streak tell clients and prospective employees about a firm, and how did Pease & Associates earn it? The short answer is that consistent investment in people produces measurable advantages in retention, service quality, and recruiting, and the firm’s record demonstrates that principle in practice.
What the NorthCoast 99 award measures
The NorthCoast 99 award is an annual program run by the Employer Resource Council, a nonprofit organization based in Northeast Ohio. ERC evaluates employers across multiple dimensions, including leadership practices, compensation and benefits, work-life balance, professional development opportunities, and workplace culture. Companies that score highest in these categories earn a spot on the NorthCoast 99 list.
The program assesses applicants against six core areas: employee engagement and talent development, employee well-being, diversity and inclusion, organizational strategy and benefits, talent acquisition and onboarding, and total rewards. Each area is weighted toward measurable practices rather than stated intentions. That structure forces companies to document how they actually operate, not just what they claim to value.
What sets this award apart from other “best places to work” lists is its focus on top performers specifically. The evaluation asks whether a company creates conditions that attract and retain the most talented professionals in its field, not just whether employees are generally satisfied. For accounting firms, where recruiting skilled CPAs is an ongoing challenge, this distinction carries real weight.
Pat Perry, ERC President, described the shift the program has driven: “NorthCoast 99 has transformed from a workplace competition to a movement. We see it every day and are gratified that more and more local CEOs are shifting towards a great workplace strategy.” That language reflects a broader trend in Northeast Ohio, where employers increasingly treat workplace culture as a competitive advantage rather than an afterthought.
How Pease & Associates built a seven-year winning streak
Winning the NorthCoast 99 award once is an achievement. Winning it seven years in a row requires consistent effort and genuine commitment to workplace quality. Pease & Associates accomplished this by focusing on three core areas: a collaborative work environment, continuous learning opportunities, and leadership that prioritizes employee growth.
Leadership that prioritizes people
Joe Pease, CEO and Co-Founder, explained the firm’s philosophy: “We try to maintain a positive and collaborative environment with opportunities for our team members to learn and grow, and it’s nice to be recognized for those efforts.” This is not a company that treats culture as a marketing slogan. The repeated recognition from ERC suggests these values are embedded in daily operations.
Leadership at the firm ties this approach directly to the work itself. Teams across the firm’s accounting services depend on experienced professionals who stay long enough to develop deep expertise, which is difficult to sustain without a workplace people want to remain in.
Earning the top scorer distinction
In 2014, Pease & Associates took the achievement a step further by earning the Top Scorer Award in the small business category. That distinction placed them at the very top of the NorthCoast 99 rankings among smaller employers, confirming that size is no barrier to creating an outstanding workplace. Small and mid-sized CPA firms often struggle to compete with larger organizations for talent, but Pease & Associates demonstrated that a focused approach to culture and development can level the playing field.
Investment in continuous learning
The third pillar is professional development. Accounting is a field where rules, standards, and tax law change constantly, so a firm that invests in ongoing training keeps its staff current and its clients well served. Structured learning also signals to ambitious professionals that the firm intends to grow their careers, which is one of the strongest retention tools available.
Why workplace culture matters at CPA firms
The accounting profession faces well-documented challenges around talent retention. Long hours during tax season, demanding client expectations, and a competitive hiring market make it difficult for firms to hold onto their best people. Firms that invest in workplace culture gain a measurable advantage in this environment.
Industry bodies have made the same point. The AICPA’s firm practice management resources emphasize culture building, talent development, and burnout prevention as central concerns for firms of every size, reflecting how seriously the profession now treats workplace quality.
The retention advantage for CPA firms
Employees at strong workplaces tend to be more engaged and less likely to leave, and that pattern holds across industries. For CPA firms specifically, lower turnover means stronger client relationships, deeper institutional knowledge, and reduced recruiting costs. A firm that keeps its best people year after year delivers more consistent service and builds a stronger reputation.
The connection is especially clear in demanding service lines. A client relying on year-round tax advisory services benefits when the same advisors handle their account across multiple cycles, because continuity preserves the context behind every recommendation.
From culture investment to national recognition
Pease & Associates understood this connection early. Rather than treating employee satisfaction as a secondary concern, the firm made it a strategic priority. The results are visible not just in the NorthCoast 99 recognition, but in other honors as well. In 2015, Pease & Associates was named to both the Inside Public Accounting Top 300 and the Best of the Best CPA Firms lists, one of only 60 firms in the nation to receive this dual recognition.
What other firms can learn from this approach
The success of Pease & Associates offers practical lessons for other accounting firms looking to improve their workplace culture and compete for top talent. Several key practices stand out from the firm’s approach.
First, consistency matters more than grand gestures. A single initiative or one-time bonus does not build the kind of culture that earns recognition seven years running. Pease & Associates invested in ongoing programs for learning, collaboration, and professional growth that employees could rely on year after year.
Small firms can compete for top talent
Second, small firms can compete effectively for the best accounting firms to work for distinction. The NorthCoast 99 program evaluates employers of all sizes, and Pease & Associates proved that a focused, values-driven approach can outperform larger competitors with bigger budgets.
Third, external recognition reinforces internal culture. Earning awards like NorthCoast 99 does more than generate positive press. It validates the firm’s approach for current employees and sends a clear signal to prospective hires that this is a workplace that takes employee experience seriously.
The broader impact on Northeast Ohio’s business community
The NorthCoast 99 program has played a significant role in raising the bar for workplace quality across Northeast Ohio. By publicly recognizing employers who invest in their people, ERC created a competitive dynamic that encourages other organizations to follow suit. The program has grown into what ERC describes as a movement, with more companies each year adopting strategies focused on attracting and retaining top performers.
Accounting firms and the recruiting advantage
For the accounting industry in particular, this trend is significant. Northeast Ohio is home to a dense concentration of CPA firms ranging from small local practices to regional powerhouses. Firms that earn the NorthCoast 99 designation gain a recruiting advantage, as job seekers increasingly research workplace culture before accepting offers.
Pease & Associates’ seven-year streak positions the firm as a leader in this space. Prospective employees evaluating their options can look at this sustained record of recognition and draw reasonable conclusions about what it would be like to work there. In a profession where talent is the primary asset, that kind of credibility has tangible business value.
National recognition alongside local excellence
The NorthCoast 99 award is a regional honor, but Pease & Associates’ achievements extend well beyond Northeast Ohio. The firm’s inclusion on the Inside Public Accounting Top 300 list placed it among the largest and most successful accounting firms in the United States. Earning the Best of the Best designation narrowed that field even further, to just 60 firms nationwide.
This combination of local and national recognition is rare, especially for a firm operating in the small business category. It demonstrates that the same workplace practices driving the NorthCoast 99 wins, including investment in people, collaborative culture, and professional development, also contribute to strong business performance and industry standing.
For clients, these recognitions offer reassurance. A firm that attracts and retains top talent is better positioned to deliver high-quality service across the industries it serves. The connection between workplace culture and client outcomes is direct: engaged professionals do better work.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NorthCoast 99 award?
The NorthCoast 99 award is an annual recognition program run by the Employer Resource Council (ERC) in Northeast Ohio. It identifies the top 99 employers in the region based on their ability to attract, retain, and motivate high-performing employees. Companies are evaluated on leadership, benefits, development opportunities, and workplace culture.
What makes a CPA firm one of the best accounting firms to work for?
The best accounting firms to work for prioritize professional development, maintain a collaborative culture, and offer competitive benefits. They create environments where skilled CPAs can grow their careers without sacrificing work-life balance. Sustained recognition from programs like NorthCoast 99 is a strong indicator of these qualities.
How many years did Pease & Associates win NorthCoast 99?
Pease & Associates won the NorthCoast 99 award for seven consecutive years through 2015. In 2014, the firm also earned the Top Scorer Award in the small business category, placing it at the very top of the rankings among smaller employers.
Why does workplace culture matter in accounting?
Workplace culture directly affects talent retention, which is one of the biggest challenges facing CPA firms. Firms with strong cultures experience lower turnover, deeper client relationships, and reduced recruiting costs. Employees who feel supported and valued consistently deliver higher-quality work.
How does the NorthCoast 99 program evaluate employers?
ERC evaluates NorthCoast 99 applicants across categories including leadership and management practices, compensation and benefits, work-life balance programs, professional development opportunities, and overall workplace environment. The program specifically focuses on whether companies create conditions that attract and retain top performers.
What other awards has Pease & Associates received?
In addition to seven consecutive NorthCoast 99 wins, Pease & Associates was named to the Inside Public Accounting Top 300 and the Best of the Best CPA Firms lists in 2015. Only 60 firms in the entire country received both designations, making it a significant national achievement for the firm.
