Wade Sansbury, Partner in Charge – Bradenton & Sarasota, Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC

April 2026 —Invest: sat down with Wade Sansbury, partner in charge of Mauldin & Jenkins’ Bradenton and Sarasota offices, to discuss the firm’s recent expansion, how it is navigating talent and technology shifts, and why independence remains a strategic priority. “We’ve put new growth incentives and internal initiatives in place, but the headline is that the firm is larger, serving more markets, and positioned to keep investing in what clients are asking for,” Sansbury said.

What were the most significant changes for the firm over the past year, and how did they shape your operations?

We’re growing organically, but we also completed two acquisitions, one in Greenville, South Carolina, and a larger one in Louisiana and Texas. That took us from roughly 500 employees to closer to 800, and it expanded our reach west while we continue to operate as a regional firm with a strong footprint in the Southeast.

With that growth comes change. You’re integrating teams, aligning processes, and making sure culture stays consistent across a bigger geography. We’ve put new growth incentives and internal initiatives in place, but the headline is that the firm is larger, serving more markets, and positioned to keep investing in what clients are asking for.

What service expansions stand out to you, and what impact are they having for clients?

We’ve known both firms for many years through a broader network, so it’s been a good cultural and technical fit. The biggest value is complementary expertise, where each side brings depth the other didn’t have at the same scale.

Our niche is governmental, that’s all I do, governmental audits and accounts here in the region and across Florida, and the acquired teams had very little of that. We’ve already started sending people out west to help build that practice and share what we’ve learned about serving public-sector clients.

On the other side, they have a much bigger niche in energy. We did not. That creates a real opportunity to bring those capabilities into our footprint, so clients here can access a broader set of services without having to leave the firm. When those specialties connect well, it strengthens the client experience and opens new opportunities for growth on both sides.

How are you approaching talent attraction and retention in a competitive labor market?

Culture has been a real advantage for us. We hear the same things everyone hears about shortages across accounting, but we’ve been fortunate to retain strong people and keep our pipeline moving. If there’s been a need, we’ve been able to find and replace talent without getting stuck.

We also supplement our local staffing with other options, whether that’s on-demand support or remote resources that can do the work from anywhere. That flexibility helps us meet deadlines and protect quality, especially as client needs expand and timelines compress.

Ultimately, we try to be fair to our people and invest in their careers. When employees feel supported and see a long-term path, it becomes easier to keep good teams together, even in a competitive market.

What’s changing in the profession that’s contributing to talent pressure?

The CPA licensure pathway has been a big factor. When I went through it, you needed a four-year accounting degree, you took the exam, passed it, and then you met a two-year experience requirement before you were licensed. Later, the model changed toward five years of schooling, which raised the cost of entry and changed the overall economics for students.

The result is that fewer people are choosing accounting, and even fewer are sitting for the CPA exam. There’s a big push right now to revisit that structure, and states are doing their own reviews. Florida is certainly part of those conversations.

The bigger firms often feel the pressure differently because they compete nationally and hire in large volumes, but the trend is affecting the profession as a whole. For us, strong relationships with schools and consistent recruiting have helped keep the pipeline healthy.

What trends are most shaping public accounting right now, and how are you adapting?

The biggest topic at any conference you attend is AI. People ask what it will do to the profession, what it will do to roles, and whether firms will need fewer accountants. Our view is that AI should enhance what we do, not replace people.

We already have AI-enabled tools in-house, and we use them to be more effective and more efficient. A practical example is audit testing. Ten years ago, if you were testing something like accounts receivable, you would select a sample and perform your testing on that sample. Today, technology can help you review far more of the population, sometimes all transactions, which can strengthen audit quality and reduce the risk of missing something important.

That shift changes skill sets. It increases the value of people who understand how to use the tools, interpret results, and apply professional judgment. The profession still depends on people, but the work continues to evolve.

What are the biggest challenges facing accounting firms today?

Investment is a major one. To stay relevant, firms need the funding to invest in technology, training, and the infrastructure that supports modern work. Smaller firms often don’t have the resources to do that at the same pace, which raises questions about whether they can remain independent or whether they will be absorbed through consolidation.

Private equity is another hot topic. It can provide capital that helps firms invest in technology and growth, but it can also create pressure around margins and decision-making. We spent significant time discussing that at the partner level, and we’re not interested in that route. We don’t want a big brother looking over our shoulder, telling us what we can and can’t do to meet a margin.

Our approach is to grow in a way that allows us to fund those investments ourselves, maintain control, and keep decisions aligned with clients and our people.

How do accounting and advisory firms like yours support the region’s broader economic growth and business confidence?

The Tampa Bay region, Bradenton, Sarasota, and really the entire state of Florida continue to grow year over year. That brings new businesses into the market and pushes existing organizations to scale, adapt, and operate with more complexity.

We support that growth through assurance, tax compliance, and advisory services, but also through perspective. Often, a client brings us in for one specific need, like an audit, and through that process we identify additional risks or opportunities they may not have been aware of. We can then walk through what we’re seeing, explain options, and help them decide the right next steps, whether they implement with us or with another provider.

That combination of technical work and business insight builds confidence. It helps organizations make better decisions, remain compliant, and pursue growth with clearer visibility into risk.

What are your key goals and priorities for the next two to three years?

We want to remain independent. We also want to continue to grow in a planned way so we can keep investing in what we need to properly serve clients. Growth doesn’t just happen. It has to be intentional, and everyone in the firm has to be aligned, from long-tenured partners to new interns.

Alongside growth, we want to stay adaptable. Five years ago, most people would not have predicted the pace of change we’re seeing now in technology. We’re constantly looking at where we need to invest, where we need to improve, and where we might need to pivot so we can keep delivering excellent service and take advantage of new opportunities.

Anything else you’d like to add?

One issue we’re watching closely is potential state-level changes related to the Board of Accountancy. The board plays an important role in oversight and maintaining trust in the license. While I’m not generally pro-oversight and regulation, we are very much pro-Board of Accountancy and what it does for the state and for our license.

We’re hopeful that groups like the FICPA and others across the profession are successful in preventing changes that would do more harm than benefit.