Wolf & Company is a certified public accounting and business consulting firm that provides clients with tailored advisory, assurance, and tax, services. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Wolf & Company Principal and Chief Growth Officer Michael Kanarellis to learn more.
Role At The Company
What are your primary responsibilities? Kanarellis said:
As Chief Growth Officer, I lead business development and marketing efforts, and I oversee our six core industry practices, all of which report through my office. My day-to-day involves guiding our firm’s niche-based strategy, staying involved with internal promotions and communications, and managing the firm’s organic revenue growth. I’m also part of the senior leadership team that tackles acquisitions that align with our strategic growth — we typically plan for one each year. Alongside these responsibilities, I work with my fellow C-suite leaders to address firmwide challenges and opportunities.
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory of working for the company so far? Kanarellis reflected:
It’s tough to pick just one moment. Honestly, the biggest highlight has been witnessing our growth over the past 15 years. That progress isn’t just about numbers — it’s meant more capital, yes, but it’s also meant more opportunities for our emerging leaders to bring new ideas forward, and fostering a real entrepreneurial spirit taking root inside a firm that’s over a century old.
New hires sometimes wonder if a long-established firm can actually give people room to take risks and grow. For me, that’s the most rewarding part of the job: seeing people thrive when we provide the right resources and support. That commitment to fostering growth has allowed us to launch forward-thinking initiatives like our thriving Digital Assets practice and DenSecure, our team of in-house penetration testers, and those successes continue to shape how we move forward.
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently? Kanarellis acknowledged:
We have to keep a close eye on the wave of private equity money coming into the CPA world today. PE firms are taking majority stakes in CPA firms large and small. Some of our competitors have taken big checks from private equity, and that boosts their ability to hire top talent and make acquisitions — which makes the CPA environment much more competitive.
As a firm, we have made the decision to remain independent. We landed on that decision for a few clear reasons. Independence is core to who we are, it’s in our DNA — having outside investors at the table just doesn’t line up with how we operate. We’re also in a different position financially from some firms because our pension is fully funded. We’re not facing the same pressures to sell. And when we look at firms that have taken private equity money, the story tends to repeat: layoffs happen, service quality drops, and eventually, their former clients come to us looking for something more stable and dependable.
Because we aren’t taking outside funding, we’ve chosen to invest ahead of the curve when it comes to business development, marketing, and technology. We consistently put resources into these areas because we believe that kind of strategic investment is what truly drives our growth and sets us apart from others in the field.
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Kanarellis highlighted:
One of our most exciting success stories comes from our partnership with Club Champion Golf. As the #1 custom golf club fitter in the U.S., Club Champion needed deeper insights into their store and fitter performance to optimize operations and drive growth.
Our Data Solutions team used our proprietary platform, InsightOut, to provide Club Champion with real-time analytics that went beyond what their existing systems could offer. They gained visibility into metrics like fitting bay utilization, conversion rates, and lead-to-sale performance. They could identify underutilized resources, improve customer engagement, and even refine their marketing strategies to recover lost leads.
The results were remarkable. They increased same-store appointments by 26%, boosted incremental financed sales from 2% to 8.5%, and achieved a 21% increase in average sale per customer. These insights helped them optimize existing stores and supported their rapid growth as a national brand.
Funding/Revenue
Are you able to discuss funding and/or revenue metrics? Kanarellis revealed:
We recently crossed the $100 million revenue mark, which you’ll see highlighted in our recently released 2025 Annual Report. We reported $105.3 million in revenue for our 2025 fiscal year, up 16% year-over-year. This milestone reflects years of intentionally diversifying the firm’s service lines and specialties.
We’re always looking to stay ahead of the market, which is why we regularly launch new service lines that align with what clients need. A big part of our growth story is that we started allocating real resources into niche practices more than 25 years ago. That move has allowed us to specialize, develop deeper expertise, and steadily increase both our revenue and profitability.
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Kanarellis assessed:
When we talk about our total addressable market, it really comes down to the collective reach of our six core niche practices and the dozens of services we offer them. We see opportunity across key sectors like healthcare, life sciences, technology, and financial services, each contributing to our broader market strategy. And we offer services that range from advisory to assurance to tax to digital — and we’re still adding new lines of service frequently.
Our laser focus on serving niches and tailoring our services to meet specialized client needs has driven exceptional year-over-year growth. Over the past three years, we’ve achieved revenue growth rates of 16%, 17.5%, and 12%. These results highlight the success of our market-focused approach and our ability to consistently deliver value in dynamic, competitive industries.
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Kanarellis affirmed:
What really sets us apart is two things: our people, and the way we use technology. We draw on more than a century of audit expertise, but we’re always looking forward — adopting new tools and offering services that keep pace with what clients need today.
Technology absolutely supports our work, but it’s never a substitute for genuine client connections. We take pride in the fact that our approach remains personal and attentive, even as we adapt and evolve. That “concierge” level of service is something clients notice — it’s just not something you find everywhere.
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Kanarellis emphasized:
Our future plans center on moving forward with smart, strategic acquisitions — usually targeting one a year if it lines up with where we want to go. We’re also working to climb higher in the industry rankings, specifically aiming to break into the top 50 of the top 100 CPA listings. (In 2025, we were #72 on Accounting Today’s Top 100 Firms.) Expanding our reach and deepening our impact in the markets we serve remains a priority, both to attract new talent and to be recognized as the advisor and employer of choice. In short, we want to be the employer of choice for our people and the advisor of choice for our clients.
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Kanarellis concluded:
There’s a lot of talk these days about AI making the accounting field obsolete, but that doesn’t reflect what I’m seeing.
CPA firms have always been the foundation for these newer service areas. When we go up against tech companies, our reports stand out because we make sure to break down technical issues in a way that anyone can understand — even if they’re not technical experts. That commitment to documentation and evidence goes back to our roots as a CPA firm. It’s a mindset that serves us whether we’re tackling traditional audits or diving into things like ethical hacking, AI, and advanced data analytics solutions.
Because we work so closely with decision-makers, we have a clear view of the challenges and priorities shaping their industries. That inside perspective lets us adapt quickly, stay ahead of trends, and continue to lead with confidence.
In my opinion, the CPA firms that will thrive in the near future are the firms who lean into being both a professional services provider and a technology company — and that’s exactly what we’re doing here at Wolf & Company.
