Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A.

Firm Profile

Cecil W. Harper

Cecil is a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi and graduated with special distinction from Mississippi College with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.   He was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 2004 by the Mississippi College School of Business.

Cecil is President and the managing director of Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A.   He is a director in charge of audit, consulting and tax engagements, providing services to clients in a variety of industries including state and local government agencies, wholesale supply companies, insurance companies, insurance agencies, nursing homes, professional associations, social organizations, financial institutions and real estate developers with extensive experience in the area of financial institution credit administration and legal reviews, internal control studies, Sarbanes Oxley 404(b) testing, development of internal control policies and procedures, strategic planning and training for Boards of Directors and Audit Committees.

Cecil is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Central Chapter of Certified Public Accountants, the Peer Review Oversight Committee of the State of Mississippi, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.  Cecil serves on numerous civic and religious boards including a member and past president of the Board of Governors of Annandale Golf Club, past board member of Mississippi Automotive Manufacturing Association, member and past-chairman of the Madison County Foundation, member and past board chairman of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi, the Andrew Jackson Council of Boy Scouts, and the 100 Hundred Club of Madison-Ridgeland.  

Cecil and his wife, Karen, have two children, Chris and Stephanie, and reside in Madison where they are members of Madison United Methodist Church.

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Marlin B. Rains

Marlin is a native of Bastrop, Louisiana and graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Marlin is a director of Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A.  His experience includes audit, consulting and tax engagements, providing services to clients in a variety of industries, including professional associations, non-profit organizations, retail, law firms and financial institutions.  Marlin is the former president and managing director, and director-In-charge of the audit department of Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A.

Marlin is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Central Mississippi Chapter of Certified Public Accountants, and the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants.  

Marlin served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi and is an advisory board member of the Salvation Army-Jackson Corps.   

Marlin and his wife, Barbara, reside in Madison and are members of First Baptist Church-Jackson.  

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James T. Knight

Jim is a native of Taylor, Mississippi, and graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting.
 
Jim is a director of Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A.  His experience includes audit, consulting and tax engagements, providing services to clients in a variety of industries, including federal government departments and agencies, non-profit organizations, retail and construction companies.
 
Jim is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Central Mississippi Chapter of Certified Public Accountants.  

Jim and his wife, Lorene, reside in Madison and are members of First Baptist Church of Madison.

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Thomas J. Wiygul

Tom is a native of Jackson, Mississippi.  Tom received his Bachelors and Masters of Professional Accountancy from Mississippi State University.   He received an honorable mention for completion of the CPA exam in his first attempt in 1983.

Tom is a director in the auditing and consulting department of Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A.  He is in charge of audit engagements including manufacturing entities, insurance companies, social organizations, churches, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies.

Tom is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants where he has served on the Board of governors and the Auditing and Accounting Committee, and is a past-president, vice-president and treasurer of the Central Mississippi Chapter of Certified Public Accountants.  Tom has earned the designation of Accredited in Business Valuation from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Tom is an active Boy Scout leader and previously was active as a Cub Scout leader.  He has served numerous local organizations including the Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation and the local Chapter of the Red Cross.

Tom and his wife, Catherine, have three children and reside in Madison.  They are members of Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church where he serves as a Sunday school teacher and usher.

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Joseph A. Katool

Joey is a native of Jackson, Mississippi and graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Joey is a director in the tax department as well as the Director of Personnel for Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A. specializing in closely held businesses, employee benefit plans and retirement plans. 

Joey is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Central Mississippi Chapter of Certified Public Accountants.  

Joey serves as a volunteer for numerous organizations in the Jackson area including the Boy Scout of America, the Briarwood Recreation, Inc. Board of Directors, coach for North Jackson Youth Baseball and the YMCA Flag Football Program.

Joey and his wife, Madeline, have two children and reside in Jackson.  They are members of St. Richard Catholic Church.  

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Ralph H. Alford

Ralph is a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi and graduated from Mississippi College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.

Ralph is a director in the tax department of Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A.  He specializes in oil and gas taxation for independent producers and drilling companies.

Ralph is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Central Mississippi Chapter of Certified Public Accountants and the Council of Petroleum Accountants.

Ralph and his wife, Karen, reside in Ridgeland, Mississippi.

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Bill Felder

Bill is a native of Long Beach, Mississippi.  Bill received his Bachelors and Masters of Professional Accountancy from Mississippi State University.   

Bill is a director in the auditing and consulting department of Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A.  He is a director in charge of audit engagements to a variety of industries including government-assisted multi-family housing projects, hospitals, federal government entities, insurance related governmental organizations, employee benefit plans, workers’ compensation and other insurance organizations, vehicle and extended service agreement companies, financial services, medical services, wholesale supply, churches and non-profit organizations.

Bill is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Central Mississippi Chapter of Certified Public Accountants where he served as a past-secretary.   Bill has earned the designation of Certified Information Systems Auditor from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association.  Bill is a discussion leader for continuing professional education courses sponsored by the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants.  

Bill and his wife, Kimberly, have one child and reside in Madison where they are members of the First Baptist Church of Madison.  

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Matthew N. Farage

Matt currently resides in Washington, D.C. and received his Bachelor of Accountancy and Master of Taxation from the University of Mississippi.

Matt is a director in the Washington, D.C. auditing and consulting department of Harper, Rains, Knight and Company, P.A. He is in charge of Federal audit and consulting engagements including CFO and ATDA financial statement audits, OMB A-123 engagements, FISMA and FISCAM engagements, and performance and grant audits following GAO Yellow Book standards.

Matt is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Northern Chapter of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Association of Government Accountants where he most recently served as Early Careers Chair of the Northern Virginia Chapter, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association and its National Capital Area Chapter.

Matt has earned the designations of Certified Information Systems Auditor from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association and the Certified Information Technology Professional from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

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William O. Smith

Bill is a native of Columbus, Mississippi and received his Bachelors of Accountancy and Masters of Business Administration from Mississippi State University.

Bill is a Senior Manager in the tax department of Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A., specializing in individual and business taxation.

Bill is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Central Mississippi Chapter of Certified Public Accountants.

Bill and his wife, Wanda, have two children and reside in Ridgeland.  They are members of First Baptist Church of Madison.

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