Ben Patton is the founding principal of Patton & Braucht. After working for a small local CPA firm and later for a larger regional CPA firm, Ben, coming from a long line of entrepreneurs, decided that he wanted to be his own boss and open his own practice. Ben’s dream came to life in July of 1984 when he launched the business under the original name of Patton and Patton, CPA’s with his wife, Trish, also a CPA. She joined the firm full-time a year later in 1985.
In 1989, Trish retired from public accounting. On January 1, 1990, Ben merged his practice with John Erskine and together they started Patton & Erskine, P.C. When Craig Braucht became a principal in 1995, the name changed to Patton, Erskine & Braucht, P.C. When John Erskine went into semi-retirement in 2008, the name was changed again to its current name – Patton and Braucht, P.C. That same year Rod Nielsen become a principal in the firm.
Patton & Braucht P.C. has continued to grow and expand over the past three decades. However, the focus of the firm, to provide outstanding service and client satisfaction, has never changed. Patton & Braucht P.C. is privileged to serve thousands of clients and businesses throughout the D.C. region.
Each of our three principals contributes their own expertise and experience. Together, they bring almost 100 years of experience to the firm.
Ben Patton entered public accounting in 1979 and has experience in a variety of accounting and tax services. He considers himself a general practitioner with an emphasis on individual, corporate, partnership, and trust taxation. In addition to tax preparation, Ben offers income tax planning and assists clients with buy-sell agreements for businesses. He is the main principal representing our clients before the Internal Revenue Service.
Craig Braucht has been in the business since 1986 and offers expertise in servicing small businesses and their shareholders. He brings expertise in tax return preparation, tax projections, consultation on various business matters, and meetings with the owners to ensure understanding. With Craig’s help, business owners can use financial and tax data prepared by us to improve their business profitability.
Rod Nielsen entered the accounting field in 1989 and joined the firm in 1990. He offers tax preparation and planning services to small businesses and individuals. He manages the Individual Tax Department and became a principal in the firm in 2008.