Meet BE Partner, Jared Brown

Jared joined BE through the merger of Dent K. Burk Associates, PC in 2015 as a Director. He has always worked out of the Bristol office but has spent time in BE's Kingsport, Charleston, Roanoke, Wytheville, and Newport News offices.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on accounting from East Tennessee State University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA), and the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA).

We interviewed Jared to really get to know him outside of his profession, and we were surprised to learn that he is a little bit of an adrenaline junkie, which causes his risk tolerance to be higher than most others.

Where are you from and where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in East Tennessee. Kingsport to be more precise. I lived close enough to school to be able to walk or ride my bicycle to school every day until I was old enough to drive.

What are some of your hobbies?

I enjoy tinkering. My wife lovingly calls me Tinker Bell because I seem to always be tinkering on something. Outside of that, I enjoy time with friends and family out at the house. I will travel but I am perfectly content staying home too.

What's the next place on your travel bucket list and what will you do there?

Probably not next but at the top of my travel bucket list is Bora Bora and absolutely nothing.

If you starred in your own hero action movie, what would be your superhero name and superpower?

Boy this question just lets the narcissist out of it's cage....... My name would be Omnipotent and I would have all of the super powers. Even powers nobody has dreamed up yet.

What's the last book you read or what is your favorite book/series you ever read and why?

Don't show this to my kids, but I hate to read. If the book is good enough, they will make a movie about it.

What is one food you can’t live without and why?

Red meat. I am a steak and potatoes kind of guy!

If you knew you were going to be stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you bring with you?

Bumbu Rum (don't judge, it worked for Jack Sparrow), suppressed 300 AAC blackout AR15 with ammo (suppressed because I don't want to waste my third item on hearing protection), and a working satellite phone (for when I am ready to leave).

Why did you choose a career in public accounting?

My dad was a mechanic at Eastman and saw what the engineers at Eastman drove and pushed me towards engineering. Once I realized I did not want to be an engineer, I came back from UT, took an accounting class and really enjoyed it. I guess we all know how that turned out.