Meet BE Principal, Lee Bell

Lee joined the BE team in January 2022 and serves as the firm’s Business Valuations practice leader out of the Harrisonburg, VA office, but he typically works remotely in Staunton, Virginia. The valuation team is in Richmond and Roanoke, Virginia, and in Charleston, West Virginia. he travels between those offices regularly.

He earned his Bachelor’s degree in economics from Furman University and his MBA in Accounting and Finance from Vanderbilt University. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) and is a member of the Furman University Endowment Consulting Group.

We interviewed Lee to really get to know him, outside of his profession, and we were surprised to learn that he set the vertical leap record in high school (it was a small school, and it was a long time ago), that he is quite introverted, He is a descendant of Francis Scott Key and two signers of the Declaration of Independence, and that he spent a summer working in the pathology department of the local hospital and sat in on several autopsies.

Where are you from and where did you grow up?

I grew up on St. Simons Island, which is a beautiful coastal community off the coast of Georgia.

What are some of your hobbies?

In my free time I am the den leader of my youngest son's Cub Scout den, participate in Boy Scout activities with my oldest son, coach my sons' youth sports teams, read, fish, and enjoy the outdoors. I enjoy time with my family and friends, and spending as much time as I can with my father.

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

The last book I read was Shannon Pratt's "Valuing a Business", sixth edition. Other favorites include, "A Bubble that Broke the World" by Garet Garrett; "Security Analysis" by Benjamin Graham; "The Crash and Its Aftermath" by Barrie Wigmore; and "Fooled by Randomness" by Nassim Taleb.

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

Anything Mexican. Every day should be Taco Tuesday!

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

Drinking water, a mirror for signaling, and sunscreen (I am a redhead, after all!)

What do you think is your biggest contribution to the Brown Edwards team?

My extensive investment and finance experience complements well the firm's deep accounting and tax expertise.