Our History

KEB was founded in 1931 by Louis J. Kerber and Albert O. Eck Sr., two certified public accountants (CPAs), who opened offices simultaneously in Springfield, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. In 1938 Walter E. Braeckel joined the firm, establishing the name that continues today.

Through the years, KEB has grown both in number of our office locations and in the extent of services we can provide to our clients. After the initial two offices opened in 1931, the following offices have opened:

  • Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Milwaukee, Wisconsin were opened in 1974.
  • Litchfield, Illinois opened in 2013
  • Columbia, Illinois opened in 2015
  • Harrisburg, Illinois opened in 2016
  • O’Fallon, Illinois office opened in 2017 and existing Belleville, Illinois office merged into O’Fallon in 2018
  • Marion, Illinois office opened in 2018 and existing Carbondale, Illinois office merged into Marion in 2018

When the firm first started KEB primarily focused on basic auditing, accounting and tax services. KEB continues to redefine and diversify itself by adding specialties that reflect the needs of current clients and that continue to position KEB as a market leader. KEB now expands beyond traditional audit, accounting and tax preparation services to include management and financial consulting, investigative accounting, litigation support, business valuation, employee benefit plans and administration, financial planning and wealth management.

In 1999, KEB formed an affiliated entity, named KEB Wealth Advisors, LLC, and in doing so added asset management to the list of services provided.

KEB’s affiliation with CPA Management Systems, Inc. – an organization consisting of our peers in the accounting profession – offers us access to additional resources for unique needs or issues requiring a high degree of specialization.

KEB currently has 27 partners/principals and over 190 professionals across 5 office groups in three states. KEB is large enough to provide the technical expertise clients desire, yet small enough to deliver the personal attention each client deserves.

KEB has a long tradition of quality service over the past nine decades. At KEB we are fully committed to serving your needs. We are CPAs, management consultants, and business advisors who can promise you professional, personalized service. KEB looks forward to continuing to provide its tradition of excellence into the years ahead.