Michael Whitlock, a lifelong resident of Blount County and graduate of the University of Tennessee, has dedicated nearly five decades to the accounting profession. His career began in the early 1970s at a local firm in Maryville, where he laid the foundation for what would become a distinguished journey in public accounting.

In August 1996, Mr. Whitlock founded Whitlock & Company, P.C., driven by a vision to provide exceptional financial and advisory services to clients across East Tennessee. Prior to that, he served as managing partner at Gillespie & Sherrod CPAs, where he developed deep expertise in accounting, audit, and tax services for clients throughout Blount, Knox, Sevier, and surrounding counties.

In 2019, Whitlock & Company acquired the firm of Ingram, Overholt, and Bean (IOB). IOB is the successor firm of Gillespie & Sherrod CPAs. A. Cecil Gillespie and Keith G. Sherrod founded the original firm in 1947 and virtually pioneered the practice of providing high quality accounting and tax services in the Blount, Knox and Sevier County areas. When Mr. Whitlock acquired IOB in 2019, it brought him full circle, reuniting him with some of the colleagues he had worked with early in his career. Under his leadership, the firm has grown into a thriving practice with a team of experienced professionals across two offices, located in Alcoa and Pigeon Forge.