History

Schneider Downs was established in 1956 by James T. Schneider and Paul Downs. Their leadership and vision set the stage for the future growth and success of the firm. In 1985, Schneider and Downs retired, and Raymond W. Buehler, Jr. and Kenneth A. Rowles assumed leadership. They moved the firm’s 50 professionals from Downtown Pittsburgh to 1133 Penn Avenue, a historic building located on the edge of Pittsburgh’s fabled Strip District. Then, in 2013, the Pittsburgh office moved to One PPG Place to accommodate the firm’s growth.

With a growing number of Midwestern clients, Schneider Downs opened an additional office in Columbus, Ohio, in 1989. By the mid-1990s, the Columbus office had grown from just 1 to nearly 50 employees—and today it boasts a staff of more than 80 professionals.

Buehler and Rowles shared the founders’ vision of providing quality and attentive client service together with insightful and innovative solutions. After Ken Rowles retired in 2003, Ray Buehler served as President and CEO until 2014, when he transitioned to Chairman and returned to the co-management philosophy, naming Timothy Hammer and Steven Thompson Co-Managing Shareholders. When Tim Hammer retired in 2020, Chris McElroy joined Thompson as the second Co-Managing Shareholder.

In early 2020, a new office was opened in McLean, VA to serve clients in Washington DC and the surrounding areas. While the new office does not have dedicated staff, it provides the facilities and resources necessary for the firm to best serve existing clients in that area and demonstrates a commitment to expanding operations as part of our 2030 strategic plan.

The firm has historically continued to develop our people, add talent and invest in technology to offer new services and solutions to meet the evolving needs of our clients. As part of our mission, we remain committed to continually introducing new services and practices based on ever-changing client needs and market conditions. We first added business advisory and internal audit services in the early 1990s, and today, we have a full array of consulting services, from technology and data tools and methodologies to risk and financial advisory. We will continue to introduce new capabilities as client needs arise.

Within the Pittsburgh and Columbus offices, we have more than 500 personnel, including 50+ shareholders and partners, serving private and publicly traded companies and professional service firms, as well as not-for-profit and government entities. Schneider Downs is one of the 60 largest public accounting firms in the United States. Schneider Downs is also registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), enabling us to audit the financial statements of public companies, and with the Canadian Public Accountability Board (CPAB).