Partners
John H. Collar, III
CPA – Certificate # 27119
John is a Tax Partner for the firm. He has been involved with federal and state income taxation since 1997. John’s concentration is on tax planning and compliance for individuals and small businesses in a variety of industries, including construction, medical and dental, and real estate. Before his entry into public accounting, John was an auditor with the NC Department of Revenue.
John is a past President of the Kiwanis Club of Raleigh and of the Raleigh Kiwanis Foundation. He is a native of Raleigh and a 1990 graduate of North Carolina State University. John and his wife Lynn have two children.
Melanie C. Lilley
CPA - Certificate #30213
Melanie is a tax partner with the firm. She is a graduate of East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science in Accountancy. She has been practicing in public accounting since 2001. Her primary focus is meeting the consulting, planning, and tax needs for individual and business clients. She works with a variety of industries, including construction, healthcare, not for profits, real estate and professional services.
Melanie is a board member and Co-Treasurer for WakeUp Wake County. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants. Melanie has one child and lives in Raleigh with her husband James.
Jon A. Lund
CPA - Certificate #20129
Jon is the Managing and Audit Partner for the firm. He has been practicing public accounting since 1990 when he graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. Jon has significant experience working in the medical, dental, construction and not-for-profit industries, providing advice for various business transactions, taxes, production reporting, budgets and forecasts, attest work and a host of other management services.
Jon lives with his wife and three children in Raleigh. He is an active in the community and sits on a number of not-for-profit boards and has served as president of the North Raleigh Exchange Club and the North Carolina District Exchange Club for multiple years. He is also involved with the Boy Scouts of American and is currently an assistant scout master with Troop 325. In his spare time he enjoys camping, hiking, trout fishing, traveling and spending time with his family.
Thomas H Norton
CPA – Certificate #21108
Tom is a tax partner with the firm focusing on tax compliance, tax planning and business advice for small businesses and their owners. Tom has significant experience providing advice for various business transactions such as real estate deals, stock options, start-ups and acquisitions. Tom graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and has been practicing public accounting for over 25 years in the Raleigh area.
In his spare time, Tom volunteers as a youth soccer coach for the YMCA and provides financial counsel to several charitable organizations including The Center for Volunteer Caregiving and The Charles Ray Diabetes Foundation. He and his wife Jennifer live in Raleigh with their children.
Robert Maxell “Max” Lanning
CPA – Certificate # 40037
Max is an Audit Partner for the firm. He graduated from North Carolina State University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and 2014 with a Master of Accounting. He has practiced public accounting with the firm since 2014 and obtained his CPA license in 2016. Max’s role at the firm is managing the recurring interim preparation of financial statement and compilation engagements. He also is the lead auditor on many audit and review engagements with the firm in many industries, focusing in not-for-profit organizations.
Max enjoys being active outside. Running is his passion, but he enjoys hiking, cooking, experiencing art, and facilitating home improvement projects. He lives in north Raleigh with his two furry feline children, Leo and Chai.
