Our Team

The Firm:

Bruce Manes, CPA, Tax Manager                             Ohio License # 18235       North Carolina License # 42930       

Born in Akron, Ohio, Bruce earned degrees from the University of Miami and the Thunderbird School of International Management before settling on Accounting as his life’s profession. He stayed in Akron and worked for both large firms and small for nearly 40 years before deciding to head in the mountains of WNC with his wife Jan, a Special Education Administrator. Their son Michael lives in Asheville and is director of Blue Spiral  1 Gallery, and daughter Stacey lives in Minneapolis and is connected with the Hennepin County Hospital.  Bruce likes helping people and solving puzzles, is deeply interested in small business success, and has specialties in real estate and tax planning.  He is also an avid golfer and became a first time grandfather this past spring.

Keith Bristol, Accountant

Originally from Morganton, North Carolina, Keith was a small business owner and a software engineer before deciding accounting was his calling. He simply loves numbers! Keith received a BS degree in Business & Economics from University of Kentucky, and later an MS in Computer Science from the University of Nebraska. He owned a Domino’s Pizza franchise in Hartford, Connecticut from 1987 to 1996, and worked as a software engineer for IBM before returning to North Carolina to pursue accounting. Keith is the proud uncle of 7 nieces and nephews, has a pet Border Collie named Lucy, and enjoys playing tennis and pickle ball as well as reading and exploring the great outdoors.

Cheryl Mathus, Payroll Manager

Cheryl was born in Asheville and raised in Candler as one of 8 children born to native Asheville parents. She is the mother of 2 girls, grandmother to 2 grandsons, and has 18 nieces and nephews and 18 grand nieces and grandnephews. A graduate of Enka High School, Cheryl has had a lifelong interest in the accounting profession and has taken a number of business and accounting classes at AB Tech. She loves to bake and has developed a specialty in cake decorating, a gift she shares for weddings, birthdays, and other special events.

Laura Fenters, Wealth Management Assistant

Laura grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina, started college at Eastern Carolina University, and finished her degree in Business Management and Administration at UNC Asheville. Industrious and capable, she began her working years helping in her father’s construction business, and has also worked part time in the lab at Mission Hospital for the past 11 years. She and her husband Doug are parents of a teenager, Danielle, and young son, Jackson. Laura stays busy attending archery, soccer, softball, and basketball games. She is also active in her church and claims to know enough Spanish to be dangerous.

Lisa Shearer, Payroll Assistant

Lisa grew up in central Pennsylvania, near Penn State University, and chose to go away to college; she graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Salisbury State University near Ocean City, Maryland and worked for the Chamber of Commerce in Rehoboth Beach for 10 years. Lisa moved to Asheville in 2009 and after a brief stint back in Delaware, came back to the mountains to stay and raise her family. She and her 3 children Abby, Jack, and Donny live in Black Mountain and enjoy hiking, swimming, and small town life.

Kathy Fender, Bookkeeping & Payroll

Trish Gall, Administrative Assistant

Trish Gall is a small town girl from Virginia. She moved to Asheville from Orlando in 2010 to be closer to family. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Jason, two daughters, Paige and Linzy, and their husky, Yukon. Trish loves the outdoors, music, and cooking.

Jessica Cannon, Administrative Assistant 

A southern girl through and through, Jessica Cannon spent summers with family in the High Country of North Carolina to escape steamy South Alabama, and dreamed of moving here one day. Her dream came true when she and her partner John accepted jobs in Asheville and made their home in Fletcher. She joined the Carol King staff in the fall of 2019 and enjoys the opportunity to hone skills gained when she studied business management in college: marketing, project management and helping people. Jess and John are avid hikers and often spend weekends exploring trails, discovering waterfalls or hiking mountains with their German Shepherd, Sammy. 

Judi Jetson, Marketing Director