Tis the season for Drake Software in Waynesville
Apr. 14—As Tax Day approaches, one local business jumps into action guiding accountants and professional tax preparers across the country to the finish line.
A nondescript brick building on Depot Street in downtown Waynesville serves as ground zero in the count down to Tax Day. Here, dozens of Drake Software consultants field a steady barrage of calls and online chats troubleshooting tax returns.
"This season, the Waynesville call center has handled 43,437 inquiries and it's not quite over," said Emily McCollin, director of brand communications and public relations for Drake Software.
Drake Software, a firm with five offices in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, serves over 70,000 professional tax preparers across the nation — who collectively file over 36 million returns each year.
The software company, started in 1977 by Phil Drake in Macon County, expanded its operations to Waynesville in July 2021 with the call center.
Haywood County awarded the firm economic development incentives to locate here. Drake was promised a 45% rebate on its property taxes for five years, in exchange for hiring 40 people by year three and 20 more by year five.
It easily met the benchmark. The company has shown significant growth, hiring 60 new employees for the Waynesville location within its first year.
Drake has 700 employees total, and McCollins says the company expects more growth and big things happening soon.
The company provides top notch service to tax preparers across the country — remaining at the top of its game, in the busiest time of year for the company. Drake was recently voted the top tax software firm by the New York State Society of CPAs, an honor its brought home 12 of the last 13 years.
"Our customer support is amazing, and it makes it a very people friendly company," said McCollins. "Tax preparers get stressed and sometimes they just need that voice to talk to them. It's nice to be able to get that real person on the phone."
Community oriented
McCollins says Drake is dedicated to the communities where their offices are located, especially this time of year.
Utilizing local restaurants, the company provides meals for employees every Monday. A win-win for both local economy — since its off-season for tourism — and for employees during their busiest time of year.
"We use local restaurants to do this," said McCollins. "Part of the idea originally was to give back a little bit by providing meals from local restaurants."
On the ground at the Waynesville facility, Night Shift Team Lead Jasmine Gilmore, says she sees the Waynesville community and the company growing together.
"I see the partnership of Drake Software and the local community continuing to grow and strengthen one another," said Gilmore. "As a company, we desire to be supportive of the local community. This year we have completed multiple drives for food, coats, blankets and pet blankets."
Gilmore says the company is fast growing, however, the leadership is familiar with small towns in Western North Carolina and wants to provide more jobs and opportunities in the area.
"The addition of Drake to Waynesville offers people from our community the unique opportunity to not only learn new skills but build a career with a remarkable company," said Gilmore. "I am excited to see the jobs added to the local community as well as ways we can make a lasting impact on the community."
