Karen C. Simmons became a certified public accountant and began her career in the public accounting field in 1991. Upon graduation from the University of South Alabama, in September of 1996, she joined a local firm and became a partner on January 1, 1999, followed by shareholder partner in 2004. Mrs. Simmons left the firm to open Karen C. Simmons, PC in August of 2010. She sold KCS CPA Group, PC in 2019 and changed the Company to CFO Consulting Services, Inc. In 2026 her CPA license was reactivated which operates under CFO. She now owns Sweetbooks, Inc for bookkeeping.
In January 2015, Karen and her daughter, Cadie Simmons, purchased a Payroll Vault Franchise for Mobile County and the surrounding areas. To date, they employ five people and have expanded the franchise territory to cover Baldwin County as well. Payroll Vault is a payroll processing specialty company that offers innovative payroll, timekeeping, and HR services. Karen has been running this Company since 2024 and now is the sole owner of the Company. The Payroll Vault franchise has been awarded the 2015 Leap of Faith Award, the 2015 Payroll Vault Business Achievement Award, the 2016 Driving to Success Award, and the 2016 Diamond Achievement Award. In 2017, the franchise was awarded the Entrepreneur Award for Baldwin County and the Business Achievement Award. Her daughter, Cadie Gaut, was awarded the IFA Franchisee of the Year Award for 2017.
In January of 2017, Karen entered the co-ownership of Marine Exhaust Systems of Alabama with her brother. This company designs and manufactures. These manifolds & heat exchangers are shipped all over the world. This company employs 18 people. In September of 2017, Mrs. Simmons founded Flexible Benefits, Inc. This tax savings company offers benefit savings plans for employees and employers. Karen specializes in consulting for small to medium-sized businesses as well as providing payroll, Quick Book’s training and assistance along with bookkeeping services.
Civic responsibility is a huge part of Karen’s philosophy on life. She believes in the value of giving back to her community. She holds a seat on the Victory Health Board and the Impact 100 Mobile Board. Spanning back over the past 30 years, Karen has served on numerous boards. She has sponsored, hosted, and participated in several charitable events all over the county.
Karen was bestowed the honor of being the 2016 Citizen of the Year for the Southwest Mobile Chamber of Commerce and she was also nominated for the Women’s Business Alliance Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Karen C. Simmons, P.C. was a top three finalist for the Small Business of the Year Award through the Mobile Chamber of Commerce and a finalist for the 2016 Alabama Small Business of the Year. Mrs. Simmons has been happily married since 1988 and has one daughter and two grandchildren. She and her husband have been residents of the Fowl River / Theodore area for over 30 years. She enjoys crocheting, fishing, and Jet skying. Most of all she enjoys spending her time on Fowl River and spending time with her family.