Alumni Spotlight

Mike & Penny Meilinger '93, '92

It was at USC Upstate in the early 1990s that Mike, who grew up in Mauldin, and Penny Meilinger, who hails from Jonesville, met and fell in love. They both majored in accounting, graduating in 1993 and 1992 respectively. Now married with five children ranging in age from three-years-old to high school senior, the busy couple focuses on Mike’s new business venture which provides litigation support, valuation and forensic accounting to lawyers in the Greenville area. Meilinger Consulting PC handles litigation cases where Mike accounts for marital assets, and Penny serves as a part-time employee.

Mike says that the accounting courses at USC Upstate “thoroughly prepared both of us for our accounting careers,” as evidenced by the fact that Mike passed his CPA exam on his first try. Penny remembers Dr. Lilly Lancaster as one of her favorite professors for “her knowledge and character as a professor and as a nice person,” and Mike credits Stuart Shough and Dr. Drucker with leaving lasting impressions on him for their inspirational guidance and advice.

Since graduating, both Mike and Penny have both held various jobs in the accounting field. Penny worked first at Elliot, Davis and Co. in Greenville and then worked her way to assistant controller of the development company at The Cliffs At Glassy. After seven years there, she left to become a stay-at-home mom, homeschool teacher and part-time employee for Mike’s various accounting ventures.

Once Mike graduated form Upstate, he worked as a staff accountant at Deloitte & Touche and as an assistant controller for Kusters in Spartanburg. After three years, he decided to venture out on his own. He began his own CPA practice out of his home, entered a partnership with another Greer CPA, and then branched off to become the majority partner at his own CPA firm. Recently, he sold that practice and started Meilinger Consulting PC. In addition to the CPA designation, Mike has also received his CMA, CFP and recently completed requirements for the ABV designation.