After more than two decades of guiding companies abroad, Carmen Adriana Vlad, EA, CPA, has turned her international experience into a dual-industry success story. As founder and president of Competent Accounting LLC / Tax Pro Accounting LLC and Competent Logistics LLC, she now serves clients across the United States while creating jobs and promoting financial literacy in her adopted community.
Building Businesses Across Borders
Vlad launched her first firm, Competent Accounting Group, in Oradea, Romania, growing it to 16 employees and more than 350 corporate clients, including U.S. and Spanish companies. When she relocated to South Carolina, she blended that global background with local entrepreneurship, founding Competent Logistics LLC in 2017 and Competent Accounting LLC in 2020.
"Every entrepreneur, whether in Europe or America, needs clear financial information to make confident decisions," Vlad says. "My goal has always been to turn complexity into clarity."
Strengthening Small-Business Compliance
Today, her accounting firms serve over 200 businesses in 15 states, preparing federal and state returns, representing clients before the IRS, and advising foreign investors entering the U.S. market. As an IRS Enrolled Agent and member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents, she promotes transparent reporting and lawful growth for the small-business sector that anchors the national economy.
Serving Families Below the Poverty Line
Since 2019, Vlad has also volunteered with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program through United Way of Pickens. Most of the families she serves earn around $20,000 to $30,000 a year, placing them below the federal poverty threshold. Her team has prepared and filed more than 2,000 free tax returns annually, helping residents claim the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, often delivering refunds of several thousand dollars per household.
"For many of these families, a refund means food, rent, or medicine," Vlad explains. "Each return is a small act of empowerment."
Community Stories Illustrate the Impact:- A single mother in Greenville walked away from a VITA site with a $3,400 refund—enough to cover a semester of child-care costs so she could return to work.- A retired veteran who had never filed electronically received a $1,200 refund and now volunteers beside Vlad each tax season.- A new small-business owner in Georgia avoided state penalties after her firm restructured the company’s books through Competent Accounting’s guidance.
Logistics, Leadership, and Local Commitment
Vlad’s second enterprise, Competent Logistics LLC, operates nationwide trucking services registered with FMCSA. Starting with one truck, the firm now runs a small fleet generating more than 500,000 dollars in annual revenue. During Hurricane Helen (2024) she provided emergency lodging and transport to stranded pilots—an effort praised by local relief organizers.
She also serves as Vice Chair and Finance Director of Play Safe, a South Carolina nonprofit promoting child-safety education, and was named Volunteer of the Year (2024) by United Way’s IRS VITA Program.
Recognition and Future Vision
Featured in South Carolina Voyager magazine and a regular participant in the IRS National Tax Forum, Vlad represents a generation of immigrant entrepreneurs blending technical excellence with civic responsibility. She plans to expand training programs for aspiring tax professionals and to develop bilingual materials that help first-time business owners navigate U.S. tax law.
"Economic empowerment starts with knowledge," she says. "When people understand how taxes and compliance work, entire communities become stronger."
About Carmen Adriana Vlad
Carmen Vlad is an IRS Enrolled Agent and CPA (Romania), founder of Competent Accounting LLC / Tax Pro Accounting LLC and Competent Logistics LLC in Mauldin, South Carolina. Her firms provide accounting, taxation, and logistics solutions across the U.S. and internationally.
Media Contact
Company Name: Tax Pro Accounting LLC
Contact Person: CARMEN A VLAD
Email: Send Email
Phone: 864-350-1820
Address:503 S Main St, Suite 6027
City: Mauldin
State: SC 29662
Country: United States
Website: https://www.taxpro-accounting.com/
