Carl Herbein, founder of Reading, Pennsylvania-based Herbein Co., died Sept. 16. He was 71.

A native of the Oley Valley in Pennsylvania, Herbein began his accounting career at Ernst Young, spending five years there after graduating from Elizabethtown College with a BS in accounting in 1968.

He founded his own firm in 1972, and grew it over the years to become one of the largest in the state, with nine offices, 25 partners, over 200 employees, and $33 million in revenues in 2017.

Until his death, Herbein served as president, CEO, and partner-in-charge of the dairy practice, for which the firm is well-known. Herbein was recognized as an expert in the field, no doubt reflecting, in part, his childhood on a dairy farm.

Noting that the firm was started at the Herbein family’s kitchen table, current COO Michael Rowley said in a statement, “Carl’s dedication and influence reach far beyond the firm. … As a business leader, Carl left a great legacy. As a friend and mentor, his loss is particularly profound.”

Deeply involved in both his profession and his community, Herbein served at various times as a member of the Governing Council of the American Institute of CPAs, president of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs, chair and treasurer of the Berks County Chamber of Commerce and the Berks County Convention Center Authority, and a trustee at Alvernia University.

Herbein is survived by his wife of 49 years, Kathleen, two sons, and four grandchildren.

At his family’s request, donations can be made to Alvernia University’s Reading Collegiate Scholars Program, at 400 St. Bernardine St., Reading, PA 19611.

While the funeral services will be private, a memorial service honoring Herbein’s life will be held at Alvernia University on Oct. 4, 2018, at 4 p.m.