The manufacturing finance leader who got tired of watching good companies
price off bad numbers.
Carl Askey founded Good Life Accounting after two decades running finance inside manufacturing operations. He built the firm to do one thing well: make sure the margins on your reports match the margins on your floor.
20+
Years in Manufacturing Finance
$142M
Acquisition Co-Negotiated
65%
Loss Reduction in One Turnaround
Two decades inside manufacturing finance. One firm built to fix what the ERP hides.
Carl Askey is the Founder and Managing Partner of Good Life Accounting, PC, a manufacturing cost integrity and inventory control advisory firm based in Leesburg, Georgia and serving manufacturers nationwide.
Before founding the firm, Carl spent more than 20 years in senior finance roles inside manufacturing and distribution companies, including a decade as VP of Finance and Corporate Controller at Olam Edible Nuts, where he held P&L responsibility for three manufacturing subsidiaries. He has led an ERP conversion from a custom manufacturing system to SAP, co-negotiated a $142 million acquisition, and executed a turnaround that cut losses by 65 percent.
He holds a Master’s degree in Accounting from Kennesaw State University’s Michael J. Coles College of Business and is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants and The Georgia Society of CPAs.
Most cost accounting problems do not announce themselves.
Financial statements reconcile. The audit passes. The ERP produces a margin report every month, and everyone nods.
Then a product line that looked like a winner turns out to be subsidized by three others. Inventory adjustments creep up quarter after quarter. A pricing decision made on a standard cost set four years ago quietly gives away margin on every order.
Carl watched this happen from the inside for most of his career. Not at struggling companies. At well-run ones with capable people and expensive systems. The problem was never effort. The problem was that the cost architecture had drifted away from how the plant actually operated, and nobody was positioned to see it.
That is the gap Good Life Accounting was built to close. Carl works with manufacturers and operators who suspect their numbers are off but cannot prove it, and with the CFOs, controllers, and bankers who need to know whether reported EBITDA can be trusted.
The name is deliberate. Good numbers are not the goal. They are what makes a good life possible for the people who own and run the business: confident pricing, controlled growth, and fewer surprises at month end.
What Carl has actually done
1
Good Life Accounting, PC
Founder & Managing Partner
2025 to present
Manufacturing cost integrity and inventory control advisory. Diagnostics, cost system redesign, ongoing margin and inventory oversight, and bookkeeping support for manufacturers.
2
Agreeta Solutions USA
Chief Financial Officer
2023 to 2025
Part of the management team that repositioned the company’s business model around sourcing for underserved regions. Coached a rice mill on capacity drivers, leading to a 150 percent increase in processing capacity.
3
Olam International, USA Peanuts
Finance Director
2019 to 2023
Led the conversion from a custom manufacturing system to SAP at Universal Blanchers, including implementation of an actual cost system. Co-negotiated the acquisition of Brooks Peanut Company ($142M in sales, $14M EBITDA) and assumed Head of Accounting for the peanut selling business post-acquisition.
4
General Produce
Corporate Controller
2018 to 2019
Executed a business turnaround that reduced losses 65 percent ($5.8M). Built daily gross margin reporting at the customer and SKU level, adding $2.1M in margin. Eliminated $2M in shrink through daily reporting that traced root cause to warehouse layout. Delivered $1M in transportation savings by cutting unprofitable routes.
5
Olam Edible Nuts
VP of Finance & Corporate Controller
2008 to 2018
Held P&L for three wholly owned manufacturing subsidiaries: Universal Blanchers, McCleskey Mills, and Brooks Peanut. Grew sales 100 percent and EBITDA 200 percent over the decade through pricing strategy and disciplined KPI reporting. Led acquisition due diligence and integration.
Earlier roles: Controller at America’s Kitchen (led due diligence on two bakery acquisitions), Accounting Manager at Vulcan Materials (division of 35 facilities and 1,000+ employees), Regional Controller at Fisher Scientific, and Controller and Assistant Controller at Universal Blanchers / Seabrook Enterprises.
How Carl works
Carl does not sell software and he does not force platform changes. He works inside the ERP you already have.
Every engagement starts with listening. A first conversation is about what feels wrong: margins that do not match the floor, variance reports that generate activity but no insight, inventory adjustments that keep growing. From there, the Cost Integrity Diagnostic puts numbers on the problem: absorption analysis, overhead allocation review, inventory variance and shrink exposure, and a margin distortion model with written recommendations.
The diagnostic stands on its own. Some clients take the findings and fix things internally. Others move into a full cost system rebuild or monthly advisory. Either way, the goal is knowledge transfer. Carl’s job is done when your team can see what he sees.
- Listen — a first conversation about what feels wrong
- Diagnose — the Cost Integrity Diagnostic puts numbers on it
- Rebuild — recalibrate standards, absorption, and ERP costing
- Train — your team learns to see what Carl sees
- Monitor — monthly oversight keeps margins honest
People who have watched Carl work
From LinkedIn recommendations by finance and operations leaders who worked alongside Carl.
“Carl possesses deep manufacturing accounting expertise and an exceptional
understanding of cost accounting, with the ability to understand the operational drivers behind profitability, inventory valuation, and margins. His work improved visibility, better decision-making, and stronger financial performance making him a trusted advisor to both finance and operations.”
“Carl consistently used cost information not simply for reporting purposes, but as a tool to improve decision-making, identify opportunities, and drive stronger business performance.”
“One of Carl’s greatest strengths is his ability to bring clarity to complex manufacturing environments, while understanding that profitability depends on accurate costing, inventory valuation, and operational discipline. His focus on accuracy, process integrity, and operational alignment consistently helped improve confidence in the numbers and supported better business decisions while creating lasting value for both finance teams and operational leaders.
Credentials
🎓
Master's in Accounting
Kennesaw State University, Michael J. Coles College of Business
📊
Institute of Management Accountants
Member, IMA
🏛️
The Georgia Society of CPAs
Member, GSCPA
✅
Intuit Certifications
Client Advisory Services Foundations and Bookkeeping Certification (2026)
If your ERP says you are profitable, let's find out whether it's right.
A first conversation with Carl is a conversation, not a pitch. Bring the thing that has been bugging you about your numbers. He will tell you whether it is worth a closer look.