A prior Power list designee, Coombs started his career at a Big Four accounting firm and is now CEO and managing partner of Coombs CPA PC, which he founded in Newark in 2018. The organization provides tax services, audits, bookkeeping, CFO outsource, payroll and consulting services.

Since starting with fewer than 10 clients, in 2023 Coombs’ roster numbers over 1,000. According to the 2023 NJBIZ Leader in Finance honoree, his biggest accomplishment is being able to give back and provide value to his community in Newark, where the firm recently purchased a building. In addition to establishing his base of operations in the South Ward, Coombs provides financial literacy in the community, as well.

“Too many of the kids around here know about sports stars — and hope to be one, without realizing the long odds they face — but they do not know what a CPA is,” he has explained. “I’m trying to let them know there are more choices out there. I’m not trying to steer them all into accounting, but I want them to know that if they go for a knowledge-based profession, their brain will still be in peak shape long after their body starts to wear out.”

The firm has plans to keep growing, too, with a second office in Washington, D.C., on the horizon. Coombs is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Urban League of Essex County.