About CoverPanda | Franchise Accounting Team in Orem, Utah

Why we built CoverPanda

Scaling a franchise portfolio exposes a problem that most operators don't see coming: the financial infrastructure breaks before the operations do. The books get messy. Payroll gets complicated. And when a lender or investor asks for financials, the data isn't ready.

We know because we've lived it. Our team has built and operated franchise portfolios, raised capital, structured deals, and navigated the financial complexity that comes with multi-unit growth. We built CoverPanda to solve the exact problem we kept running into.

Today, our team of 10+ professionals based in Utah provides the complete financial infrastructure franchise operators need: bookkeeping, payroll, tax preparation and filing, fractional CFO services, AI implementation, and financial tech stack advisory. We help operators scale with confidence, raise capital when they need it, and be ready when it's time to exit.

Our Team

Jared Nielsen, CPA

Managing Partner

Jared leads CoverPanda's financial operations and brings deep expertise in franchise accounting, compliance, and financial reporting. His background spans public accounting at PwC, corporate finance at Woodside Homes, and franchise-specific financial leadership.

CPA with Big Four public accounting experience (PwC)
Master's in Accountancy from Brigham Young University
Financial leadership across corporate and franchise environments
Deep expertise in audit, tax strategy, and internal controls

Shideler Bennett, MBA

Partner

Shideler brings the operator's perspective to CoverPanda. He built a multi-unit franchise portfolio generating north of $12M in annual revenue, giving him firsthand experience with the financial challenges that come with rapid scaling.

Built a multi-unit franchise portfolio with $12M+ in revenue
MBA from Western Governors University
Experience raising capital and structuring franchise deals
Board Member, Pacific Horizon Credit Union

Taylor Byington

Co-Founder

Taylor is an entrepreneur and multi-unit franchise operator who co-founded CoverPanda to solve the financial infrastructure gap he experienced firsthand while scaling his own portfolio. He brings deep knowledge of franchise economics, insurance, and growth strategy.

Multi-unit Crumbl Cookies franchise owner
Bachelor's in Economics from Brigham Young University
Background in insurance and insurtech (Blue Mountain Insurance, tekkii.co)
Serial entrepreneur with experience across franchise, insurance, and tech

Kayden Thomson

CTO / Co-Founder

Kayden leads CoverPanda's technology strategy and product development, including the AI-powered data room platform. With over 7 years of software engineering experience, he builds the tools that help franchise operators streamline operations and make smarter decisions with their data.

Computer Science degree from the University of Utah
5+ years as Senior Software Engineer at Pluralsight (Apple platforms lead)
Expertise in AI implementation, full-stack development, and financial tech systems
Building CoverPanda's AI-powered data rooms and automation tools

What makes us different

Franchise-native

Purpose-built for multi-unit complexity. We understand franchisor reporting, unit economics, tax obligations across jurisdictions, and the systems that hold it all together.

Operator perspective

We know what banks and investors look at when evaluating a franchise portfolio because we've been on both sides of that conversation.

AI-powered infrastructure

We don't just do the books. We combine financial expertise with AI implementation and tech stack advisory to install systems that scale with your business.

Full-service financial ops

From bookkeeping and payroll to tax preparation, filing, and fractional CFO services, we cover every layer of your financial stack so nothing falls through the cracks.

Built by franchise operators, for franchise operators.