ADP Small Business Services
Allinial Global
Avalara
CPA.com
CPAmerica International
NetSuite
Nexonia Inc.
Star Americas Software Solutions
PLUS:ANNUAL LISTING OF REGIONAL LEADERS
Th e Many Faces of CCHSolutions are Inspired byOne Common Goal — Success
Wolters Kluwer’s digital tax workfl ow solutions allow you to standardize, integrate and automate across all processes of your tax preparation and compliance workfl ow — powered by CCH Axcess™ and the CCH® ProSystem fx® Suite — to keep your fi rm in motion via the cloud or on-premise.See how The Many Faces of CCH Solutions are using our tax and accounting workfl ow productsto better serve clients, effectively manage their business and mitigate risk.
‘Wolters Kluwer software products allow us to provide better client service. Th ey free up our staff ’s time to be able to either focus on tax planning advantages or interact more withclients as opposed to just looking at the tax programs.’ — Kristen Simpson, Tax Partner, Carr, Riggs & Ingram
Visit CCHGroup.com/FutureReady and be inspired today!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TOP 100 FIRMS
While it’s certainly true
that numbers don’t pre-
varicate, it’s also true
that they don’t always
make the truth entirely clear, either.
That may not seem like the best
way to kick off a report that literally con-
tains page after page of numbers, but
we feel it’s worth pointing out, in order
to highlight the fact that the numbers
themselves are only as valuable as the
context they’re placed in,
the analysis that accom-
panies them, and, ulti-
mately, the insights you
derive from them.
Amassing all this
data is only the first step;
sorting it and analyzing
it comes next — and
that is the real meat of
this report. What does it
mean, for instance, that
so many accounting
firms are reporting sta-
ble or slightly declining
partner numbers, even as
they grow the rest of their
staff? What are they doing about the
staffing issues they’re facing? Where are
firms putting in the most effort, and how
do they plan to grow going forward?
Coming up with all that is our part.
There is another step, though, and that’s
where you go through the data to see
what it means to you and your firm spe-
cifically. For each of you, these numbers
will mean something different — they’ll
illuminate your present or help you
shape your future in unique ways. So as
you study the numbers, here are some
ground rules to bear in mind:
Unless otherwise noted, revenue
is net revenue.
Also, unless noted, revenues, of-
fices and staff are for the U.S. only.
The Total Employees category is
comprised of partners, professionals,
and all other personnel — anyone who
works at the firm, including owners.
Where two firms reported equal
revenue, the firm with the higher per-
centage of revenue in-
crease receives the higher
ranking.
“MAS” stand for
“management advisory
services” — or consult-
ing, as we call it now.
As always, we like to
note the contributions of
our team, who pitch in on
wrangling complex Excel
files, writing stories, and
tracking down survey re-
sponses. Without their
hard work, this report
wouldn’t be possible:
our new managing editor
(and former technology editor) Danielle
Lee; our online editor-in-chief, Mike
Cohn; and senior editors Roger Russell
and Sean McCabe.
Finally, we should also thank the
many firms who participated in the sur-
vey, for sharing this enormously impor-
tant information. With all that in mind,
we’re happy to present to you the 2016
Class of the Top 100 Tax and Accounting
Firms and Regional Leaders. Enjoy!
— Dan HoodEditor-in-Chief
3
One State St. Plaza, 27th Fl., New York, NY 10004E-mail: [email protected]://www.accountingtoday.com
Editor-in-Chief Daniel HoodManaging Editor Danielle LeeSenior Editors Roger Russell, Sean McCabeSenior Art Director Michael ChuArt Director Pablo Turcios
ADVERTISING AND BUSINESS SERVICES
Senior Vice President and Group Publisher Rob WhitakerPublisher Jack Lynch (212) 803-8803Advertising Directors Matt Moore, Erin ScanlonAd Sales Coordinator Susan Korcynski
Material in Accounting Today may not be repro-duced without express written permission. For more information about reprints and licensing content, please visit www.SourceMediaReprints.com or con-tact PARS International Corp. (212) 221-9595.
Publishers Copy Protection Clause: Advertisers and agencies assume liability for all content (including text, representation and illustrations) of advertis-ments and responsibility for claims arising there from made against the publisher.Copyright © 2016 Accounting Today and Source-Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
SOURCEMEDIA INC.
Numbers don’t lie
CONTENTS Top 100 Overview 4
Firms to Watch 6
Top 100 Databank 8
Firm Strategies 10
Top Tax Firms 12
Niche Services 16
Client Categories 17
Top 100 Rankings 19
Regional Leaders 24
Firm Highlights 35
SPONSORED BY:
notes and methodology
2016
overview
4
Good news doesn’t always
come all at once, in lar-
ge packages. Sometimes, it
comes in trickles, or in the
gradual accumulation of upbeat facts.
That’s where we find ourselves with
this year’s Top 100 Firms and Regional
Leaders. While the past four years or so
have generally been positive, they have
also moved in lockstep, to a certain de-
gree — and there are hints in this year’s
data of something of a step change.
The first you can see in the chart
at right: Overall growth for the Top 100
Firms was 9.32 percent, up a percen-
tage point from the roughly 8 percent
figure that made the last four years
look level. Much of this year’s growth
was driven by merger activity — but
that’s been the case for the past several
years, so the uptick in the average rate
suggests other causes. One of the first
that springs to mind is a continued pur-
suit of higher-value-added services (see
Firm Strategies, page 10), and expansi-
on beyond the traditional accounting
firm core of tax, audit and accounting
to serve client niches more deeply (see
Niches and Clients, pages 16-17).
All this, to say nothing of the con-
tinued improvement of the U.S. eco-
nomy, has apparently nudged the Top 100
into a slightly higher gear. To be sure, not
every tier of the T100 saw that same level
of growth: While the Top 7 Firms (those
with over $1 billion in revenue) and the
bottom tier of those with less than $100
million in revenue saw growth of 9.66 and
9.77 percent, respectively, the middle tier
of those above $100 million registered 7.08
percent — below average, and well below
the almost 11 percent it reported last year.
That’s not unusual, though, as many
of the fastest growing firms are in the
bottom tier, and one of the perpetual-
ly fastest-growing firms in recent history
made the big jump out of the middle tier
(more on that later). That expanded the
Billion-Dollar Club from six members to
seven — its first change in several years —
while the $100-Million-Plus Club actually
expanded to 31 members, from 29 the year
before. That left 62 firms in the tier below
$100 million, down three from 2015.
There were strong performers in all
three groups (see Databank, page 8), and
overall growth was much more common in
2016: Only four firms reported flat or decli-
ning revenues for this year’s Top 100, ver-
sus 10 for last year, and two of those four
involved strategic sales of large business
units. Ten firms reported growth above 20
percent, and 40 growth above 10 percent,
versus 9 and 38, respectively, for last year.
Even in areas of the greatest concern
to the profession, the Top 100 did bet-
ter this year than in previous years. Take
succession planning: Roughly a third (32
percent) reported flat or declining num-
bers of partners this year, a reflection of the
ongoing retirement of the Baby Boomers
and their failure to create successors — but
that’s compared to almost half of firms (48
percent) reporting the same last year. Simi-
larly, though staffing continues to be a big
issue for firms of all sizes, the Top 100 ma-
naged to grow their total employee roster
by over 12 percent last year, up from 7.7
percent the year before, suggesting that
they’re at least beginning to find some
solutions to that thorny issue.
Growth was also the rule among
our Regional Leaders, with rates up in
most regions, though overall revenue
dropped for some parts of the country,
in many cases as a result of M&A acti-
vity removing strong performers from
the roster. Fully half of the regions had
growth rates that matched or exceeded
the average rate for the Top 100. (See
Regional Leaders, pages 24-34.)
And even as the growth of the
T100 pushed the threshold for mem-
bership up to $36.2 million from $33
million, we still managed to fill our
roster of “Firms to Watch” (see “Beyond
the Top 100,” page 6) with plenty of up-
and-comers eager to make that leap.
MAJOR MOVESM&A has been playing a major role in res-
haping the profession of late, and this year
was no exception, with mergers and acqui-
sitions moving several firms up the lists.
Arguably the biggest move ended up
with the firm in question — BDO USA —
coming in at the same rank as last year, but
light years away, as its many high-profile
mergers propelled it into the exclusive club
of firms with over a billion dollars in reve-
nue. Among its recent combinations: Re-
gional Leaders Stone Carlie & Co., Cross,
Breaking upward in 2015B Y D A N I E L H O O D
* Compiled from individual firm results as reported at year’s end; includes some estimates
On the rise Revenue growth of the Top 100 Firms, in percent*
See OVERVIEW on 6
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
15131107050301999795
09
Learn more about becoming an Allinial Global firm at allinialglobal.com
Ever Wonder Where in the World
Independent Firms Get Answers to Global Issues?
As the client of an independent Allinial Global
Allinial Global!
overview
6
Fernandez & Riley, and Feeley & Driscoll.
The fastest growing firm among the
Top 100 was actually created by a merger
last year: BerganKDV, which reported 111
percent growth, the result of the July 2015
combination of Bergan Paulsen and KDV,
and made No. 83 in its inaugural T100.
Three other firms marked their first
appearances this year: New England’s Ba-
ker Newman & Noyes at No. 96, Georgia’s
Bennett Thrasher at No. 99, and Missouri’s
Brown Smith Wallace at No. 91. All were on
our Firms to Watch and Regional Leaders
lists last year, and represent the growing
firms those lists are meant to highlight.
This year, that means firms that are
taking it up a notch, switching gears from
one pace of growth to another, a new speed
that shows up in many of the statistics in
this year’s report. The question, as always,
is whether they can keep it up next year. AT
If you think your firm should be one
of our Top 100 Firms or Regional Leaders,
send an e-mail to AcToday@SourceMedia.
com, and we will add you to our survey
database for 2017.
OVERVIEW from page 4
BEYOND THE TOP 100: FIRMS TO WATCHYou can consider our “Firms to Watch” list a feeder system for our Top 100 Firms list: All four of this year’s new members were on the FTW last year, and no doubt some of the firms below are just a growth spurt (or a big merger) away from the list themselves. (Note that the list includes only firms with positive growth rates; firms in the revenue range with negative growth rates are excluded.)
Year Revenue % Total Firm Headquarters Managing partner end ($ mn.) chg. Offices Partners employees
Rea & Associates New Philadelphia, Ohio Lee Beall Oct 35.29 6.39 11 22 215
PB Mares Newport News, Va. Alan Witt Dec 35.24 16.38 9 38 201
Padgett, Stratemann & Co. San Antonio John Wright July 34.80 6.72 3 17 187
Clark Nuber Bellevue, Wash. David Katri Dec 34.20 2.86 1 19 186
Wiss & Co. Livingston, N.J. Paul Peterson March 34.00 3.03 4 26 173
Arnett Carbis Toothman Charleston, W. Va. Steven Robey Dec 33.04 59.00 9 30 241
Gursey | Schneider Los Angeles Stephan Wasserman Dec 31.50 0.64 4 11 145
Briggs & Veselka Co. Houston John Flatowicz Sept 31.44 5.79 2 20 173
Kreischer Miller Horsham, Pa. Stephen Christian Dec 31.00 6.90 1 16 201
Brady, Martz & Associates Grand Forks, N.D. Todd Van Dusen Sept 30.66 8.88 5 32 189
Somerset CPAs Indianapolis Pat Early Dec 30.16 4.87 1 28 159
Lutz & Co. Omaha, Neb. Mark Duren April 29.28 8.04 1 28 144
Peterson Sullivan Seattle Chris Russell Dec 29.20 10.61 1 19 157
Cotton & Co.* Alexandria, Va. Matt Johnson Dec 29.00 16 1 11 180
Lurie Minneapolis Beth Kieffer Leonard April 28.50 1.42 1 17 120
Anders St. Louis Robert Minkler Dec 28.30 4.43 1 NA NA
Janover Garden City, N.Y. Mark Goodman Dec 27.90 4.61 2 21 155
REDW Albuquerque, N.M. Ron Rivera / Steven Cogan Dec 27.89 6.33 2 13 183
Hutchinson and Bloodgood Glendale, Calif. Richard Preciado Sept 27.50 2.38 4 35 121
Jackson Thornton & Co. Montgomery, Ala. Ned Sheffield Dec 27.33 0.07 5 23 191
Boulay Minneapolis Mark DeNucci May 26.12 7.22 2 27 154
Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co. Helena, Mont. Donald Laine Sept 26.10 3.45 7 48 230
Brown, Edwards & Co. Roanoke, Va. Domenic Pellillo May 26.04 3.66 7 26 195
Johnson Lambert Falls Church, Va. John Prescott Dec 25.39 5.66 8 15 156
Hagen, Streiff, Newton & Oshiro Dallas Peter Hagen Feb 25.08 5.11 16 16 89
Smith & Howard Atlanta John Lucht Dec 24.90 10.32 1 10 96
Cain Watters & Associates Plano, Texas Dan Wicker Dec 24.90 9.69 1 10 126
Windes Long Beach, Calif. John Di Carlo June 24.80 3.77 3 16 128
ORBA Chicago Mark Thomson May 24.70 6.01 1 16 124
Mize Houser & Co. Topeka, Kansas NA Dec 24.63 5.94 3 20 210
Green Hasson Janks Los Angeles Leon Janks Dec 24.30 3.40 1 12 123
BeachFleischman Tuscon, Ariz. Bruce Beach Dec 23.65 8.34 2 25 144
PKF Texas Houston Kenneth Guidry Dec 23.60 3.55 1 13 125
* Firm estimate NA Not available or not applicable
The ADP logo and ADP are registered trademarks of ADP, LLC. ADP A more human resource. is a service mark of ADP, LLC. Copyright © 2016 ADP, LLC. All rights reserved.
Clients Come in All Sizes. So Do Their Needs.More than likely, your firm is experiencing rising expectations from your clients every day. Working with the right Human Capital Management provider that offers scalable solutions can help your firm rise to the occasion — by helping your clients overcome compliance challenges and be more efficient with payroll, HR and more.
See how ADP® can provide a more human resource to your firm and your clients: adp.com/cpaoffers
niche services
8
databank
Leaders in A&ARanked by revenue
Rev. share Fee Top 7 firms ($ mn) split1. PwC 5,002.00 412. Deloitte 4,682.63 293. Ernst & Young 3,916.50 354. KPMG 2,681.00 345. RSM US 642.80 396. Grant Thornton 606.67 397. BDO USA 546.00 52 Firms over $100 mn 1. CohnReznick 332.20 552. CliftonLarsonAllen 253.50 393. CBIZ/MHM 246.80 404. BKD 238.32 485. Moss Adams 214.65 45
Firms under $100 mn 1. Anchin 43.12 442. Friedman 42.00 503. EKS&H 40.89 434. BlumShapiro 40.71 565. RubinBrown 34.55 44
Leaders in TaxRanked by revenue
Rev. share Fee Top 7 firms ($ mn) split1. PwC 3,416.00 282. Ernst & Young 3,133.20 283. Deloitte 2,906.46 184. KPMG 2,118.00 275. RSM US 603.04 376. Grant Thornton 420.00 277. BDO USA 336.00 32 Firms over $100 mn 1. CBIZ/MHM 215.95 352. CliftonLarsonAllen 208.00 323. Moss Adams 176.49 374. Crowe Horwath 173.16 245. CohnReznick 169.12 28
Firms under $100 mn 1. Frank, Rimerman + Co. 46.44 622. MBAF 43.24 463. Anchin 42.14 434. Weaver 40.89 435. Burr Pilger Mayer 39.93 51
Leaders in MASRanked by revenue
Rev. share Fee Top 7 firms ($ mn) split1. Deloitte 7,750.56 482. PwC 3,782.00 313. Ernst & Young 3,357.00 304. KPMG 3,091.00 395. Grant Thornton 528.89 346. RSM US 372.94 237. BDO USA 168.00 16 Firms over $100 mn 1. Crowe Horwath 339.11 472. Plante Moran 163.05 353. CBIZ/MHM 154.25 254. Dixon Hughes Goodman 126.14 345. Baker Tilly Virchow Krause 105.18 22
Firms under $100 mn 1. FGMK 50.05 552. Horne 39.35 493. Blue & Co. 35.38 504. SC&H Group Inc. 24.34 565. BerryDunn 20.43 39
2016 TOP 100 FIRMS DATABANKOverview
Top 7 % Firms over % Firms under % Total Top % firms chg. $100 mn chg. $100 mn chg. 100 Firms chg.
Revenue (in $mn) $47,117.37 9.66 $8,380.23 7.08 $3,613.14 9.77 $59.110.74 9.32Partners 12,581 7.05 4,386 6.64 1,981 8.07 18,948 7.06
Professionals 160,248 12.19 30,837 6.98 14,379 11.33 205,464 11.30Total employees 210,926 13.76 42,373 6.85 19,680 9.67 272,979 12.33
Rev. share % Rev. share % Rev. share % Rev. share % Fee split (in $mn) of rev. (in $mn) of rev. (in $mn) of rev. (in $mn) of rev.Audit & Attest $18,077.60 34.99 $3,478.86 41.51 $1,278.84 35.39 $22,835.30 35.87Tax $12,932.70 25.03 $2,780.05 33.17 $1,283.92 35.53 $16,996.67 26.70
MAS (consulting) $19,050.39 36.87 $1,684.63 20.10 $572.29 15.84 $21,307.31 33.47Other $1,608.74 3.11 $436.69 5.21 S477.89 13.23 $2,045.43 3.21
Notes: Some figures may not correspond exactly due to rounding.
Pacesetters in growthRanked by % chg.
Revenue % Firms over $100 mn. ($mn) chg.1. Armanino 164.25 26.852. Wipfli 227.00 25.423. The Bonadio Group* 102.30 21.504. Kearney & Co. 109.10 20.155. PKF O’Connor Davies 126.00 17.21
Revenue % Firms under $100 mn. ($mn) chg.1. BerganKDV 45.48 111.042. K-Coe Isom 57.60 59.563. Prager Metis 50.78 42.644. Baker Newman & Noyes 38.10 28.285. Brown Smith Wallace 39.77 21.99
Revenue % Overall Top 100 Firms ($mn) chg.1. BerganKDV 45.48 111.042. K-Coe Isom 57.60 59.563. Prager Metis 50.78 42.644. Baker Newman & Noyes 38.10 28.285. Armanino 164.25 26.856. BDO USA 1,050.00 26.057. Wipfli 227.00 25.428. Brown Smith Wallace 39.77 21.999. The Bonadio Group* 102.30 21.5010. Kearney & Co. 109.10 20.1511. Squar Milner 62.00 19.2312. Montgomery Coscia Greilich 50.68 18.2513. PKF O’Connor Davies 126.00 17.2114. EKS&H 95.10 17.1215. Clark, Schaefer, Hackett 63.60 16.2916. Seiler 46.30 15.46
17. Eide Bailly 224.60 14.94
18. Reinsel Kuntz Lesher 57.00 14.90
19. KPMG 7,889.00 14.83
20. Katz, Sapper & Miller 65.94 14.76
21. Macias Gini & O’Connell 37.96 14.61
22. Carr, Riggs & Ingram 195.14 14.11
23. Skoda Minotti 50.14 13.98
24. Novogradac & Co. 117.07 13.29
25. Ernst & Young 11,190.00 13.03
26. Berkowitz Pollack Brant 56.00 12.00
27. LBMC 82.32 11.64
28. Bennett Thrasher 36.23 11.51
29. Citrin Cooperman & Co. 195.00 11.43
30. BKD 496.50 11.37
Notes: * Firm estimate or projection. All Big Four revenue figures are gross, not net. For more details, see pages 15-18.
Improving through Sharing
www.cpamerica.org | 352-727-4070
CPAmerica International is a member-driven accounting association that helps members continuously improve, make more money, strengthen relationships, and bring prestige both domestically and internationally.
For more information, visit www.CPAmerica.org/About/Request-Information
Leading the Ride
niche services
10
firm strategies
T he trick to growing your accounting
firm is that there is no trick — just a
lot of them.
As part of this year’s Top 100
Firms survey, we asked respondents to
share their growth strategies for 2016.
The survey responses varied, as firms
picked from a broad range of possibilities.
That, in fact, was the common thread that
bound the answers: Rather than all trying
the same thing, the Top 100 are creating
growth strategies a la carte, selecting the
individual tactics that suit them best from
a plentiful smorgasbord of options.
Within all that customization, some
items on the buffet were more popular
than others. The following represent some
of the tactics that showed up most fre-
quently in the Top 100 Firms’ plans for the
year ahead.
GETTING SPECIFICBy far the most commonly cited strate-
gy was the pursuit of specialization, and
deeper expertise and exposure in those
areas of specialization.
“Our primary growth strategy is to go
deeper in our knowledge of our clients’
needs and challenges, becoming even
more deeply specialized in our target in-
dustries and markets,” said Crowe Hor-
wath chief executive officer James Powers.
Wolf & Co. president and CEO Mark
O’Connell echoed that approach: “We are
refining our niche strategy to focus on
those industries where we have greatest
market potential. We are investing sig-
nificant resources in those services and
products that have the greatest benefit to
our clients.”
And at Blue & Co., chief operating offi-
cer Christiane Olson noted, “The firm will
focus on expansion of several key industry
niches across the organization’s various
offices.”
Jeffery Capron, managing partner of
Aronson, tied the firm’s pursuit of depth
and specificity to strong client relation-
ships: “We purposefully expanded our ser-
vice offerings and deepened our industry
specialties to better serve the needs of
our clients, people, and community. From
startup to exit, we offer a complete busi-
ness solution to help our clients maximize
opportunity, minimize risk, and unlock
their full potential.”
In describing Mayer Hoffman Mc-
Cann’s continued focus on its industry
segments, president Andy Burczyk ex-
plained, “We will have specific business
development efforts, training and market-
ing efforts built around these industries
to create new business opportunities as
well as expand the depth of our expertise.
In addition to our industry segments, we
will continue to focus on enhancing our
capabilities in various tax specialty areas.”
Kemper CPA Group is looking to spe-
cialize in new niches, according to director
of administration Mary Ellen Meador, and
has already identified “forensic account-
ing and technology cyber fraud as well as
other specialty areas,” while Moss Adams
chairman and CEO Chris Schmidt said his
firm “will focus on our industry model,
with additional emphasis on technology,
health care, agribusiness and high-net-
worth individuals.”
Closely related to the idea of devel-
oping industry or specialty expertise, of
course, is being known for that expertise:
“Getting our partners to be famous in one
area,” is a major strategy goal for Carl
Schultz, CEO of SVA CPAs, which is also
hiring business development specialists.
NEW SERVICESFor many firms, a major part of special-
izing is offering unique new services, but
many firms that didn’t mention specializa-
tion noted that they would still be creating
and rolling out new offerings.
“Innovation of existing advisory ser-
vices as well as new service lines” is one of
a number of growth tactics being pursued
by Warren Averett, according to its chief
growth officer, Tommy Sisson.
Similarly, James Sikich, CEO and MP
of Sikich, said that his firm will focus on
“expansion of services into additional spe-
cialty consulting areas, specifically with
a focus on delivering additional services
to our current client base.” The firm also
plans to expand into family office services.
And while billion-dollar firm BDO
USA will continue to pursue its high-pro-
file campaign of M&A, “We will also fo-
cus our energies on continuing to grow
non-compliance offerings in our tax, con-
sulting and advisory service lines,” said
Strategy and tactics: Growth a la carte B Y D A N I E L H O O D
See STRATEGIES on 12
‘We are refining our niche strategy to focus on industries where we have greatest market potential.’
NETSUITE IS #1IN CLOUD ERP
www.netsuite.com
More than 24,000 organizations worldwide run NetSuite’s cloud-based business software. They’re getting powerful financials, CRM, ecommerce and more, built for today’s business. That means real-time insight into business performance and streamlined processes, so they grow more efficiently. When your client’s business software is in the NetSuite cloud, a Solution Provider’s role is strategic. With NetSuite, they’ve eliminated the headaches of hardware and software maintenance, so they can focus on running their business, not their IT. You can now assist your clients by delivering more valuable consultative services, thinking strategically about their business, helping them make better informed decisions to grow, while building a recurring revenue stream with your Cloud ERP practice. Don’t you want to be a part of that? Learn more about the NetSuite Solution Provider Partner Program, email us at [email protected].
10,000+LIVE CUSTOMERS
20x more live deployments than the next two enterprise software competitors combined.
niche services
12
CEO Wayne Berson.
A number of firms cited value-added
and advisory services. Weaver CEO John
Mackel explained that the firm will “con-
tinue to add and develop talent in our
rapidly growing advisory practices,” which
include risk advisory, IT advisory, SOC
examinations, transaction and forensic
services, and energy compliance and con-
sulting services.
OLD-FASHIONED SERVICENo accounting firm would ever talk down
the level of service it gives clients, but not
every firm is willing to talk it up. A signifi-
cant number of this year’s Top 100 Firms,
though, are making top-notch client ser-
vice a differentiator for 2016.
“Our growth has come from pro-
viding superior client service,” said Bri-
an Kreischer, managing partner of Frank,
Rimerman + Co. “By constantly reinforcing
that service culture, we have been able to
grow organically as fast as we can develop
entry-level staff all the way to partner. Our
clients are served best by our relentless
focus on their business needs, rather than
building a sales-oriented culture.”
The newly renamed PKF O’Connor
Davies plans to pursue a similar approach,
according to MP Kevin Keane: “Our focus
for 2016 centers on providing superior ser-
vice and creating deeper connections that
drive greater value for our clients.”
Aronson managing partner Capron
echoed that dedication: “In 2016, we re-
main committed to excellence in client
service. We distinguish ourselves through
client service, which allows us to maximize
our existing relationships.”
PEOPLE PLANSStaff have always been critical components
of new service lines, quality client service,
and most of the other elements of firms’
strategic plans. While critical, though, they
could be taken for granted, to a certain
degree. With the profession in the midst of
a long and well-entrenched staff crunch,
however, recruitment and retention now
require strategic planning of their own.
“Talent acquisition, retention and de-
velopment is another critically important
aspect of our growth strategy,” said Grant
Thornton chief executive officer J. Michael
McGuire. “Defining, building and sustain-
ing a healthy, high-performance culture
where the best and brightest people in
top tax firms
THE TOP TAX FIRMS Rev. % from tax from Total % Total Firm Headquarters Chief executive ($mn) tax revenue chg. Offices staff
PwC§ New York City Robert Moritz 3,416.00 28 12,200.00 4.06 72 49,000
Ernst & Young§ New York City Stephen Howe 3,133.20 28 11,190.00 13.03 NA 39,400
H&R BlockP1 Kansas City, Mo. William Cobb 3,047.87 99 3,078.66 1.80 10,286 98,600
Deloitte§ New York City Cathy Engelbert 2,906.46 18 16,147.00 8.31 108 70,603
KPMG§2 New York City Lynne Doughtie 2,118.00 27 7,889.00 14.83 106 30,903
RSM US2 Chicago Joe Adams 603.04 37 1,636.87 11.30 82 7,731
Liberty Tax Services Virginia Beach, Va. John Hewitt 435.00 100 435.00 3.33 4,069 638
Grant Thornton Chicago J. Michael McGuire 420.00 27 1,555.56 10.20 58 7,906
Ryan* Dallas G. Brint Ryan 374.40 96 390.00 0.23 58 1,591
BDO USA Chicago Wayne Berson 336.00 32 1,050.00 26.05 64 5,383
CBIZ/Mayer Hoffman McCann Cleveland C. Spurio / Burczyk 215.95 35 617.00 2.83 103 2,910
CliftonLarsonAllen NA Denny Schleper 208.00 32 650.00 8.62 31 4,144
Andersen Tax San Francisco Mark Vorsatz 197.00 100 197.00 17.56 19 784
Moss Adams Seattle Chris Schmidt 176.49 37 477.00 11.19 24 2,354
Crowe Horwath Chicago James Powers 173.16 24 721.50 5.08 31 3,386
CohnReznick New York City Frank Longobardi 169.12 28 604.00 5.04 30 2,745
BKD Springfield, Mo. Theodore Dickman 153.92 31 496.50 11.37 35 2,426
Baker Tilly Virchow Krause Chicago Timothy Christen 152.99 32 478.10 0.56 29 2,480
Marcum New York City Jeffrey Weiner 152.60 37 412.43 7.01 23 1,414
Dixon Hughes Goodman Charlotte, N.C. Matt Snow 122.43 33 371.00 9.76 29 1,847
Plante Moran Southfield, Mich. Gordon Krater 121.12 26 465.86 7.57 20 2,170
EisnerAmper New York City Charles Weinstein 110.96 39 284.50 0.71 6 1,282
Notes: § Gross revenue P Figures compiled from public company reports. * Firm estimate or projection NA Not available/applicable 1 Staff figures include seasonal workers 2 Reported fee split as dollar amount (given here) and percentage. For other notes, see pages 19-22.
STRATEGIES from page 10
See STRATEGIES on 14
Congratulations toAccounting Today’s
Top 100 Firms!
At Avalara, we know the difference a great CPA can make. Every day, more CPAs learn how Avalaracan make a difference for clients of every size. Thousands of businesses already use our integratedtransactional tax software to ensure compliance in the U.S. and around the world. With the industry’sonly rate accuracy and audit protection guarantee, Avalara minimizes risk so you — and your clients —can rest easy.
SUCCESS DOESN’T COME
YOU HAVE TO REACH OUTAND FIND YOU.
AND GRAB IT.
www.avalara.com
niche services
14
our industry want to work is a top prior-
ity, for both entry-level and experienced
professionals.”
It will also play a major part of Mayer
Hoffman McCann’s plans: “We will focus
on employee acquisition and develop-
ment,” said president Andy Burczyk. “We
will be pursuing employees that are stra-
tegic fits with our growth plans, whether
by industry or service area. Doing so will
provide us additional depth and breadth in
our resources to serve clients. Concurrent-
ly, we will continue our internal training
programs to provide for professional and
personal development of our current pro-
fessionals.”
THE NEXT GENERATIONSome firms are even specializing within
their approach to staff, making a special
priority of working with their Millennial
staff in a number of different ways.
In some cases, it’s a question of build-
ing them up, as does Postlethewaite & Net-
terville. “We are highly focused on helping
our Millennials cultivate their business
development skills through a variety of
tactics, including motivation, training and
recognition,” said managing director and
CEO Bill Balhoff.
In other cases, it’s a matter of address-
ing their unique requirements, as with
CliftonLarsonAllen, which aims to make
“innovating changes to address the needs
of the Millennial workforce” a focus, ac-
cording to CEO Denny Schleper.
And for still other firms, it’s a matter
of using their special skills and connec-
tions to build up the firm, as at Berkowitz
Pollack Brant: “The Millennial members
of our staff are helping us reach out to
their cohort by leading a financial servic-
es/networking/social series that will take
place throughout 2016,” said chief execu-
tive Richard Berkowitz.
HOOKING UPFirms in the Top 100 have seen tremen-
dous success with mergers in the past sev-
eral years, so it should come as no surprise
that it was a major element of the growth
strategies of a large number of firms.
At CliftonLarsonAllen, for instance,
which ended 2015 and started 2016 with
a near-constant flow of merger announce-
ments, the firm expects to add $70 to $80
million in revenue through M&A in 2016,
according to Schleper.
“Growth through mergers and acqui-
sitions will continue to be a major strategic
emphasis for Blue & Co.,” echoed chief
operating officer Olson.
The two were far from alone in their
M&A ambitions, though many were quick
to place geographic and other bound-
aries on them. “We have been actively
pursuing M&A opportunities in the New
York State marketplace and are looking to
expand into Ohio and Pennsylvania,” said
Freed Maxick managing director Timothy
McPoland. “We are being selective in our
approach to M&A, to ensure that there is
a cultural fit and an opportunity to bring
new services and industry expertise into
our respective marketplaces.”
REGIONALISMOther firms are making regional expansion
a part of their plans, whether with M&A or
without.
“SaxBST is positioned to grow its cli-
ent base geographically, with expanded
business development efforts already un-
derway in New York City and throughout
the counties surrounding the firm’s offices
in Clifton, N.J., and Albany, N.Y.,” accord-
ing to marketing manager Corin Huff.
Weaver, meanwhile, will “focus on
growing our Texas markets” in a number of
specific industries, according to Mackel; at
the same time, the firm will also “focus our
expansion outside of Texas” in energy ser-
vices and audit and tax services for hedge
and private equity funds.
MIX IT UPIt’s important to note that most of the firms
cited above as examples of particular strat-
egies are also pursuing other strategies at
the same time; very few are putting all their
eggs in one basket.
Wipfli provides one great example of
the sort of mixed slate of tactics firms
are implementing. “We will continue to
grow through mergers and acquisitions
in 2016,” reported managing partner Rick
Dreher. “In addition, the firm plans to
grow through continued organic growth
in our core services and a focus on the val-
ue-added consulting services desired by
our clients. We also recently added a new
industry niche, agriculture, and we expect
growth in that area this year.”
Taking a similarly broad approach is
Marcum: “Marcum will continue to pursue
a combination of organic growth in our
existing regions, service lines and practice
specialties, and acquired growth through
strategic mergers with like-minded firms
that deepen Marcum’s expertise while
broadening our geographic footprint,” the
firm reported.
The trick to growth is that there is no
trick — just the right set of tricks for your
individual firm. AT
STRATEGIES from page 12
firm strategies
‘We are being selective in our approach to M&A, to ensure that there is a cultural fit.’
Tel: (773) 867 8343email: [email protected] www.starplc.com
Since 2010, more Top 100 firmshave chosen Star than any other
Practice Management system.
Ready to find out more?Please contact us
Star Americas Software Solutions LLC
innovative • functionally rich • technically advanced
16
Accounting firms continued to
see a high demand for niche
services this year, with the 2016
Top 100 Firms reporting even
higher growth than last year in the con-
tinually hot areas of attest, business valu-
ations and state and local tax. According
to the 81 responding T100 firms, attest
remained the top niche service, with 84
percent — the same ratio as last year — re-
cording growth in that practice area.
Business valuations, meanwhile, grew
in popularity over last year, jumping four
spots and 11 percentage points to rank sec-
ond in fastest-growing niche services, with
80 percent of firms seeing growth. Tying
that 80 percent response, state and local
taxes retained its top 3 spot from last year,
tracking a 6 percentage point increase.
The fourth fastest-growing service, es-
tate/trust/gift tax planning, made a giant
leap this year, up four spots and a whop-
ping 13 percentage points over last year.
Also seeing surges for the Top 100 Firms
were the niches of international tax (up 7
percentage points to 78 percent) and tech-
nology consulting, which ranked eighth
but also rose 7 percentage points over the
year prior to 62 percent of reporting firms.
Mergers and acquisitions fell a few
spots this year but still rose 4 percentage
points, with 78 percent of firms growing
that practice area, while industry special-
izations fell a bit in both ranking and per-
centage, though a strong 70 percent of
respondents saw growth. Litigation sup-
port and nonprofits were steady at the 68
percent that both also earned last year.
New Jersey-based firm SaxBST report-
ed growth in the firm’s assurance services,
particularly in the hot real estate market.
“The transactions of our clients in the
real estate world have become way more
complex, with a lot of moving pieces,”
explained Stuart Berger, partner and the
founder of SaxBST’s real estate industry
services group. More investor money, in-
dustry requirements, and an influx of tax
credits and state incentives have ramped
up the need for attest services in a sector
that is “on a great cycle now, with everyone
seeing positive growth.”
The catalyst for the steep growth in
valuation services was an easy answer
for James Brendel, managing partner of
Denver-headquartered Hein & Associates:
“The main driver is we’ve got some people
with unique talents.”
Specifically, the relatively small but
skilled group of professionals in Hein’s
valuation practice also has a deep knowl-
edge in the energy industry, which the firm
largely serves. Armed with that intersec-
tion of expertise, the valuation team’s busi-
ness development comes down to “basic
blocking and tackling [to reach] folks out
in the market.”
Chicago-based FGMK reported
growth in SALT and international tax ser-
vices, which the firm recently placed under
an expanding specialty tax umbrella. The
firm serves many construction and real
estate clients in this distinct tax group, ac-
cording to managing partner Randy Mar-
kowitz, with research and development
credits and international tax especially
in-demand areas of specialization: “This
Attest on top, biz valuations rise B Y D A N I E L L E L E E
0 20 40 60 80 100
Attest
Business Valuations
SALT
Estate/Trust/Gift Tax Planning
International Tax
M&A
Industry Specializations
Litigation Support
Nonprofits
Forensics/Fraud
Retirement Plans
Tech Consulting
Succession Planning/Family Office
Employee Benefits
SOX Compliance/Risk Mgmt.
Biz Mgmt. for Wealthy Individuals
Strategic Planning/Biz Plans
Personal Financial Planning
Cost Segregation
Cient Accounting Services/BPO
Investment Advice/Services
Biz Mgmt. for Small Businesses
CFO/Project Staffing Services
1031 Like-Kind
Cash Flow Forecasting/Management
IFRS consulting
Payroll Services/ Consulting
Bankruptcy /Insolvency
Top niche servicesPercentage of firms increasing their business in these areas
(of 81 firms responding)
niches and clients
17
being a more and more global economy,
we’re seeing with clients and potential cli-
ents that everything is not just U.S.-driven
anymore, but you need a specialized inter-
national practice area.”
“Another growing area for us, not so
much in construction, but with our real
estate practice, is tapping into the interna-
tional resources we have,” Markowitz said.
“Our clients have real estate deals in the
U.S. with foreign investors, are involved
in international issues, and we have real
estate clients investing in other countries.”
SPECIALIZED SECTORSCompared to last year, virtually all of the
client categories served by the 2016 Top
100 Firms were down in growth, though
manufacturing, midsized businesses and
real estate business clients retained their
top three positions, respectively.
Manufacturing kept its No. 1 client
category position, though with 56 percent
of firms reporting growth, overall it fell
24 percentage points from last year. Simi-
larly, the second high-growth category of
midsized businesses dipped 26 percentage
points to 53 percent and real estate shed 23
percentage points when only 52 percent of
firms reported an uptick.
Construction and technology fol-
lowed close behind, with both categories
garnering 49 percent and both down dou-
ble-digit percentages from last year.
Wholesale distributors, at 48 percent,
and professional services, at 47 percent,
also landed near the top, while large busi-
nesses, health care facilities and nonprofit
organizations were growing categories for
46 percent of reporting firms. Those cat-
egories were also all down double-digit
percentage points from last year.
Still, manufacturing’s steady domi-
nance at the top proved it to be a strong
client category, year-over-year.
Hein & Associates grew its already
strong manufacturing base by specializing
its approach. “Probably the biggest reason
[for our growth] was we tried to get more
specific in terms of manufacturing, be-
cause it’s such a broad niche,” explained
managing partner James Brendel. “We’ve
tried to drill down into specific sectors
as opposed to manufacturing as a group.
Some of them, like medical devices, have
been a good sector for us.”
Another micro industry the firm
tapped into over the last year was brew-
eries and distilleries, a burgeoning market
that Hein’s younger staff identified as ripe
for accounting services. The firm custom-
ized cloud enterprise resource planning
solution NetSuite to meet the accounting
needs of this vertical.
“It’s a high-growth industry as a
whole, and it doesn’t seem a lot of firms
have jumped into that with as much depth
as we have,” Brendel continued. “It’s a
pretty unique industry — owners are very
open to helping each other, so getting in
to do a good job for one or two of them
— they are good about introducing us to
other breweries.”
FGMK, meanwhile, has long sup-
ported a large real estate practice, so the
increased business in construction “goes
hand-in-hand with that,” according to
Markowitz.
While Markowitz credits the cyclical
rebound from the economic downturn as
powering the abundance of construction
industry clientele, the firm is also strategic
in marketing itself as a one-stop shop.
“We’ve definitely added to our spe-
cialty practice areas, like research and de-
velopment credits and cost segregation
and we’re doing that in-house,” he said.
“Some firms will outsource that, but we’re
able to go to clients as one firm proposi-
tioning that we’re doing it all, with every-
thing linked together, and nothing slips
through the cracks.” AT
niches and clients
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Manufacturing
Midsized Businesses
Real Estate
Construction
Technology
Wholesale Distributors
Professional Services
Large Businesses
Healthcare Facilities
Nonprofit Organizations
Individuals
Pension Plans
Hotels & Restaurants
State and Local Government
Brokers/Dealers in Securities, etc.
Entertainment
Retail Trade
Banking & Thrift Companies
Small Businesses
Auto Dealerships
Colleges and Universities
Government Contractors
Franchising
Investment Cos. & Mutual Funds
Insurance Carriers/Companies
Finance Cos./Mortgage Banks
Publishing/Broadcasting/Media
Insurance Agents & Brokers
Top client categoriesPercentage of firms increasing their business with these types of clients
(of 81 firms responding)
THE
2016
TOP
100
FIR
MS
R
AN
K
RE
VE
NU
E
PE
RSO
NN
EL
FEE
SP
LIT
Y
ear
$ %
O
ff-
Par
t-
%
Pro
fes-
%
To
tal
%
(in p
erce
nt)
16
15
Fi
rm
Hea
dq
uart
ers
Chi
ef e
xecu
tive
en
d
mn.
ch
g.
ices
ne
rs
chg
. si
ona
ls
chg
. em
ps.
ch
g.
A&
A
Tax
MA
S O
ther
1 1
Del
oit
te§
New
Yo
rk C
ity
Cat
hy E
ngel
ber
t M
ay
16,1
47.0
0 8.
31
108
3,03
3 0.
10
55,5
52
9.87
70
,603
8.
81
29
18
48
5
2 2
Pw
C§ 1
New
Yo
rk C
ity
Ro
ber
t M
ori
tz
June
12
,200
.00
4.06
72
2,
892
7.47
35
,350
7.
04
49,0
00
17.8
7 41
28
31
0
3 3
Ern
st &
Yo
ung
§ N
ew Y
ork
Cit
y St
ephe
n H
ow
e Ju
ne
11,1
90.0
0 13
.03
NA
3,
000
11.1
1 30
,600
17
.24
39,4
00
15.8
8 35
28
30
7
4 4
KP
MG
§ 2
New
Yo
rk C
ity
Lynn
e D
oug
htie
Se
pt
7,88
9.00
14
.83
106
1,96
0 8.
11
22,9
94
14.3
2 30
,903
14
.02
34
27
39
0
5 5
RSM
US 3
Chi
cag
o
Joe
Ad
ams
Ap
ril
1,63
6.87
11
.30
82
685
6.37
5,
622
10.7
8 7,
731
9.47
39
37
23
1
6 6
Gra
nt T
horn
ton
Chi
cag
o
J. M
icha
el M
cGui
re
Dec
1,
555.
56
10.2
0 58
56
5 6.
81
6,07
3 21
.70
7,90
6 17
.06
39
27
34
0
7 7
BD
O U
SA
Chi
cag
o
Way
ne B
erso
n Ju
ne
1,05
0.00
26
.05
64
446
28.9
0 4,
057
36.7
4 5,
383
33.2
1 52
32
16
0
8 8
Cro
we
Ho
rwat
h
Chi
cag
o
Jam
es P
ow
ers
Dec
72
1.50
5.
08
31
272
5.84
2,
559
10.5
4 3,
386
9.44
29
24
47
0
9 10
C
lifto
nLar
sonA
llen 4
NA
D
enny
Sch
lep
er
Dec
65
0.00
8.
62
31
316
40.4
4 3,
493
7.64
4,
144
9.08
39
32
6
23
10
9 C
BIZ
/May
er H
off
man
McC
ann 5
Cle
vela
nd
Chr
is S
pur
io
Dec
61
7.00
2.
83
103
409
-4.6
6 1,
827
-0.2
7 2,
910
-0.1
4 40
35
25
0
and
And
y B
urcz
yk
11
11
Co
hnR
ezni
ck
New
Yo
rk C
ity
Fran
k Lo
ngo
bar
di
Jan
604.
00
5.04
30
29
2 6.
57
1,92
3 3.
95
2,74
5 2.
66
55
28
8 9
12
13
BK
D
Spri
ngfie
ld, M
o.
Theo
do
re D
ickm
an
May
49
6.50
11
.37
35
260
6.12
1,
695
11.1
5 2,
426
10.1
2 48
31
21
0
13
12
Bak
er T
illy
Virc
how
Kra
use
Chi
cag
o
Tim
oth
y C
hris
ten
May
47
8.10
0.
56
29
153
-1.9
2 2,
110
1.30
2,
480
0.49
42
32
22
4
14
15
Mo
ss A
dam
s Se
attl
e C
hris
Sch
mid
t D
ec
477.
00
11.1
9 24
26
8 1.
13
1,56
4 11
.63
2,35
4 8.
18
45
37
18
0
15
14
Pla
nte
Mo
ran
Sout
hfie
ld, M
ich.
G
ord
on
Kra
ter
June
46
5.86
7.
57
20
265
1.15
1,
522
6.06
2,
170
5.03
39
26
35
0
16
16
Mar
cum
N
ew Y
ork
Cit
y Je
ffre
y W
eine
r D
ec
412.
43
7.01
23
19
9 29
.22
856
3.01
1,
414
13.3
0 45
37
6
12
17
17
Dix
on
Hug
hes
Go
od
man
C
harl
ott
e, N
.C.
Mat
t Sn
ow
D
ec
371.
00
9.76
29
15
9 1.
27
1,32
9 8.
76
1,84
7 7.
76
33
33
34
0
18
18
Eis
nerA
mp
er
New
Yo
rk C
ity
Cha
rles
Wei
nste
in
Jan
284.
50
0.71
6
176
2.33
1,
094
9.84
1,
282
9.76
48
39
13
0
19
21
Wip
fli
Milw
auke
e R
ick
Dre
her
May
22
7.00
25
.42
32
181
22.3
0 98
9 4.
11
1,50
4 14
.11
30
31
39
0
20
20
Eid
e B
ailly
Fa
rgo
, N.D
. D
ave
Sten
de
Ap
ril
224.
60
14.9
4 26
11
6 8.
41
1,41
5 18
.81
1,85
7 16
.72
41
41
9 9
21
23
Car
r, R
igg
s &
Ing
ram
E
nter
pri
se, A
la.
Will
iam
Car
r Se
pt
195.
14
14.1
1 24
14
3 10
.00
747
10.8
3 1,
048
11.1
3 51
40
9
0
22
22
Cit
rin
Co
op
erm
an &
Co
. N
ew Y
ork
Cit
y Jo
el C
oo
per
man
D
ec
195.
00
11.4
3 7
156
8.33
45
0 9.
76
708
9.09
46
43
7
4
23
24
Wei
serM
azar
s N
ew Y
ork
Cit
y V
icto
r W
ahb
a A
ug
171.
00
8.50
7
107
-1.8
3 50
0 0.
60
738
0.54
40
40
20
0
24
26
Arm
anin
o
San
Ram
on,
Cal
if.
And
y A
rman
ino
D
ec
164.
25
26.8
5 7
68
74.3
6 51
8 35
.25
669
37.3
7 25
33
36
6
25
25
Che
rry
Bek
aert
R
ichm
ond
, Va.
H
ow
ard
Kie
s A
pri
l 14
3.80
9.
94
12
56
9.80
61
9 7.
47
836
5.03
44
46
10
0
Key
and
not
es: L
ast
year
’s ra
nkin
gs h
ave
been
rev
ised
bas
ed o
n 20
14 r
even
ue p
rovi
ded
by fi
rms.
Som
e fir
ms’
ran
king
s w
ill t
here
fore
diff
er fr
om t
hose
rep
orte
d la
st y
ear.
* Fi
rm e
stim
ate
§
Gro
ss r
even
ue
NC
No
chan
ge
NA
Not
ava
ilabl
e or
not
app
licab
le
NR
Not
ran
ked
1 R
even
ue f
igur
es a
re f
rom
firm
rep
orts
; oth
er f
igur
es a
re a
com
bin
atio
n of
pub
licly
rep
orte
d f
igur
es a
nd A
ccou
ntin
g T
oday
est
imat
es
2
For
its
fee
split
, KPM
G r
epor
ted
bot
h ro
und
ed p
erce
ntag
es
(giv
en h
ere)
, and
exa
ct d
olla
r am
ount
s (g
iven
in o
ur D
atab
ank
on p
age
8). O
ffic
e fig
ure
is f
or b
usin
ess
offic
es; d
oes
not
incl
ude
all p
hysi
cal l
ocat
ions
.
3
For
its f
ee s
plit
, RSM
US
rep
orte
d b
oth
roun
ded
p
erce
ntag
es (g
iven
her
e), a
nd e
xact
dol
lar
amou
nts
(giv
en in
our
Dat
aban
k on
pag
e 8.
)
4
CLA
doe
s no
t ha
ve a
hea
dq
uart
ers
loca
tion
— t
here
is n
o si
ngle
pla
ce f
rom
whi
ch t
he f
irm is
con
trol
led
or
di-
rect
ed. I
ndiv
idua
l tea
ms/
offic
es a
re e
mp
ower
ed t
o m
ake
dec
isio
ns a
s m
uch
as p
ossi
ble
.
5 O
ffic
e fig
ures
are
for
CB
IZ; M
HM
has
33
offic
es.
RA
NK
R
EV
EN
UE
P
ER
SON
NE
L FE
E S
PLI
T
Yea
r $
%
Off
- P
art-
%
P
rofe
s-
%
Tota
l %
(in
per
cent
)
16
15
Firm
H
ead
qua
rter
s C
hief
exe
cuti
ve
end
m
n.
chg
. ic
es
ners
ch
g.
sio
nals
ch
g.
emp
s.
chg
. A
&A
Ta
x M
AS
Oth
er
26
30
PK
F O
’Co
nno
r D
avie
s N
ew Y
ork
Cit
y K
evin
Kea
ne
Dec
12
6.00
17
.21
10
108
20.0
0 42
6 13
.60
631
14.7
3 60
29
11
0
27
27
War
ren
Ave
rett
B
irm
ing
ham
, Ala
. Ja
mes
Cun
ning
ham
D
ec
123.
30
8.35
14
12
9 4.
03
512
-1.9
2 89
6 9.
80
34
35
11
20
28
33
No
vog
rad
ac &
Co
. Sa
n Fr
anci
sco
M
icha
el N
ovo
gra
dac
D
ec
117.
07
13.2
9 20
44
12
.82
370
6.63
49
3 7.
64
57
29
3 11
29
28
Elli
ott
Dav
is D
eco
sim
o
Gre
envi
lle, S
.C.
Ric
hard
Dav
is
June
11
7.00
6.
75
18
93
NC
54
6 6.
23
791
4.77
46
42
12
0
30
29
Reh
man
n Sa
gin
aw, M
ich.
R
and
y R
upp
D
ec
116.
00
6.42
20
60
-1
.64
554
2.78
81
7 3.
29
34
36
11
19
31
31
Siki
ch
Nap
ervi
lle, I
ll.
Jam
es S
ikic
h D
ec
115.
70
8.64
12
51
-5
.56
540
18.4
2 65
2 7.
77
27
16
54
3
32
32
Wit
hum
P
rinc
eto
n, N
.J.
Will
iam
Hag
aman
Ju
ne
114.
73
8.79
12
40
5.
26
388
31.0
8 57
6 21
.78
39
42
2 17
33
19
UH
Y A
dvi
sors
6
Chi
cag
o
Ant
hony
Fra
bo
tta
Dec
11
3.70
-4
4.15
12
60
-3
9.39
35
2 -5
1.38
52
3 -4
7.38
32
47
20
1
34
34
Mar
ks P
anet
h N
ew Y
ork
Cit
y H
arry
Mo
ehri
nger
D
ec
112.
00
9.80
5
40
-2.4
4 41
9 5.
01
554
4.53
61
27
1
11
35
36
Hol
thou
se C
arlin
& V
an T
rigt
W. L
os A
ngel
es, C
alif.
P
hilip
Ho
ltho
use
Dec
11
0.65
11
.18
10
38
2.70
31
8 10
.80
428
8.35
18
74
0
8
36
38
Kea
rney
& C
o.
Ale
xand
ria,
Va.
E
d K
earn
ey
Dec
10
9.10
20
.15
2 13
N
C
496
44.1
9 54
6 29
.38
71
0 29
0
37
35
Ber
do
n*
New
Yo
rk C
ity
Mar
k B
oss
wic
k D
ec
104.
00
2.97
2
40
8.11
30
6 12
.09
409
9.65
35
45
20
0
and
Stu
art
Ko
tler
38
42
The
Bo
nad
io G
roup
7 P
itts
ford
, N.Y
. Th
om
as B
ona
dio
A
pri
l 10
2.30
21
.50
10
74
17.4
6 40
0 20
.12
539
18.9
8 42
26
11
21
39
37
Anc
hin
New
Yo
rk C
ity
Fran
k Sc
hett
ino
D
ec
98.0
0 4.
26
1 54
N
C
223
10.9
5 36
4 6.
74
44
43
13
0
40
43
EK
S&H
D
enve
r R
ob
ert
Ho
ttm
an
Sep
t 95
.10
17.1
2 4
39
2.63
38
8 13
.45
525
10.7
6 43
40
17
0
41
39
Wea
ver
Fort
Wo
rth,
Tex
as
John
Mac
kel
May
95
.10
7.95
9
38
8.57
37
7 4.
43
505
5.87
33
43
15
9
42
41
MB
AF
Mia
mi
Ant
oni
o A
rgiz
Ju
ne
94.0
0 9.
30
10
24
9.09
39
3 7.
38
487
7.74
33
46
14
7
43
40
FGM
K
Chi
cag
o
Mar
io D
ona
to
Dec
91
.00
4.60
2
65
12.0
7 31
2 7.
22
398
4.46
13
32
55
0
44
44
Frie
dm
an
N
ew Y
ork
Cit
y B
ruce
Mad
nick
D
ec
84.0
0 7.
69
8 71
18
.33
285
18.7
5 42
3 15
.89
50
43
7 0
45
45
LBM
C
Bre
ntw
oo
d, T
enn.
Je
ff D
rum
mo
nds
Dec
82
.32
11.6
4 3
46
-2.1
3 39
7 26
.43
528
20.8
2 23
28
21
28
46
47
Ho
rne
R
idg
elan
d, M
iss.
Jo
ey H
aven
s D
ec
80.3
1 11
.05
13
21
5.00
40
4 10
.99
537
9.59
32
9
49
10
47
46
Rub
inB
row
n St
. Lo
uis
John
Her
ber
M
ay
78.5
3 6.
68
5 27
N
C
416
18.8
6 50
8 18
.69
44
37
19
0
48
48
Bur
r P
ilger
May
er
San
Fran
cisc
o
Jim
Wal
lace
D
ec
78.3
0 8.
75
6 42
10
.53
294
21.9
9 42
2 18
.87
36
51
12
1
49
49
Sche
nck
Ap
ple
ton,
Wis
. G
reg
Bar
ber
Se
pt
78.0
1 9.
04
10
61
7.02
35
6 6.
27
531
6.84
34
39
20
6
50
50
Fran
k, R
imer
man
+ C
o.
Pal
o A
lto
, Cal
if.
Bri
an K
reis
cher
D
ec
74.9
0 6.
76
5 24
4.
35
312
16.8
5 34
0 8.
97
28
62
10
0
Key
and
not
es: L
ast
year
’s ra
nkin
gs h
ave
been
rev
ised
bas
ed o
n 20
14 r
even
ue p
rovi
ded
by fi
rms.
Som
e fir
ms’
ran
king
s w
ill t
here
fore
diff
er fr
om t
hose
rep
orte
d la
st y
ear.
* Fi
rm e
stim
ate
N
C N
o ch
ange
N
A N
ot a
vaila
ble
or n
ot a
pplic
able
N
R N
ot r
anke
d
6 U
HY
Ad
viso
rs a
nd U
HY
LLP
are
affil
iate
d t
hrou
gh
an a
ltern
ativ
e p
ract
ice
stru
ctur
e. R
even
ue r
efle
cts
sale
of
Texa
s p
ract
ice
in la
te 2
014.
7
Proj
ecte
d r
even
ues
R
AN
K
RE
VE
NU
E
PE
RSO
NN
EL
FEE
SP
LIT
Y
ear
$ %
O
ff-
Par
t-
%
Pro
fes-
%
To
tal
%
(in p
erce
nt)
16
15
Fi
rm
Hea
dq
uart
ers
Chi
ef e
xecu
tive
en
d
mn.
ch
g.
ices
ne
rs
chg
. si
ona
ls
chg
. em
ps.
ch
g.
A&
A
Tax
MA
S O
ther
51
53
Kau
fman
Ro
ssin
Gro
up
Mia
mi
Bla
in H
ecka
man
M
ay
73.9
0 11
.13
9 44
-2
.22
274
9.16
40
5 6.
02
27
28
5 40
52
51
Hab
if, A
rog
eti &
Wyn
ne
Atl
anta
R
icha
rd K
op
elm
an
Dec
73
.53
7.25
2
26
NC
28
8 13
.83
360
11.1
1 40
45
11
4
53
52
Blu
mSh
apiro
W
est
Har
tfo
rd, C
onn
. Jo
sep
h K
ask
Dec
72
.70
6.13
5
32
3.23
30
9 8.
42
410
6.49
56
32
4
8
54
54
Whi
tley
Pen
n Fo
rt W
ort
h, T
exas
La
rry
Aut
rey
Dec
72
.44
9.34
4
43
4.88
23
4 -3
.31
311
-6.6
1 46
42
0
12
55
55
Blu
e &
Co
. C
arm
el, I
nd.
Bra
d S
haw
D
ec
70.7
6 9.
88
10
42
27.2
7 24
5 7.
46
346
7.12
24
23
50
3
56
57
Fraz
ier
& D
eete
r A
tlan
ta
Seth
McD
anie
l D
ec
66.9
4 8.
63
5 12
N
C
195
8.33
24
5 7.
93
34
36
0 30
57
60
Schn
eid
er D
ow
ns
Pit
tsb
urg
h Ti
mo
thy
Ham
mer
and
Ju
ne
66.1
6 11
.03
2 37
2.
78
311
2.64
38
1 3.
25
43
37
20
0
Ste
ven
Tho
mp
son
58
61
Kat
z, S
app
er &
Mill
er
Ind
iana
po
lis
Dav
id R
esni
ck
Dec
65
.94
14.7
6 3
32
NC
25
6 13
.27
342
11.0
4 24
38
23
15
59
56
Nig
ro K
arlin
Seg
al F
eld
stei
n &
Bo
lno
Lo
s A
ngel
es
Mic
key
Seg
al
Dec
65
.00
4.84
5
23
-17.
86
256
-2.6
6 31
0 -4
.32
16
10
0 74
60
64
Cla
rk, S
chae
fer,
Hac
kett
& C
o.
Cin
cinn
ati
Car
l Co
bur
n Ju
ne
63.6
0 16
.29
6 27
N
C
277
13.0
6 36
8 8.
88
49
35
6 10
61
67
Squa
r M
ilner
N
ewp
ort
Bea
ch, C
alif.
St
ephe
n M
ilner
D
ec
62.0
0 19
.23
4 30
30
.43
210
15.3
8 28
6 14
.40
39
52
9 0
62
58
Do
eren
May
hew
Tr
oy,
Mic
h.
Mar
k C
raw
ford
Se
pt
61.9
1 2.
91
3 28
3.
70
179
4.68
26
2 5.
65
42
35
13
10
63
62
Hill
, Bar
th &
Kin
g
Can
field
, Ohi
o
Chr
is A
lleg
rett
i A
ug
60.0
0 7.
14
11
43
-2.2
7 21
7 3.
33
327
3.15
18
40
12
30
64
65
SVA
M
adis
on,
Wis
. C
arl S
chul
tz
May
58
.70
10.5
0 6
24
NC
19
6 4.
26
399
3.91
15
20
12
53
65
66
Ho
nkam
p K
rueg
er &
Co
. D
ubuq
ue, I
ow
a G
reg
Bur
bac
h D
ec
58.4
0 10
.40
9 22
N
C
222
34.5
5 40
6 8.
85
15
20
6 60
66
93
K-C
oe
Iso
m
Salin
a, K
an.
Jeff
Wal
d
Mar
ch
57.6
0 59
.56
17
55
71.8
8 20
1 35
.81
360
65.9
0 22
47
31
0
67
70
Rei
nsel
Kun
tz L
eshe
r
Lanc
aste
r, P
a.
Ed
war
d M
onb
orn
e D
ec
57.0
0 14
.90
13
38
-7.3
2 30
6 31
.90
366
21.1
9 31
30
10
29
68
69
Ber
kow
itz
Po
llack
Bra
nt
Mia
mi
Ric
hard
Ber
kow
itz
Dec
56
.00
12.0
0 3
16
NC
14
1 2.
92
200
1.52
17
42
4
37
69
63
Hei
n &
Ass
oci
ates
D
enve
r Ja
mes
Bre
ndel
D
ec
53.6
9 -3
.12
4 36
9.
09
204
4.08
28
5 4.
40
50
37
9 4
70
71
Po
stle
thw
aite
& N
ette
rvill
e B
ato
n R
oug
e, L
a.
Will
iam
Bal
hoff
A
pri
l 53
.16
7.68
8
28
NC
29
0 5.
07
361
3.44
42
20
27
11
71
68
Ber
ryD
unn
Po
rtla
nd, M
aine
Jo
hn C
hand
ler
June
52
.38
1.22
5
17
6.25
19
7 13
.22
254
12.8
9 41
15
39
5
72
95
Pra
ger
Met
is
New
Yo
rk C
ity
Dav
id N
este
and
D
ec
50.7
8 42
.64
8 43
16
.22
146
10.6
1 23
5 10
.85
27
43
30
0
Gle
nn F
ried
man
73
80
Mo
ntg
om
ery
Co
scia
Gre
ilich
P
lano
, Tex
as
Tho
mas
Mo
ntg
om
ery
Dec
50
.68
18.2
5 3
25
31.5
8 25
8 6.
17
304
8.19
25
41
28
6
a
nd M
atth
ew C
osc
ia
74
72
Aro
nso
n R
ock
ville
, Md
. Je
ffre
y C
apro
n D
ec
50.4
0 5.
51
1 30
3.
45
164
5.81
23
6 3.
96
38
36
22
4
75
77
Sko
da
Min
ott
i C
leve
land
G
reg
ory
Sko
da
Dec
50
.14
13.9
8 4
23
-4.1
7 17
7 1.
14
252
2.02
24
24
10
42
Key
and
not
es: L
ast
year
’s ra
nkin
gs h
ave
been
rev
ised
bas
ed o
n 20
14 r
even
ue p
rovi
ded
by fi
rms.
Som
e fir
ms’
ran
king
s w
ill t
here
fore
diff
er fr
om t
hose
rep
orte
d la
st y
ear.
* Fi
rm e
stim
ate
†
Acc
ount
ing
Toda
y es
timat
e
N
C N
o ch
ange
N
A N
ot a
vaila
ble
or n
ot a
pplic
able
N
R N
ot r
anke
d
RA
NK
R
EV
EN
UE
P
ER
SON
NE
L FE
E S
PLI
T
Yea
r $
%
Off
- P
art-
%
P
rofe
s-
%
Tota
l %
(in
per
cent
)
16
15
Firm
H
ead
qua
rter
s C
hief
exe
cuti
ve
end
m
n.
chg
. ic
es
ners
ch
g.
sio
nals
ch
g.
emp
s.
chg
. A
&A
Ta
x M
AS
Oth
er
76
73
Gal
lina
R
ose
ville
, Cal
if.
Larr
y Ta
ylo
r D
ec
49.8
0 8.
73
12
33
NC
21
1 7.
11
295
4.24
43
45
12
0
77
74
Gra
ssi &
Co
.*
New
Yo
rk C
ity
Loui
s G
rass
i D
ec
49.0
0 7.
46
3 31
6.
90
167
-1.1
8 24
2 1.
26
49
36
8 7
78
79
Co
hen
& C
o.
Cle
vela
nd
Ran
dal
l Mye
roff
Se
pt
47.6
4 10
.23
6 23
15
.00
200
9.29
27
3 10
.08
46
39
1 14
79
84
Seile
r
Red
wo
od
Cit
y, C
alif.
Ja
mes
DeM
arti
ni
Dec
46
.30
15.4
6 2
13
18.1
8 14
8 9.
63
193
8.43
8
71
0 21
80
81
AK
T Sa
lem
, Ore
. St
ephe
n Ta
tone
D
ec
46.2
2 8.
88
6 15
7.
14
235
9.81
28
9 7.
84
27
35
14
24
81
78
Free
d M
axic
k
Buf
falo
, N.Y
. Ti
mo
thy
McP
ola
nd
Ap
ril
46.0
0 5.
02
4 37
5.
71
264
10.0
0 34
9 7.
72
37
38
25
0
82
76
Rai
ch E
nde
Mal
ter
& C
o.
New
Yo
rk C
ity
Elli
s E
nde
Dec
46
.00
4.55
4
40
5.26
13
6 15
.25
206
NC
40
60
0
0
83
NR
B
erg
anK
DV
St
. Clo
ud, M
inn.
C
hris
Ho
nko
mp
D
ec
45.4
8 11
1.04
7
29
81.2
5 21
9 13
0.53
27
8 12
4.19
19
45
8
28
84
82
SaxB
ST
Clif
ton,
N.J
. Jo
sep
h D
amia
no
Dec
45
.10
5.65
3
23
9.52
14
5 4.
32
220
6.28
42
40
1
17
and
Jo
sep
h To
rani
85
75
Mau
ldin
& J
enki
ns
Atl
anta
D
ona
ld L
uker
M
ay
44.9
5 0.
18
6 38
N
C
187
8.72
27
0 3.
05
65
29
2 4
86
83
Raf
fa
Was
hing
ton,
D.C
. Th
om
as R
affa
D
ec
44.8
2 9.
05
2 17
-5
.56
218
6.34
27
4 5.
38
51
11
38
0
87
59
SC&
H G
roup
8 Sp
arks
, Md
. R
ona
ld C
ause
y D
ec
43.4
6 -2
7.15
3
19
35.7
1 17
1 8.
23
218
8.46
23
21
56
0
88
87
Sing
erLe
wak
Lo
s A
ngel
es
Jim
Pit
rat
Oct
41
.37
8.75
7
30
11.1
1 14
5 9.
85
216
10.7
7 43
41
3
13
89
86
Mar
go
lin, W
iner
& E
vens
G
ard
en C
ity,
N.Y
. Te
dd
y Se
ling
er
Dec
40
.60
2.78
2
25
NC
16
5 N
C
205
NC
60
30
10
0
90
91
Kem
per
CPA
Gro
up
Eva
nsvi
lle, I
nd.
John
Rub
enac
ker
Ap
ril
40.2
6 8.
61
25
57
3.64
22
5 9.
76
318
7.43
40
39
21
0
91
NR
B
row
n Sm
ith
Wal
lace
St
. Lo
uis
Ant
hony
Cal
eca
Dec
39
.77
21.9
9 3
30
42.8
6 22
7 24
.73
280
25.5
6 36
31
25
8
92
94
KLR
P
rovi
den
ce, R
.I.
Ala
n Li
twin
D
ec
39.6
0 9.
70
4 15
50
.00
161
NC
20
6 2.
49
30
40
30
0
93
88
Mill
er K
apla
n A
rase
N
ort
h H
olly
wo
od
, Cal
if.
Do
ugla
s W
aite
Fe
b
39.5
0 3.
95
5 25
N
C
120
1.69
17
5 -1
.69
61
15
19
5
94
90
Mo
untj
oy
Chi
lto
n M
edle
y Lo
uisv
ille,
Ky.
D
iane
Med
ley
Dec
39
.10
4.57
5
36
-2.7
0 18
2 6.
43
258
4.88
42
35
8
15
95
85
RG
L Fo
rens
ics*
D
enve
r A
ngie
McP
hee
Dec
38
.50
-3.5
3 17
24
N
C
108
-5.2
6 17
9 -2
.72
0 0
0 10
0
96
NR
B
aker
New
man
& N
oye
s P
ort
land
, Mai
ne
Car
l Cha
tto
D
ec
38.1
0 28
.28
6 38
26
.67
172
33.3
3 25
4 32
.98
38
51
11
0
97
NR
M
acia
s G
ini &
O’C
onn
ell
Sacr
amen
to, C
alif.
K
evin
O’C
onn
ell
Dec
37
.96
14.6
1 8
10
NC
17
9 11
.18
247
6.93
67
12
7
14
98
96
Wo
lf &
Co
. B
ost
on
Mar
k O
’Co
nnel
l Se
pt
37.8
0 8.
62
4 19
5.
56
143
NC
19
0 0.
53
44
24
0 32
99
NR
B
enne
tt T
hras
her
Atl
anta
R
ick
Ben
nett
Ju
ne
36.2
3 11
.51
1 32
18
.52
156
34.4
8 22
3 32
.74
29
59
4 8
100
97
Vavr
inek
, Trin
e, D
ay &
Co.
R
. Cuc
amon
ga,
Cal
if.
Kev
in P
ullia
m
Dec
36
.20
5.85
9
34
6.25
18
5 14
.20
243
13.5
5 76
18
6
0
Key
and
not
es: L
ast
year
’s ra
nkin
gs h
ave
been
rev
ised
bas
ed o
n 20
14 r
even
ue p
rovi
ded
by fi
rms.
Som
e fir
ms’
ran
king
s w
ill t
here
fore
diff
er fr
om t
hose
rep
orte
d la
st y
ear.
* Fi
rm e
stim
ate
†
Acc
ount
ing
Toda
y es
timat
e
NC
No
chan
ge
NA
Not
ava
ilabl
e or
not
app
licab
le
NR
Not
ran
ked
8 R
even
ue r
efle
cts
sale
of
stat
e an
d lo
cal t
ax g
roup
at
the
end
of
2014
.
Overall, it was a good year for
the firms in our ten sub-re-
gions of the U.S., with all of
them turning in respect-
able-to-strong growth — despite being fre-
quently raided as merger targets by the na-
tional and larger regional accounting firms.
Hardly any of the regions escaped
2015 without losing at least a member or
two to roving acquirers, many of whom
were larger firms from nearby regions look-
ing to expand beyond their native market-
places. The Gulf Coast Region (below) was
particularly hard hit — but nonetheless
turned in above-trend growth, with the
average firm rate at 9.45 percent.
At the same time, mergers created
some formidable competitors in certain
regions — West Virginia’s Arnett Carbis
Toothman, for instance, took a major leap
up among Capital Region firms through a
merger in early 2015, while the Midwest’s
BerganKDV jumped onto both the Region-
al Leaders’ list and the Top 100 through a
similar combination. All in all, merger-led
growth outstripped the organic kind, with
higher rates for both serial acquirers and
those who crafted just one careful union.
On a procedural note, sharp-eyed
readers will spot that we do not include
a number of firms from the Top 100 in
our Regional Leaders’ lists. The Big Four
and the major national firms are left out
because they are too widespread to be con-
sidered primarily in terms of any one par-
ticular geography. This year, after looking at
the firm’s expansion and its national reach,
we’ve removed Baker Tilly Virchow Krause
from the Great Lakes Regional Leaders,
and placed it in the ranks of supra-regional
firms.
And finally, as always, we’ll end by
saying that we’re constantly on the lookout
for more Regional Leaders; if you think
your firm should be considered for these
lists, please contact us at AcToday@Source-
Media.com and we’ll make sure you get
sent a survey for next year’s report. AT
THE 2016 REGIONAL LEADERS
regional overview
Strong regional performances lure M&A-minded large firms
24
Rev. % Profess- Total ———— Fee split ————Firm Headquarters $ mn. chg. Offices Partners ionals emps. A&A Tax MAS Other
Carr, Riggs & Ingram Enterprise, Ala. 195.14 14.11 24 143 747 1,048 51 40 9 0Warren Averett Birmingham, Ala. 123.30 8.35 14 129 512 896 34 35 11 20MBAF CPAs Miami 94.00 9.30 10 24 393 487 33 46 14 7Horne Ridgeland, Miss. 80.31 11.05 13 21 404 537 32 9 49 10Kaufman, Rossin Group Miami 73.90 11.13 9 44 274 405 27 28 5 40Berkowitz Pollack Brant Miami 56.00 12.00 3 16 141 200 17 42 4 37Postlethwaite & Netterville Baton Rouge, La. 53.16 7.68 8 28 290 361 42 20 27 11Jackson Thornton & Co. Montgomery, Ala. 27.33 0.07 5 23 130 191 31 29 15 25LaPorte Metairie, La. 23.34 7.36 4 12 101 145 52 39 9 0Daszkal Bolton Boca Raton, Fla. 19.35 10.57 3 12 87 126 23 73 1 3Goldstein Schechter Koch Coral Gables, Fla. 18.30 -1.08 4 14 68 116 24 57 8 11Heard, McElroy & Vestal Shreveport, La. 17.20 NC 2 14 69 108 40 42 14 4Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith Birmingham, Ala. 16.80 5.99 1 16 67 104 32 36 11 22The LBA Group Jacksonville, Fla. 16.00 5.12 1 16 70 104 18 49 13 20Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund Pensacola, Fla. 15.62 5.97 4 17 91 124 37 28 4 31Gerson, Preston, Robinson, Klein, Lips & Eisenberg Miami 14.29 1.06 2 5 46 66 NA NA NA NA
Notes: * Firm estimate or projection NC No change NA Not available/applicable
Top Firms: Gulf CoastAlabama, Florida, Louisiana and MississippiTotal revenue: $845.04 million. Average firm growth: 9.45%M&A changed the Regional Leaders roster here in a major way, with Averett Warmus Durkee, Cross Fer-nandez & Riley and Sellers, Richardson, Holman & West all merging out.
25
regional leaders
Rev. % Profess- Total ———— Fee split ————Firm Headquarters $ mn. chg. Offices Partners ionals emps. A&A Tax MAS Other
CohnReznick New York City 604.00 5.04 30 292 1,923 2,745 55 28 8 9
Marcum New York City 412.43 7.01 23 199 856 1,414 45 37 6 12
EisnerAmper New York City 284.50 0.71 6 176 1,094 1,282 48 39 13 0
Citrin Cooperman & Co. New York City 195.00 11.43 7 156 450 708 46 43 7 4
WeiserMazars New York City 171.00 8.50 7 107 500 738 40 40 20 0
PKF O’Connor Davies New York City 126.00 17.21 10 108 426 631 60 29 11 0
Withum Princeton, N.J. 114.73 8.79 12 40 388 576 39 42 2 17
Marks Paneth New York City 112.00 9.80 5 40 419 554 61 27 1 11
Berdon* New York City 104.00 2.97 2 40 306 409 35 45 20 0
The Bonadio Group* Pittsford, N.Y. 102.30 21.50 10 74 400 539 42 26 11 21
Anchin New York City 98.00 4.26 1 54 223 364 44 43 13 0
Friedman New York City 84.00 7.69 8 71 285 423 50 43 7 0
Schneider Downs Pittsburgh 66.16 11.03 2 37 311 381 43 37 20 0
Reinsel Kuntz Lesher Lancaster, Pa. 57.00 14.90 13 38 306 366 31 30 10 29
Prager Metis New York City 50.78 42.64 8 43 146 235 27 43 30 0
Grassi & Co.* New York City 49.00 7.46 3 31 167 242 49 36 8 7
Freed Maxick Buffalo, N.Y. 46.00 5.02 4 37 264 349 37 38 25 0
Raich Ende Malter & Co. New York City 46.00 4.55 4 40 136 206 40 60 0 0
SaxBST Clifton, N.J. 45.10 5.65 3 23 145 220 42 40 1 17
Margolin, Winer & Evens Garden City, N.Y. 40.60 2.78 2 25 165 205 60 30 10 0
Wiss & Co. Livingston, N.J. 34.00 3.03 4 26 115 173 56 30 14 0
Kreischer Miller Horsham, Pa. 31.00 6.90 1 16 153 201 43 38 13 6
Janover Garden City, N.Y. 27.90 4.61 2 21 95 155 30 57 10 3
Untracht Early* Florham Park, N.J. 22.70 10.62 3 8 106 125 23 65 4 8
Gettry Marcus Woodbury, N.Y. 18.00 1.81 2 17 50 82 44 37 0 19
Buchbinder Tunick & Co. New York City 17.61 13.61 3 18 68 98 79 15 6 0
Boyer & Ritter Camp Hill, Pa. 14.25 9.87 4 11 53 82 52 37 4 7
Notes: * Firm estimate or projection NC No change NA Not available/applicable
Top Firms: Mid-AtlanticNew Jersey, New York and PennsylvaniaTotal revenue: $2,974.06 million. Average firm growth: 7.62%The Mid-Atlantic Region’s results were up slightly over last year — often as a result of M&A, though in this case it didn’t change the roster much, as most of these firms were in acquisition mode in 2015.
No. of firms from New York City in the Top 100: 17
26
regional leaders
Top Firms: Capital RegionDelaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West VirginiaTotal revenue: $548.57 million. Average firm growth: 8.24%While not the strongest-performing part of the country, the Capital Region was up significantly over last year, with a number of double-digit scores — include the 59 percent generated by Arnett Carbis Toothman by an early 2015 merger.
Rev. % Profess- Total ———— Fee split ————Firm Headquarters $ mn. chg. Offices Partners ionals emps. A&A Tax MAS Other
Kearney & Co. Alexandria, Va. 109.10 20.15 2 13 496 546 71 0 29 0
Aronson Rockville, Md. 50.40 5.51 1 30 164 236 38 36 22 4
Raffa Washington, D.C. 44.82 9.05 2 17 218 274 51 11 38 0
SC&H Group Inc.1 Sparks, Md. 43.46 -27.15 3 19 171 218 23 21 56 0
PB Mares Newport News, Va. 35.24 16.38 9 38 121 201 31 42 19 8
Arnett Carbis Toothman2 Charleston, W. Va. 33.04 59.00 9 30 167 241 37 30 33 0
Cotton & Co.* Alexandria, Va. 29.00 16.00 1 11 159 180 40 0 18 42
Brown, Edwards & Co. Roanoke, Va. 26.04 3.66 7 26 139 195 68 32 0 0
Johnson Lambert Falls Church, Va. 25.39 5.66 8 15 121 156 79 14 7 0
Calibre CPA Group Bethesda, Md. 23.53 12.10 3 16 108 150 77 11 0 12
Ellin & Tucker Chartered Baltimore 23.39 25.01 3 10 77 114 32 36 5 27
Keiter Glen Allen, Va. 23.07 3.45 1 12 92 134 32 61 2 5
Yount, Hyde & Barbour Winchester, Va. 23.01 1.01 9 19 84 125 42 44 12 2
Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman Bethesda, Md. 22.00 0.92 1 11 72 106 72 26 2 0
Gross Mendelsohn & Associates Baltimore 19.68 4.74 2 14 78 113 40 30 30 0
Smith Elliott Kearns & Co. Hagerstown, Md. 17.40 2.96 5 21 110 159 34 33 25 8
Notes: * Firm estimate or projection NC No change NA Not available/applicable 1 Revenues reflect sale of SALT group at the end of 2014. 2 Changed name to Arnett Carbis Toothman in January 2015 merger; merged fig-ures were not reported last year.
9.26%
7.62%
8.24%
8.47%
9.45%
10.17%9.95%
9.13%
14.66%6.96%
Where the growth isAverage individual firm growth rate,
in percent by region
Th e Many Faces of CCHSolutions are Inspired byOne Common Goal — Success
Wolters Kluwer’s Integrated Audit Approach takes a new perspective on auditing by combiningdynamic content driven tools — powered by peer reviewed CCH® ProSystem fx® Knowledge Coach,the effi ciency of CCH® ProSystem fx® Engagement and comprehensive content found in CCH®
Accounting Research Manager® — which focus on areas of greatest risk, to ensure the highestquality of audit without over-auditing. See how The Many Faces of CCH Solutions are using ourintegrated audit workfl ow to better serve clients, effectively manage their business and mitigate risk.
‘With CCH® ProSystem fx® Knowledge Coach, whether you’re large or small, it’s all about increasing audit effi ciency. Todaywe are well-positioned for the future, largely as a result of thetechnology solutions we are using.’ — Jim Bourke, Partner, Withum
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TOP 100 FIRMSVisit CCHGroup.com/FutureReady and be inspired today!
regional leaders
28
Rev. % Profess- Total ———— Fee split ————Firm Headquarters $ mn. chg. Offices Partners ionals emps. A&A Tax MAS Other
BlumShapiro West Hartford, Conn. 72.70 6.13 5 32 309 410 56 32 4 8
BerryDunn Portland, Maine 52.38 1.22 5 17 197 254 41 15 39 5
KLR Providence, R.I. 39.60 9.70 4 15 161 206 30 40 30 0
Baker Newman & Noyes Portland, Maine 38.10 28.28 6 38 172 254 38 51 11 0
Wolf & Co. Boston 37.80 8.62 4 19 143 190 44 24 0 32
Whittlesey & Hadley Hartford, Conn. 22.10 28.49 3 20 123 158 55 25 20 0
DiCicco, Gulman & Co. Woburn, Mass. 20.70 6.70 2 18 87 125 38 45 17 0
Gray, Gray & Gray Canton, Mass. 18.90 20.38 3 7 88 113 46 30 24 0
Edelstein & Co. Boston 16.40 13.34 1 10 56 80 18 57 0 25
O’Connor & Drew Braintree, Mass. 14.40 9.92 2 13 63 88 73 14 0 13
Macpage South Portland, Maine 13.25 -1.85 4 18 70 100 37 33 21 9
Walter & Shuffain Boston 12.98 10.94 2 10 40 57 35 61 4 0
KAF Braintree, Mass. 12.40 5.08 2 12 45 80 50 30 20 0
Melanson Heath Nashua, N.H. 11.18 4.49 5 12 64 89 73 23 3 1
DiSanto Priest & Co. Warwick, R.I. 10.40 5.69 1 8 42 63 28 57 15 0
Gallagher Flynn & Co. South Burlington, Vt. 10.20 5.92 2 11 55 80 NA NA NA NA
Meyers Brothers Kalicka Holyoke, Mass. 9.60 -4.95 1 6 40 59 55 41 4 0
Abrams Little-Gill Loberfeld Chestnut Hill, Mass. 8.15 8.09 1 10 27 45 32 63 5 0
Notes: * Firm estimate or projection NC No change NA Not available/applicable
Top Firms: New EnglandConnecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and VermontTotal revenue: $421.24 million. Average firm growth: 9.26%Overall revenue was up over last year for the leading firms in the region — despite the acquisition of perennial Regional Leader Feeley & Driscoll by BDO early this year — and average firm growth was up significantly, notably at Maine’s Baker Newman & Noyes, which joined the Top 100 this year based on growth of almost 30 percent.
0
3
6
9
12
15
Mid-Atlantic
GreatLakes
TheWest
TheMidwest
The Southeast
GulfCoast
NewEngland
MountainTheSouthwest
CapitalRegion
Where the growth isAverage individual firm growth rate,
in percent by region
regional leaders
29
Rev % Profess- Total ———— Fee split ————Firm Headquarters $ mn. chg. Offices Partners ionals emps. A&A Tax MAS Other
EKS&H Denver 95.10 17.12 4 39 388 525 43 40 17 0
Hein & Associates Denver 53.69 -3.12 4 36 204 285 50 37 9 4
RGL Forensics* Denver 38.50 -3.53 17 24 108 179 0 0 0 100
Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co. Helena, Mont. 26.10 3.45 7 48 NA 230 NA NA NA NA
Tanner Salt Lake City 17.79 12.38 1 11 67 90 61 25 11 3
Anton Collins Mitchell Denver 16.33 15.49 3 13 74 104 45 45 10 0
Squire & Co. Orem, Utah 15.42 14.39 1 16 57 89 33 30 30 7
Dalby, Wendland & Co. Grand Junction, Colo. 13.37 5.03 4 13 52 84 21 61 7 11
Haynie & Co. Salt Lake City 10.60 -5.36 4 5 42 58 43 43 5 9
HintonBurdick St. George, Utah 10.37 6.69 6 12 55 83 53 36 0 11
Joseph Eve Great Falls, Mont. 9.50 11.76 4 3 42 58 76 6 7 11
Mantyla McReynolds Salt Lake City 8.90 14.10 1 10 48 62 47 36 17 0
Notes: * Firm estimate or projection NC No change NA Not available/applicable
Top Firms: MountainColorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and WyomingTotal revenue: $315.67 million. Average firm growth: 6.95%Revenues and growth rates were respectable, but not quite as high as last year in this region, perhaps reflecting low oil prices and a general weakening of the energy boom of the past few years — but that didn’t stop large firms from other regions from sweeping in to pick up local presences.
Rev. % Profess- Total ———— Fee split ————Firm Headquarters $ mn. chg. Offices Partners ionals emps. A&A Tax MAS Other
Dixon Hughes Goodman Charlotte, N.C. 371.00 9.76 29 159 1,329 1,847 33 33 34 0
Cherry Bekaert Richmond, Va. 143.80 9.94 12 56 619 836 44 46 10 0
Elliott Davis Decosimo1 Greenville, S.C. 117.00 6.75 18 93 546 791 46 42 12 0
LBMC Brentwood, Tenn. 82.32 11.64 3 46 397 528 23 28 21 28
Habif, Arogeti & Wynne Atlanta 73.53 7.25 2 26 288 360 40 45 11 4
Frazier & Deeter Atlanta 66.94 8.63 5 12 195 245 34 36 0 30
Mauldin & Jenkins Atlanta 44.95 0.18 6 38 187 270 65 29 2 4
Mountjoy Chilton Medley Louisville, Ky. 39.10 4.57 5 36 182 258 42 35 8 15
Bennett Thrasher Atlanta 36.23 11.51 1 32 156 223 29 59 4 8
Smith & Howard Atlanta 24.90 10.32 1 10 63 96 40 55 5 0
Windham Brannon Atlanta 22.67 4.71 1 13 108 147 NA NA NA NA
Dean Dorton Allen Ford Lexington, Ky. 21.41 1.61 2 33 81 140 34 41 25 0
Notes: * Firm estimate or projection NC No change NA Not available/applicable
1 Created in January 2015 from the merger of Elliott Davis and Joseph Decosimo & Co.
Top Firms: SoutheastArkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and TennesseeTotal revenue: $1,043.85 million. Average firm growth: 8.47%Overall revenue was up from last year, but growth rates were off by a few percentage points. They were flattered last year by the combination of regional powerhouses Elliott Davis and Joseph Decosimo, and while there was still plenty of M&A activity in 2015, there were no high-profile hookups. And in the end, growth over 8 percent is nothing to sneeze at, and the region did manage to produce a new member of the T100, in Atlanta’s Bennett Thrasher.
regional leaders
30
Rev. % Profess- Total ———— Fee split ————Firm Headquarters $ mn. chg. Offices Partners ionals emps. A&A Tax MAS Other
Plante Moran Southfield, Mich. 465.86 7.57 20 265 1,522 2,170 39 26 35 0
Wipfli Milwaukee 227.00 25.42 32 181 989 1,504 30 31 39 0
Rehmann Saginaw, Mich. 116.00 6.42 20 60 554 817 34 36 11 19
Sikich Naperville, Ill. 115.70 8.64 12 51 540 652 27 16 54 3
FGMK Chicago 91.00 4.60 2 65 312 398 13 32 55 0
Schenck Appleton, Wis. 78.01 9.04 10 61 356 531 34 39 20 6
Blue & Co. Carmel, Ind. 70.76 9.88 10 42 245 346 24 23 50 3
Katz, Sapper & Miller Indianapolis 65.94 14.76 3 32 256 342 24 38 23 15
Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co. Cincinnati 63.60 16.29 6 27 277 368 49 35 6 10
Doeren Mayhew Troy, Mich. 61.91 2.91 3 28 179 262 42 35 13 10
Hill, Barth & King Canfield, Ohio 60.00 7.14 11 43 217 327 18 40 12 30
SVA Madison, Wis. 58.70 10.50 6 24 196 399 15 20 12 53
Skoda Minotti Cleveland 50.14 13.98 4 23 177 252 24 24 10 42
Cohen & Co. Cleveland 47.64 10.23 6 23 200 273 46 39 1 14
Kemper CPA Group Evansville, Ind. 40.26 8.61 25 57 225 318 40 39 21 0
Rea & Associates New Philadelphia, Ohio 35.29 6.39 11 22 153 215 43 33 10 14
Yeo & Yeo Saginaw, Mich. 31.11 -6.32 8 14 154 207 22 26 24 28
Somerset CPAs Indianapolis 30.16 4.87 1 28 92 159 39 30 31 0
ORBA Chicago 24.70 6.01 1 16 83 124 33 54 13 0
Porte Brown Elk Grove Village, Ill. 21.70 23.30 1 NA NA 109 NA NA NA NA
Maner Costerisan Lansing, Mich. 18.24 24.42 1 23 61 98 45 23 8 24
Brady Ware & Co.* Miamisburg, Ohio 16.40 2.50 4 23 69 106 34 54 12 0
Notes: * Firm estimate or projection NC No change NA Not available/applicable
Top Firms: Great LakesIllinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin Total revenue: $1,790.12 million. Average firm growth: 10.17%Our designating Baker Tilly Virchow Krause a national firm led to an apparent drop in revenue for this region compared to last year, but the remaining firms actually upped their games in terms of growth, with firms of all sizes contributing, from Wipfli (with a number of acquisitions) down to smaller firms like Porte Brown and Maner Costerisan.
No. of Chicago-based firms in the Top 15:
No. in the Top 10:
54
2016 RANKING | Registration Now Available
2016ARE YOU ONE OF THEBEST ACCOUNTINGFIRMS TO WORK FOR?
Accounting Today’s 9th annual ranking is dedicated to identifying and recognizing the best employers in the tax and accounting profession.
ELIGIBILITY:To be eligible for consideration,
companies must be a public or
privately held U.S. accounting firm
with a minimum of 15 employees.
The survey and awards program will
rank companies in three categories:
PARTICIPATION BENEFITS:All firms that register for this free, confidential survey receive:
A complimentary participation report. (Employee feedback reports will be available for purchase to gain more in-depth insight)
Invaluable insight about your firm’s policies and practices.
Critical comparison details on what makes an organization an Accounting Today Best Firm to Work For.
An opportunity to potentially be part of an elite and exclusive industry ranking.
Small-sized firms (15-24 employees)
Medium-sized firms (25-249 employees)
Large-sized firms (250+ employees)
More information and samples of the ranking surveys can be found online at:WWW.BESTACCOUNTINGFIRMSTOWORKFOR.COM
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
Mid-Atlantic
GreatLakes
TheWest
TheMidwest
The Southeast
GulfCoast
NewEngland
MountainTheSouthwest
CapitalRegion
Where the money isCombined 2015 revenues, in millions of dollars by region
Rev. % Profess- Total ———— Fee split ————Firm Headquarters $ mn. chg. Offices Partners ionals emps. A&A Tax MAS Other
BKD Springfield, Mo. 496.5 11.37 35 260 1,695 2,426 48 31 21 0
Eide Bailly Fargo, N.D. 224.6 14.94 26 116 1,415 1,857 41 41 9 9
RubinBrown St. Louis 78.53 6.68 5 27 416 508 44 37 19 0
Honkamp Krueger & Co. Dubuque, Iowa 58.40 10.40 9 22 222 406 15 20 6 60
K-Coe Isom Salina, Kan. 57.60 59.56 17 55 201 360 22 47 31 0
BerganKDV St. Cloud, Minn. 45.48 111.04 7 29 219 278 19 45 8 28
Brown Smith Wallace St. Louis 39.77 21.99 3 30 227 280 36 31 25 8
Brady, Martz & Associates Grand Forks, N.D. 30.66 8.88 5 32 116 189 49 41 10 0
Lutz & Co. Omaha, Neb. 29.28 8.04 1 28 95 144 32 34 9 25
Lurie Minneapolis 28.50 1.42 1 17 83 120 32 45 18 5
Anders St. Louis 28.30 4.43 1 NA NA NA 19 48 2 31
Boulay Minneapolis 26.12 7.22 2 27 100 154 34 45 6 15
Mize Houser & Co. Topeka, Kan. 24.63 5.94 3 20 113 210 63 27 10 0
Abdo, Eick & Meyers Mankato, Minn. 20.91 31.51 2 22 104 143 40 55 5 0
Redpath & Co. St. Paul, Minn. 18.55 7.85 2 15 95 145 47 40 13 0
MarksNelson Kansas City, Mo. 17.00 23.19 1 17 101 136 45 34 21 0
Seim Johnson Omaha, Neb. 16.55 3.18 1 20 45 82 41 30 29 0
Mueller Prost St. Louis 15.76 12.57 3 14 87 118 28 44 28 0
KPM* Springfield, Mo. 15.50 6.90 2 24 53 102 47 31 22 0
Olsen Thielen & Co. St. Paul, Minn. 15.17 2.29 2 11 71 100 40 33 27 0
Williams-Keepers Columbia, Mo. 13.60 7.09 2 14 52 88 52 45 3 0
Notes: * Firm estimate or projection NC No change NA Not available/applicable
Top Firms: MidwestIowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South DakotaTotal revenue: $1,301.41 million. Average firm growth: 14.66%The Midwest had the strongest year of all the regions, ending 2015 well up in both revenue and average growth rates, which were helped by extensive M&A by Eide Bailly, and the creation of BerganKDV by a merger.
regional leaders
32
33
Top 7 Firms($47.12 bn)
RegionalLeaders
($11.56 bn)
T100 under$100 mn
($3.61 bn)T100 over$100 mn
($8.30 bn)
Where the money isCombined 2015 firm revenues
Rev. % Profess- Total ———— Fee split ————Firm Headquarters $ mn. chg. Offices Partners ionals emps. A&A Tax MAS Other Weaver Fort Worth, Texas 95.10 7.95 9 38 377 505 33 43 15 9Whitley Penn Fort Worth, Texas 72.44 9.34 4 43 234 311 46 42 0 12Montgomery Coscia Greilich Plano, Texas 50.68 18.25 3 25 258 304 25 41 28 6Padgett, Stratemann & Co. San Antonio 34.80 6.72 3 17 131 187 49 41 10 0Briggs & Veselka Co. Houston 31.44 5.79 2 20 129 173 41 48 8 3REDW Albuquerque, N.M. 27.89 6.33 2 13 133 183 48 24 12 16Hagen, Streiff, Newton & Oshiro Dallas 25.08 5.11 16 16 55 89 0 0 68 32Cain Watters & Associates Plano, Texas 24.90 9.69 1 10 70 126 10 17 0 73BeachFleischman Tuscon, Ariz. 23.65 8.34 2 25 83 144 31 52 3 14PKF Texas Houston 23.60 3.55 1 13 94 125 54 46 0 0Maxwell Locke & Ritter Austin, Texas 23.01 10.68 2 20 64 95 37 42 19 2TravisWolff Dallas 21.00 11.11 1 7 88 114 25 65 10 0Lane Gorman Trubitt Dallas 21.00 5.00 1 16 68 98 55 38 0 7Johnson Miller & Co. Odessa, Texas 20.78 -1.61 3 14 89 115 30 49 6 15Henry & Horne Tempe, Ariz. 20.10 5.24 3 14 87 130 32 58 5 5RPC Albuquerque, N.M. 15.09 18.54 8 8 101 127 33 5 21 41Brown, Graham & Co. Amarillo, Texas 12.90 0.78 7 24 60 110 21 60 3 16MaloneBailey Houston 11.78 18.39 1 7 40 53 100 0 0 0MiddletonRaines+Zapata Houston 9.02 91.10 3 7 43 62 20 65 15 0
Notes: * Firm estimate or projection NC No change NA Not available/applicable
Top Firms: SouthwestArizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and TexasTotal revenue: $564.26 million. Average firm growth: 9.13%The region’s average growth rate was right around that of the Top 100 Firms, and its total revenue was up significantly, so 2015 was a great year for the Southwest. It was also one of the few regions whose roster of Leaders was not disrupted by M&A (though it certainly con-tributed to their growth, as it did everywhere else).
regional leaders
Rev. % Profess- Total ———— Fee split ————Firm Headquarters $ mn. chg. Offices Partners ionals emps. A&A Tax MAS Other
Moss Adams Seattle 477.00 11.19 24 268 1,564 2,354 45 37 18 0
Armanino San Ramon, Calif. 164.25 26.85 7 68 518 669 25 33 36 6
Novogradac & Co. San Francisco 117.07 13.29 20 44 370 493 57 29 3 11
Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt W. Los Angeles, Calif. 110.65 11.18 10 38 318 428 18 74 0 8
Burr Pilger Mayer San Francisco 78.30 8.75 6 42 294 422 36 51 12 1
Frank, Rimerman + Co. Palo Alto, Calif. 74.90 6.76 5 24 312 340 28 62 10 0
Nigro Karlin Segal Feldstein & Bolno Los Angeles 65.00 4.84 5 23 256 310 16 10 0 74
Squar Milner Newport Beach, Calif. 62.00 19.23 4 30 210 286 39 52 9 0
Gallina Roseville, Calif. 49.80 8.73 12 33 211 295 43 45 12 0
Seiler Redwood City, Calif. 46.30 15.46 2 13 148 193 8 71 0 21
AKT Salem, Ore. 46.22 8.88 6 15 235 289 27 35 14 24
SingerLewak Los Angeles 41.37 8.75 7 30 145 216 43 41 3 13
Miller Kaplan Arase North Hollywood, Calif. 39.50 3.95 5 25 120 175 61 15 19 5
Macias Gini & O’Connell Sacramento, Calif. 37.96 14.61 8 10 179 247 67 12 7 14
Vavrinek Trine Day Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. 36.20 5.85 9 34 185 243 76 18 6 0
Clark Nuber Bellevue, Wash. 34.20 2.86 1 19 136 186 50 48 0 2
Gursey | Schneider Los Angeles 31.50 0.64 4 11 105 145 4 32 0 64
Peterson Sullivan Seattle 29.20 10.61 1 19 114 157 45 55 5 0
Hutchinson and Bloodgood Glendale, Calif. 27.50 2.38 4 35 62 121 36 50 14 0
Windes Long Beach, Calif. 24.80 3.77 3 16 84 128 42 50 2 6
Green Hasson Janks Los Angeles 24.30 3.40 1 12 94 123 32 34 18 16
Perkins & Co.* Portland, Ore. 22.87 4.33 2 19 104 148 26 43 22 9
Sensiba San Filippo Pleasanton, Calif. 20.70 21.05 6 18 77 121 48 46 1 5
Gumbiner Savett Santa Monica, Calif. 20.00 -6.54 1 11 79 105 40 50 8 2
Geffen Mesher & Co. Portland, Ore. 19.22 1.75 1 17 77 116 30 65 5 0
Abbott, Stringham & Lynch San Jose, Calif. 17.80 7.88 1 13 55 82 33 62 2 3
OUM & Co. San Francisco 17.20 12.42 3 11 76 94 43 49 8 0
NSBN* Los Angeles 17.20 3.61 1 10 74 91 37 49 5 9
Hood & Strong San Francisco 14.00 -6.67 3 14 60 85 61 39 0 0
Notes: * Firm estimate or projection NC No change
Top Firms: WestCalifornia, Nevada, Oregon and WashingtonTotal revenue: $1,767.01 million. Average firm growth: 9.95%Interestingly, the West boosted its overall revenues from last year, even as its average firm growth was down a bit — though still above the average for the Top 100. This was another part of the country where the Regional Leaders boosted themselves by mergers, rather than being fodder for outside acquirers, which helps explain the large number of firms with double-digit growth rates.
No. of California firms in the Top 100: 13
34
regional leaders
35
AKT: Admitted its largest partner class
ever. In January 2016, transitioned to first
new chief executive officer in 30 years.
Anchin: Number of professionals grew
11 percent, and overall staff 7 percent.
Armanino: Launched business man-
agement and family office service offer-
ings. In January 2015, merged in Silicon
Valley-based Berger Lewis Accountancy
Corp. In June, agreed to merge with Los
Angeles-based RBZ. In September, merged
in Silicon Valley-based Brenner Group. In
January 2016, merged in Woodland Hills,
Calif.-based LaRue, Corrigan, McCormick
& Teasdale. Partnered with Convergent
Computing to expand Microsoft Cloud
Solutions practice.
Aronson: In February 2015, acquired
GSA schedule consulting business of
Deltek’s Washington Management Group.
Launched a financial advisory services
practice. Saw growth in technology risk
services practice.
Baker Newman & Noyes: New to the
list. In January 2015, merged in Manches-
ter, N.H.-based William Steele & Asso-
ciates. In July, merged in Boston-based
Shatswell, MacLeod & Co. In November,
merged in Portsmouth, N.H.-based Albert
Stowe CPA. In January 2016, named new
managing principal.
Baker Tilly Virchow Krause: In June
2015, merged in Michigan-based Wolins-
ki & Co.; announced merger with Troy,
Mich.-based Global Development Part-
ners. In August, announced merger with
Pennsylvania-based SF&Co. Elected new
chief executive officer to take office in
June 2016.
BDO USA: Topped $1 billion in revenue.
In June 2015, merged in St. Louis-based
Stone Carlie & Co. In August, merged in
Central Florida-based Cross, Fernandez &
Riley. In December, merged in Carlsbad,
Calif.-based CEA. In January 2016, an-
nounced merger with Boston-based Fee-
ley & Driscoll.
Bennett Thrasher: New to the list. In July
2015, acquired Taylor Consulting Group.
Marked its 35th anniversary. Named an
Accounting Today Best Firm to Work For.
Berdon: Fastest growing specialty ser-
vice — industry specializations. Fastest
growing client category — real estate.
BerganKDV: New to the list. Formed
by the July 2015 merger of Bergan Paulsen
and KDV.
Berkowitz Pollack Brant: Added a new
CAS business line, Accounting Intelli-
gence. Marked its 35th anniversary. Laid
out a management transition plan at the
executive level.
BerryDunn: In January 2015, merged in
Concord, N.H.-based Brad Borbidge.
BKD: In December 2015, merged in
Wichita, Kan.-based Peterson, Peterson
& Goss. Added a public sector consult-
ing practice to its risk advisory services
division. Named a principal partner for
accounting and related services by the
Construction Financial Management As-
sociation.
Blue & Co.: In July 2015, merged in Cin-
cinnati-based Ossege, Mann & Combs. In
January 2016, merged in Cincinnati-based
Fleming, Brockschmidt & Durkin and Lub-
bock, Texas-based JW Anderson & Asso-
ciates.
BlumShapiro: Merged in Newton,
Mass.-based Schneider & Schneider. In
January 2016, appointed new chief exec-
utive officer.
The Bonadio Group: In January 2015,
merged in Central New York-based Te-
stone, Marshall & Discenza. Launched
Bonadio Corporate Security Services.
Brown Smith Wallace: New to the
list. In December 2015, merged in Creve
Coeur, Mo.-based Bergman, Schraier & Co.
In January 2016, installed new managing
partner. Switched from being an LLC to
an LLP. Named an Accounting Today Best
Firm to Work For.
Burr Pilger Mayer: Increased staff by
over 18 percent. Named an Accounting
Today Best Firm to Work For.
Carr, Riggs & Ingram: In February 2015,
merged in Oneonta, Ala.-based Self, Ma-
ples & Copeland, and The Woodlands,
Texas-based Oman Berry & Associates and
BOI Consulting. In September, merged in
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Harbeson, Fletch-
er & Bateh.
CBIZ/Mayer Hoffman McCann: Re-
aligned five offices in Southern Califor-
nia to form a single business unit. In July
2015, named a new president for MHM. In
January 2016, acquired San Diego-based
Millimaki Eggert.
Cherry Bekaert: In January 2015,
merged in North Carolina-based Thomas,
Knight, Trent, King and Co.
Citrin Cooperman & Co.: In July 2015,
rebranded with new tagline and Web site;
merged in Real-Time Computer Services.
In August, merged in Bethesda, Md.-based
Regardie, Brooks & Lewis. In October,
merged in New York City-based Joel Pop-
kin & Co.
Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co.: Saw rev-
enue growth of almost 16 percent.
CliftonLarsonAllen: In January 2015, in-
stalled new chief executive officer. Entered
five new major markets. Established the
CLA Foundation; CLA Trust Company to
support wealth advisory clients; and CLA
Global as a joint venture to support U.K.
clients. In May, merged in Tampa, Fla.-
based HighWire Telecom. In July, merged
in New Bedford, Mass.-based Hodgson
Pratt Pratt & Saunders. In September,
merged in Texas-based Sanford, Baumeis-
ter & Frazier, and information security
consulting firm TrustCC. In November,
merged in Tucson Ariz.-based Camp Low-
ell CPAs; Pittsburgh-based KFMR Katz Fer-
raro McMurtry; and Waltham, Mass.-based
2016 firm highlights
firm highlights
36
Accounting Management Solutions. In De-
cember, merged in Pasadena, Calif.-based
Stanislawski & Harrison; Midwest-based
Titus; and Overland Park, Kansas-based
Gottlieb, Flekier & Co. In January 2016,
merged in four more accounting firms.
Cohen & Co.: Opened a New York City
office. In January 2016, merged in De-
troit-based GHD CPAs & Advisors.
CohnReznick: In March 2015, an-
nounced plan to merge in real estate con-
sulting boutique NOI Strategies. In May,
elected new chief executive officer. Ex-
panded advisory practice, and increased
presence in Chennai, India.
Crowe Horwath: In April 2015, installed
new chief executive officer. In July, merged
in Connecticut-based Saslow Lufkin &
Buggy. In December, rolled out new dress
code and remote-work policies.
Deloitte: In February 2015, became the
first Big Four firm to elect a female chief
executive. In June, acquired measurement
service provider LRA Worldwide. In July,
acquired life sciences consulting firm CIS.
In September, acquired leadership consul-
tancy Kaisen Consulting.
Dixon Hughes Goodman: Added a chief
people officer. Continued to develop new
service offerings, mostly in advisory ser-
vices. Saw strong growth in service lines
related to private equity. In January 2016,
announced merger with Baltimore-based
Stegman & Co.
Doeren Mayhew: In August 2015, ac-
quired Farmington, Mich.-based dental
CPA firm Davis and Davis. In September,
announced merger with credit union spe-
cialist Orth, Chakler, Murnane & Co.
Eide Bailly: In June 2015, announced
merger with Tulsa, Okla.-based Sartain
Fischbein & Co. In July, announced merg-
er with Ogden, Utah-based James & Co.
In October, announced merger with Ar-
izona-based Beckman & Kunkin. In No-
vember, announced mergers with Enter-
prise, Ore.-based Edison, Perry & Co., and
Billings, Mont.-based Schafer & Associ-
ates; elected managing partner to second
three-year term. Added an R&D tax credit
group.
EisnerAmper: Formed EisnerAmper
Global and added locations in Ireland, the
Caymans and Israel. Added a digital foren-
sics lab, and started EisnerAmper Portfo-
lio Analytics. In July 2015, added founder
and staff of New York City-based Har-
old Zoref LLP. In November, announced
mergers with South Florida-based Mallah
Furman and California-based Ueltzen &
Co.; consolidated Pennsylvania locations
in Philadelphia.
EKS&H: Opened office in San Francisco.
Continued to expand business analytics
offerings.
Elliott Davis Decosimo: In January
2016, merged in Tennessee-based Crowell
& Crowell.
Ernst & Young: In August 2015, part-
nered with software provider Hortonworks
on new data management offerings. In
September, merged in Washington, D.C.-
based tax law firm Burt, Staples & Maner.
In November, merged in New York-based
digital services company NorthPoint
Digital. In December, merged in enter-
prise project portfolio management firm
UMT Consulting Group. In January 2016,
merged in New York City-based Family
Office Metrics. In February, added BCRS
Associates.
FGMK: Continued to build national
footprint in IT. Created a specialty tax ser-
vices practice, and expanded management
consulting services.
Frank, Rimerman + Co.: Significantly
enhanced its management development
curriculum. Marked its 65th anniversary.
Frazier & Deeter: Named an Accounting
Today Best Firm to Work For.
Freed Maxick: In July 2015, announced
new managing director. Created a pro-
fessional development officer position.
Saw “substantial growth” in its health care
practice.
Friedman: In January 2015, named
new co-managing partners. Expanded fo-
rensic accounting, litigation support and
valuation services and corporate recovery
services teams. Launched a statement of
purpose and core values. In January 2016,
merged in Philadelphia-based Shechtman
Marks Devor.
Gallina: In January 2015, merged in
Midvale, Utah-based Leverich Group.
Grant Thornton: Saw double-digit gains
in its consumer and industrial products,
energy and financial services groups.
Opened a new office in Jacksonville, Fla.
Launched a new flexible time-off poli-
cy that lets employees take vacation time
without a set number of days off.
Grassi & Co.: In September 2015, merged
in Long Island-based Rispoli and Co. Add-
ed a state and local sales tax practice.
Habif, Arogeti & Wynne: Re-elected
managing partner. Introduced CAS and
payroll services. Saw significant growth
in title industry service line, Compliance-
Success.
Hein & Associates: Expanded interna-
tional tax and transactional advisory ser-
vices teams. In January 2016, named new
managing partner.
Hill, Barth & King: In October 2015,
merged in Columbus, Ohio-based Nor-
man, Jones, Enlow & Co.
Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt: Re-
No. of mergers reported by the T100:
125
firm highlights
37
freshed its brand and rolled out a new
Web site. Established a women’s initiative.
Expanded its Orange County office with an
audit practice. Promoted its largest-ever
class of partners. At year’s end, merged in
Northern California-based real estate tax
services firm Zeigler & Associates. 2016
marks its 25th anniversary.
Honkamp Krueger & Co.: In January
2016, merged in Davenport, Iowa-based
Doyle & Keenan.
Horne: Saw revenue growth of over
11 percent. Launched a “Feedback Move-
ment.” In January 2016, acquired cyberse-
curity firm Halberd Group and established
a new unit, Horne Cyber Solutions.
Katz, Sapper & Miller: In November
2015, announced merger with Fort Wayne,
Ind.-based Krouse, Kern & Co.
Kaufman Rossin Group: In January
2015, rebranded. Expanded business ad-
visory practice. In December, agreed to
sell independent fund accounting affiliate.
Named an Accounting Today Best Firm to
Work For.
K-Coe Isom: Formed from the January
2015 merger of Kennedy and Coe and
Matson & Isom.
Kearney & Co.: Saw revenue growth of
over 10 percent; grew staff by almost 30
percent.
Kemper CPA Group: In July 2015,
named a new managing partner.
KLR: In January 2015, merged in Bos-
ton-based Freshman & Ferraro. Opened a
new office in downtown Boston.
KPMG: In April 2015, became the sec-
ond Big Four firm to elect a female chief
executive officer. Agreed to acquire health
care consulting firm Beacon Partners. In
July, acquired human resource services
practice of Tower Watson. In August,
KPMG Corporate Finance acquired an
energy practice from Ewing Bemiss. In
November, acquired the tax software of G2
FinTech. Also acquired IT service manage-
ment practice of Triad Technology and the
workday consulting practice of Axia Con-
sulting. Launched a number of alliances in
information protection, business process
automation, FATCA compliance, GRC con-
sulting and other areas.
LBMC: In August 2015, rebranded from
Lattimore, Black, Morgan & Cain. Elected a
new managing partner. Increased focus on
strategic planning.
Macias Gini & O’Connell: Updated the
firm’s brand. Opened a new office in San
Francisco.
Marcum: In May 2015, launched nation-
wide TV ad campaign. In June, expanded
charitable foundation across the country.
In November, merged in Illinois-based
Frost, Ruttenberg & Rothblatt. In Decem-
ber, merged in Philadelphia-based Smart
Devine and Nashville, Tenn., and Orlando,
Fla.-based DGLF.
Margolin, Winer & Evens: Fastest grow-
ing specialty services — state and local
taxes, and estate planning.
Marks Paneth: In March 2015, merged
in Parsippany, N.J.-based Fischer Barr &
Wissinger.
Mauldin & Jenkins: Fastest growing
specialty service and fastest growing client
category — nonprofits.
MBAF: In February, merged in Flori-
da-based Kane & Co.
Miller Kaplan Arase: Expanded media
practice through agreement with advisory
firm to assume its broadcast client rela-
tionships. Launched an e-commerce Web
site trademark enforcement service.
Montgomery Coscia Greilich: Saw rev-
enue growth of over 18 percent.
Moss Adams: In January 2015, acquired
regulatory compliance and financial con-
sulting portion of Houston-based tele-
communications company CHR Solutions.
In August, merged in Issaquah, Wash.-
based IT consulting firm Curtis Consult-
ing Group. In November, merged in Spo-
kane-based financial services consulting
firm Contineo.
Mountjoy Chilton Medley: In January
2016, merged in Cincinnati-based Cooney
Faulkner & Stevens. Saw “a strong increase”
in work in regulated industries. Expanded
human resources consulting services.
Nigro Karlin Segal Feldstein & Bolno:
Fastest growing specialty service — busi-
ness management for wealthy individuals.
Fastest growing client category — high-
net-worth individuals.
Novogradac & Co.: In June 2015, opened
an office in the Philadelphia area.
PKF O’Connor Davies: In January 2015,
merged in New York-based Daniel J. Mc-
Mahon Co. In May, announced merger
with Livingston, N.J.-based McEnerney,
Brady & Co. In November, announced
merger with Newburgh, N.Y.-based Stan-
ley Marks & Co. In January 2016, merged
in New Jersey-based Flackman, Goodman
& Potter. In February, rebranded from
O’Connor Davies. Recently acquired Swit-
zerland-based fund administration firm
VBK & Co.
Plante Moran: Grew revenue by over 7
percent. Fastest growing specialty service
— assurance and tax compliance. Fastest
growing client category — manufacturing
and distribution.
Postlethwaite & Netterville: Launched
custom-developed marketing software
aimed at making business development
easier for staff.
Prager Metis: In February 2015, merged
in Los Angeles-based Bruce Kohlbrenner
& Co. In March, agreed to merge in New
York City-based Polakoff & Michaelson. In
August, merged in U.K.-based Peter Bryan
& Co.
PwC: In September 2015, announced
plans to start making all associates and
senior associates eligible for as much as
$1,200 a year in help paying back their
student loans, starting in July.
Raffa: Began offering consulting ser-
vices to companies looking to begin or
bolster philanthropic efforts. Launched a
firm highlights
38
nonprofit executive search and leadership
development practice.
Raich Ende Malter & Co.: In July 2015,
merged in New York-based Arthur Yorkes
& Co.
Rehmann: In July 2015, installed new
chief executive officer. In August, merged
with Jackson, Mich.-based Drake, Watters
& Associates. In November, merged in Stu-
art, Fla.-based Roegiers Goldin Chappel
Nall & Associates.
Reinsel Kuntz Lesher: In May, es-
tablished a new Business Risk Services
Practice. In December, rebranded its two
investment advisory subsidiaries as RKL
Wealth Management.
RGL Forensics: Expanded fraud prac-
tice. Named an Accounting Today Best
Firm to Work For.
RSM US: In May 2015, merged in Ala-
bama-based Sellers Richardson Holman
& West. In August, merged in PKF San
Francisco and St. Louis-based Wolfe Nilg-
es Nahorski. In October, rebranded as
RSM US from McGladrey. In December,
merged in Dynamics AX reseller Junction
Solutions.
RubinBrown: In March 2015, created
Cyber Security Advisory Services Group.
In January 2016, merged in Denver-based
Business Manager LLC.
SaxBST: Named new co-managing part-
ner. Saw the most growth in its real estate
and construction industry services groups.
Marking 60th anniversary in 2016.
SC&H Group: Launched three new
service lines: IT advisory, Microsoft Dy-
namics, and CFO advisory services with
Intacct. Named an Accounting Today Best
Firm to Work For.
Schenck: In January 2015, announced
merger with Manitowoc, Wis.-based Kro-
ening, Stangel, Swetlik & Zinkel. Imple-
mented a client tiering strategy to focus on
top 20 percent of clients.
Schneider Downs: In April 2015, an-
nounced merger with investment bank-
ing and management consulting company
The Meridian Group.
Seiler: Saw revenue growth of almost 15
percent.
Sikich: In August 2015, merged in Bos-
ton-based tech firm Altico Advisors. In
September, acquired Milwaukee-based
Jannsen + Co. Expanded Houston office.
SingerLewak: In January 2016, an-
nounced merger with Pomona, Ca-
lif.-based Jeffery, Corrigan & Shaw.
Skoda Minotti: Implemented a new per-
formance coaching program, psychologi-
cal assessments, and a firm-wide recogni-
tion program. Started a Lean initiative for
its tax department. Named an Accounting
Today Best Firm to Work For.
Squar Milner: In November, announced
merger with Encino, Calif.-based Solo-
mon, Winnett and Rosenfield. In February
2016, merged in San Diego-based McLean,
Rotherham & Co. and its subsidiary, Hosa-
ka, Rotherham & Co.
SVA: Developed security services and
government regulatory compliance ser-
vices.
UHY Advisors: 2015 data reflects sale of
Texas practice in late 2014. “Same-store”
offices recorded double-digit organic
growth. Adapted a new corporate gover-
nance structure. In January 2016, merged
in Maryland-based MohnAllen.
Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co.: Added
an office. Moved headquarters to a new
location in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. In-
creased staff by over 13 percent.
Warren Averett: In February 2015,
formed a joint venture with Redstone Gov-
ernment Consulting to serve government
contractors. In May, added a new human
capital services practice, Warren Averett
Workplace. In October, merged with tech
consultancy Kianoff & Associates. In De-
cember, announced merger with Panama
City, Fla.-based Jinks & Moody PA.
Weaver: In June 2015, installed new
chief executive officer. In July, launched a
new IT advisory service. In January 2016,
announced merger with Houston-based
Hereford, Lynch, Sellars & Kirkham.
WeiserMazars: In April 2015, installed
new chief executive officer. Continued to
expand subject matter expertise and con-
sulting group.
Whitley Penn: Added international tax
expertise, increased its SALT footprint, and
expanded its Transaction Advisory Ser-
vices team. Added educational seminars
for clients.
Wipfli: In January 2015, acquired Phil-
adelphia-based Elko & Associates and
Helena, Mont.-based Galusha, Higgins &
Galusha. In August, joined the NetSuite
Solution Provider Program, and joined the
Microsoft BPO Platform. In January 2016,
merged in Chicago-based Steinberg Ad-
visors.
Withum: Rebranded from Withum-
Smith+Brown. In March 2015, merged
in New Jersey and Pennsylvania-based
Mironov Group, and Boston-based Walsh,
Jastrem & Browne. Added information
technology and business process consult-
ing. In January 2016, announced merger
with Central Florida-based Averett War-
mus Durkee. Named an Accounting Today
Best Firm to Work For.
Wolf & Co.: Opened a new office in Liv-
ingston, N.J. Named an Accounting Today
Best Firm to Work For.
No. of new CEOs elected or installed:
24
firm highlights
Accountants everywhere are faced with the need to adopt technology to better serve clients and handle a growing
volume of work. How do you stack up against your peers in adopting technology solutions to improve your processes
and services? Take our 60-second online quiz and discover your tech persona!
It’s easy…1. Visit www.accountingtoday.com/quiz and take the quiz2. Get your tech persona3. Sign up for your complete report card and see how you compare to your peers
NOW ON ACCOUNTING TODAYSponsored by Presented by
Tech Mogul Tech Rock Star Tech Scientist Tech Historian
WHATIS YOURTECH IQ ?
News & CommentaryUp-to-date reporting and insight from Daily Tax Report®, BNA Insights, and more
PortfoliosHundreds of analyses written by leading practitioners
Practice ToolsIncludes chart builders, client letters, sample documents, and navigators
Primary SourcesI.R.C., regs, cases, PLRs, and more
Start a FREE trial to the Tax and Accounting Center™ Visit www.bna.com/btac158 or call 800.372.1033
© 2
015
The
Bur
eau
of N
atio
nal A
ffairs
, Inc
. 0
115
-JO
1316
5
Confidence. Delivered.
Where Tax Research Begins and EndsOnly Bloomberg BNA offers the unique combination of our renowned Tax Management Portfolios™ combined with all of the tools and resources you need to guide your clients with confidence.
• Over 550 Tax Management Portfolios covering hundreds of tax topics and transactions in unparalleled depth• Providing the collective expertise of more than 1,000 leading practitioners and outside experts• Incorporating practical examples, working papers, and sample documents• Fully integrated with 4,000+ Fast Answers, time-saving practice tools, news, and primary sources
Achieve new levels of excellence for your clients with the expertise that comes only from Bloomberg BNA.