Jackson Hewitt names new CEO

A Jackson Hewitt location
The Justice Department sued to shut 125 franchises of No. 2 U.S. tax preparer Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. as the IRS accused the outlets of submitting thousands of fraudulent returns that cost the government more than $70 million. This office of Jackson Hewitt Tax Service in Shreveport, Louisiana, on April 4, is not known to be involved in the federal law suit. Mario Villafuerte/Bloomberg News
Ferber-Alan-Jackson-Hewitt

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service has named Alan Ferber as its new chief executive officer.

Ferber joins the tax-prep chain from home-security company ADT Residential, where he served as president. Before ADT, he was chief operating officer and chief marketing officer of US Cellular.

"I'm excited about how Jackson Hewitt has focused so sharply on bringing value to hard-working Americans," Ferber said in a statement. "With the best tax pros in the business, we're going to continue to focus on helping our clients get every break they deserve and achieve their financial goals. We have a strong pipeline of new products to keep our growth going and a commitment to a culture of service and superior performance."

"Alan has a strong record of building customer-obsessed cultures and he is the ideal leader to build upon the strong momentum Jackson Hewitt enjoys today," said Ben Taylor, principal of Bayside Capital, the private equity firm owner, in a statement. "Our outgoing CEO, David Prokupek, effectively turned around the organization and couldn't be more pleased with the transformation, and now is the perfect time to bring on a leader who can create a long-term view of growth"

Prokupek will serve as co-CEO working with Ferber until the end of tax season. Prokupek will also remain a major investor and advisor to the board of Hewitt.

"Since joining the company as CEO and investor three years ago, David has led Jackson Hewitt through a brand transformation, distinguishing itself as an industry leader in innovation, client service and being an advocate for hard working Americans," said Taylor. "The result is a materially stronger and valuable Jackson Hewitt with the best franchisees in the tax business."

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