M&A roundup: Friedman, UHY, Blue and others strike deals

Details: Friedman LLP, a Top 100 Firm based in New York, has added Markowitz, Fenelon & Bank, a firm headquartered in Long Island.

With the addition of MFB's offices in Bridgehampton and Riverhead, New York, Friedman will have 13 offices and around 600 partners and staff members. The deal is another sign of Friedman's recent growth, which includes the establishment of new locations in Red Bank, N.J., and Los Angeles, along with the relocation of its Manhattan headquarters and its Marlton, N.J., office to state-of-the-art spaces.

MFB has been around for more than 60 years, providing tax, audit, accounting and advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, family offices, closely held businesses, nonprofits and government entities.

"The firms' natural alignments across value systems and proficiencies will promote a swift integration of our respective teams," noted Friedman co-managing partner Harriet Greenberg in a statement.

Financial terms of the deal of the deal were not disclosed. Friedman ranked No. 40 on Accounting Today’s 2019 list of the Top 100 Firms. The firm had $135 million in annual revenue this year, and MFB had $8 million. Friedman has 75 partners, and MFB will be adding another five partners.

"MFB has always taken great pride in the level of professionalism and care that we provide," stated partner Thomas Terry. “By joining Friedman we will be able to offer a broader and more sophisticated range of services, including dedicated practice groups with specialized expertise in areas like international tax, cybersecurity and digital currency, among others."

Details: UHY Advisors, a Top 100 Firm based in Chicago, is growing in the Midwest by adding Becker and Rosen CPAs LLC, a firm in St. Louis.

The merger is the third expansion in the Midwest in the past year for UHY. “We are pleased to welcome the Becker team to UHY through this expansion, as their team already possesses the UHY qualities of deep accounting experience and personalized relationships with clients,” said Jerry Townsend, Midwest regional managing partner for UHY, in a statement. “This continues our growth strategy in the Midwest, adding quality firms and partners to our region while expanding our footprint.”

UHY ranked No. 33 on Accounting Today’s 2019 list of the Top 100 Firms, with $141.7 million in annual revenue. The firm has more than 850 employees across 17 offices in the U.S. Becker has one partner, one principal and 10 staff members who are joining UHY.

Becker has been operating in the St. Louis area for more than 30 years, providing tax management, accounting, auditing, financial statement preparation, financial planning and other services.

“We recognized the need to increase our talent pool and resources in order to maintain and excel our level of client service,” stated Jonathan Becker, founder and partner of Becker, who will now be a partner at UHY. “We have found UHY to have similar company values and an excellent client service record. Together we will have the increased resources and talent we need to deliver the service and quality work products we strive so hard to achieve.”

Details: Blue & Co., LLC, a Top 100 Firm based in Carmel, Indiana, has added Clarus Partners, a firm based in Columbus, Ohio, effective Dec. 1.

As part of the deal, three partners, Barry Adelman, Michael Stevenson and Matthew Kaufman, will join Blue & Co. The combined staff will include more than 450 professionals in 11 offices across three states.

“We are very excited to have Clarus Partners join Blue & Co.," said Brad Shaw, managing director of Blue & Co., in a statement. “Expanding the Columbus, Ohio, office is a strategic initiative of the firm, and combining with Clarus will help us on the road to achieving that initiative. We believe the expertise and reputation of both firms complement one another and offer a friendly, client-first culture.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Blue & Co. ranked No. 59 on Accounting Today’s 2019 list of the Top 100 Firms, with $83.24 million in annual revenue. Blue & Co. has more than 450 people in 11 offices across Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and has been operating for nearly 50 years.

Clarus Partners was founded in 2007 and provides business advisory services in addition to accounting. “We are also excited about this partnership,” Stevenson stated. “We feel that it will not only help expand the commercial market in the Columbus area, but also provide growth opportunities for all of our associates.”