M&A roundup: RubinBrown and GrimblebyColeman expand

Details: RubinBrown LLP, a Top 50 Firm based in St. Louis, has added Liberty Technology Advisors, a software consulting firm in Chicago, effective Aug. 16.

Liberty has been in the tech consulting industry for more than 25 years and specializes in helping clients choose ERP and other enterprise business software, as well as improving and optimizing business processes, technology, and performance. Liberty will become part of RubinBrown’s Business Advisory Services Group, which offers business improvement and reorganization, cybersecurity, enterprise risk management, fraud and forensics, information technology and risk services.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. RubinBrown ranked No. 43 on Accounting Today’s 2021 list of the Top 100 Firms, with $128.6 million in annual revenue. The firm, which was founded in 1952, has approximately 150 partners and 950 employees.

Liberty Technology president Joel Schneider will join RubinBrown as a partner and all Liberty Technology Advisors team members are joining RubinBrown and will remain based in Chicago. “We are thrilled to join with RubinBrown,” Schneider said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to improve our clients’ businesses and expand our reach to help clients that are looking for a trusted technology advisor.”

RubinBrown sees the deal as a way to continue building its business advisory and technology services. “This combination reflects RubinBrown’s commitment to growth in the business advisory and technology services spaces as well as our continued expansion in Chicago,” said RubinBrown chairman John Herber in a statement. “With the ever-changing world of today, having a trusted technology partner for our clients’ businesses is more important than ever.”

“Liberty Technology Advisors and RubinBrown are a perfect match,” said Koltin Consulting Group CEO Allan Koltin in a statement. “The two firms share common values and goals and offer complimentary services to similar clients. I ... have no doubt this will be a successful combination.”

Last year, RubinBrown added Wealth Management Advisors, a firm in Leawood, Kansas.

Details: Grimbleby Coleman CPAs, a firm in Modesto, California, has added Ristau & Co. Inc. CPAs, a firm based in the same city.

Both firms serve local businesses throughout California’s Central Valley. Grimbleby Coleman specializes in helping clients in the agriculture and construction industries with consulting and advisory services, including client accounting, tax, and estates and trusts.

“It’s an exciting time to continue to build with a team of qualified, smart, hard-working individuals whose diverse skill sets and shared values empower us to further support our clients,” said Grimbleby Coleman president and CEO Ian Grimbleby in a statement. “This merger also supports our mutual growth goals.”

Ristau & Co. dates back to 1972, and Grimbleby Coleman to 1973. Grimbleby Coleman has 12 partners and Ristau has three, so there will be 15 partners in the combined firm. The staff for Grimbleby Coleman totals 70. With six staff members joining from Ristau, the combined firm will have a total of 79 partners and staff.

“We are looking forward to joining the Grimbleby Coleman CPAs team, expanding resources and services, while maintaining current high-quality standards for our clients,” said Ristau partner Ryan Root in a statement late last month. Judie Brimmer, Keith Cherry and Ryan Root will join the principal team at Grimbleby Coleman.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Grimbleby Coleman CPAs was listed recently among Accounting Today’s Best Firms to Work For.