An inspirational keynote on teamwork from renowned motivational speaker Pat Williams, an update on M&A activity among CPA firms and the induction of Clifton Gunderson chief executive Carl George into the Advisory Board Hall of Fame highlighted the opening day for the 8th annual Winning Is Everything conference here.

Gilman Ciocia has acquired Weiss Advisory Group and Weiss Financial Services, expanding the firm’s presence in New York.

Accounting firms Blum, Shapiro & Co., and Nishball, Carp, Niedermeier, Pacowta & Co., have merged, building Blum's presence in Connecticut.

Southeast super-regional CPA firm Dixon Hughes plans to integrate the practice of Orlando-based Rosenfield Co., effective Feb. 1.

The troubled economy and the credit crisis do not appear to be tempering the ambitions of growth-oriented CPA firms seeking to fulfill their aspirations for mergers.

Retirement recordkeeping software developer ExpertPlan has acquired Actuarial Enterprises Inc., a third-party administrator of defined benefit and insurance plans.

Gocial Gerstein LLC has merged with Gold, Meltzer, Plasky and Wise to form Gold Gocial Gerstein LLC.

Rosen Seymour Shapss Martin & Co. has merged with another New York accounting firm, Miller Ellin & Co., expanding RSSM's ability to service its audit, tax and consulting clients.

Graf Repetti & Co. has merged with Marx, Lange, Gutterman, effective Jan. 1, augmenting Graf Repetti's presence in New York.

WithumSmith+Brown has merged in another New Jersey-based accounting firm, Serluco & Co.

Accounting firm Parente Randolph has merged with two other firms: Altenburger, Uris, Caglioti & Heyman, and William R. Hoffman Ltd.

Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co., has merged in Sullivan Shuman & Freedberg, allowing KLR to build its presence in the Greater Boston area.

Accounting firm consolidator cbiz has agreed to acquire Mahoney Cohen, a New York-based CPA and business advisory firm, in an acquisition that is expected to contribute about $55 million in annual revenue.Terms were not disclosed. At press time, the deal was scheduled to close Dec. 31.

Accounting firm Rives & Associates has merged in Allen & Woodall, another firm in North Carolina.

PricewaterhouseCoopers believes that M&A activity will be dominated in 2009 by "mergers of necessity" as distressed companies seek the protection of more stable parents.

Accounting firm Moore Stephens Frost has changed its name to Frost, PLLC.

CBIZ is acquiring Tofias in a deal estimated at $55 million as the accounting provider expands its reach across the Northeast to the New England area.

Local Maryland accounting firms DeLeon & Stang and Berger & Hillman plan to merge at the end of the year.

Regional New York firm Citrin Cooperman said it would merge in Syosset, N.Y.-based Massella & Associates CPA, PLLC, and the SEC Solutions Group LLC effective Jan. 1, 2009.

CPA and business advisory firms Rucci Bardaro & Barrett PC headquartered here, and Lexington, Mass.-based Mathias Barnes & Henshaw P.C. have merged their practices, effective immediately.