J.H. Cohn LLP has expanded its presence in New England by merging in Kostin, Ruffkess & Company LLC, a firm with three offices in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
Kostin Ruffkess is headquartered in Farmington, Conn., and also has offices in New London, Conn., and Springfield, Mass.
J.H. Cohn already has an office in Glastonbury, Conn., and a new one that it opened last month in Stamford, Conn., to support its hedge fund, private equity and other clients in the region, but this will be the firm’s first office in Massachusetts.
“This combination will enable us to more efficiently and effectively serve the New England market by providing deeper resources and broader areas of expertise than to which either of us previously had access,” said J.H. Cohn CEO Thomas J. Marino in a statement. “It is truly a win-win situation for our clients, our staff and our partners.”
Kostin Ruffkess dates back to 1949. The firm specializes in accounting and tax services, along with forensic accounting, business valuation, and business consulting. It will now operate under J.H. Cohn’s name.
"We've known them for a very long time, but we started getting serious about the talks around February," said J.H. Cohn partner and chief operating officer Dom Essposito. "We're very bullish on Connecticut and New England."
The combined firm will specialize in areas such as construction, manufacturing, distribution, real estate, municipal, and not-for-profit organizations. Both firms also have strong employee benefits practices.
J.H. Cohn ranked 17th on Accounting Today’s 2011 list of the Top 100 Firms, with $230 million in annual revenues. Moving forward the firm will have approximately $260 million in annual revenue, according to Esposito.
The combined firm now has 224 employees in the Hartford region, and approximately 1,200 overall. A spokesperson for the firm said Monday that the merger took effect immediately.
