Krater Takes the Reins at Plante & Moran

Gordon Krater became the new managing partner of Plante & Moran, only the sixth managing partner since the firm was founded in 1924.

Krater is succeeding Bill Hermann, who has served as managing partner since July 2001. Hermann will continue at the firm as leader of the practice group that focuses on service industry clients such as professional service firms, business service companies, technology companies, retail stores and dealerships.

"We are a people-oriented organization," Krater told WebCPA. "It’s going to be a natural transition from Bill Hermann to me. We want to keep great client service and preserve our terrific culture that we have. We’re one of the great places in the world to work. We have a sterling reputation, and I think we bring the best of both worlds: a deep expertise at services with a caring personal touch or service approach."

One of Krater's objectives is growth, especially internationally. The firm has offices in Shanghai, China, and Monterrey, Mexico, and it does some work in India. Krater also said he wants to market the firm better and continue the firm's diversity efforts.

Krater joined Plante & Moran in 1980 after graduating from the University of Michigan. In those 29 years, he has served in a variety of positions, most recently as group managing partner in charge of industry specializations.

He played an instrumental role in the firm’s merger last week with Jackson Rolfes (see Plante & Moran Merges in Jackson Rolfes). With the merger, Plante & Moran has about $291 million in revenue. The firm ranked 12th on Accounting Today’s 2009 list of the Top 100 Firms. Krater said he expects to do more mergers in the next year or two.