ALABAMA
Warren Averett doubles up
Details: Top 100 Firm Warren Averett LLC has merged with Atlanta-based Gifford, Hillegass & Ingwersen and Pender Newkirk & Co. of Tampa, Fla.
With the new additions, the Birmingham firm now has more than 725 employees and a stronger footprint throughout the Southeast. The firm has 14 offices spread throughout Alabama, Florida and Georgia.
ARIZONA
Arizona firms combine
Details: Taylor, Duffy & Associates PC and BeachFleischman PC, of Phoenix, have merged.
The merger comes nearly a year after BeachFleischman established an office in Phoenix in February 2012.
Taylor Duff will take on the BeachFleischman name. Its employees, which include four principals and seven staff members, will join the firm's Phoenix practice. Taylor Duffy's founder and principal, Phillip Taylor, will become the managing shareholder of the firm's Phoenix office.
BeachFleischman's employee count will increase to 18 and its firmwide employee count to 130 client service and administrative professionals, including 24 shareholders and 57 CPAs.
CALIFORNIA
SingerLewak expands in Frisco
Details: Top 100 Firm SingerLewak LLP has merged with the San Francisco office of Acquavell, Chiarelli, Shuster, Berkower & Co. LLP.
Acquavell partner Daniel Won and six employees will join SingerLewak. The Acquavell team will blend its expertise of providing services to hedge funds, private equity, venture capital funds and investment advisors to SingerLewak.
CONNECTICUT
ParenteBeard adds health care consulting firm
Details: T100 Firm ParenteBeard LLC recently added the health care management consulting firm Presscott Associates Ltd. to its practice.
Presscott Associates will retain its name and operate as a division of ParenteBeard. The new addition allows ParenteBeard to expand throughout Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Established in 1989, Presscott Associates comes with two partners and nine team members. Headquartered in Connecticut, the health care management consulting firm provides specialized services to hospitals, physicians, integrated delivery systems, national and regional health plans, and life sciences and technology companies.
Connecticut firms merge
Details: Guilmartin, DiPiro & Sokolowski LLC and Hamden-based Lipman & Co. PC have merged.
Lipman's principals, Michael Lipman and Cathy Forsberg, are now part of GDS's staff. Lipman is experienced in general accounting with expertise in tax preparation for small businesses and business owners. Forsberg specializes in nonprofit auditing as well as general business accounting and business tax return preparation.
GEORGIA
CRI expands its Atlanta practice
Details: Top 100 Firm Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC has added the Atlanta-based firm Peterson, Coleman & Marett.
The Peterson, Coleman & Marett team will take on the CRI name and move into its Atlanta office. As part of the deal, Linda Marett and Jason Coleman have joined CRI as partners.
ILLINOIS
SS&G continues to expand in Chicago
Details: Top 100 Firm SS&G has merged with Chicago-based Silver, Lerner, Schwartz & Fertel. The new addition comes with 45 professionals, which doubles SS&G's numbers in the Chicago market.
SLSF's managing partner, Michael Perlman, will serve as managing director of SS&G's newest office in Skokie, Ill., and will lead its Chicagoland operations.
MARYLAND
Gross Mendelsohn merges with Cox Ferber
Details: Gross, Mendelsohn & Associates PA has merged with Cox Ferber & Associates LLC of Cockeysville, Md.
Cox Ferber's founding partner, George Cox, and six staff members will join the Gross Mendelsohn team and will relocate to the Baltimore City office.
NEW YORK
Sobel & Co. adds economics firm
Details: New York-based Tinari Economics Group has agreed to join the New York and New Jersey regional CPA firm Sobel & Co. as a wholly owned subsidiary.
TEG drafts economic loss appraisals for individual attorneys, law firms, government agencies and private entities. The firm's writers, who are Ph.D. economic experts and analysts, provide economic consulting and forensic economic services in litigated matters, focusing on personal injury and wrongful death, employment litigation, lost profits/business damages, and intellectual property. TEG also conducts a number of industry studies and economic research projects in areas including public policy and business analysis.
PENNSYLVANIA
Preston Romano and Fesnak & Associates merge
Details: Preston, Romano & Shea LLP has merged into Fesnak & Associates LLP.
"This acquisition strengthens our dedicated life sciences group and will enable us to continue to lead the sector," Fesnak's managing partner Robert Fesnak said in statement. "Preston, Romano & Shea has a reputation as a quality firm. Like us, they are passionate about providing high-quality services, and they share our core values of integrity, teamwork, and hands-on involvement."
Gene Preston, founder of Preston, Romano & Shea, and Mike Romano, who recently joined the firm, will move over to Fesnak as partners. Romano will serve as partner-in-charge of Fesnak's Life Sciences Group.
Bee, Bergvall & Co. expands
Details: Burton & Browse has agreed to merge with Bee, Bergvall & Co.
Burton & Browse, founded in 1959 and managed by Ken Cronlund, Craig Burton and Tom Newman, provides accounting, tax and financial planning services from its offices in Doylestown and Newtown, Pa., and Lambertville, N.J.
Bee, Bergvall & Co. will now have 22 professionals on its staff and a six-person administrative team.
RHODE ISLAND
BlumShapiro merges with Sullivan & Co.
Detials: Top 100 Firm BlumShapiro has merged with Providence, R.I.-based Sullivan & Co.
Sullivan provides a full range of audit, accounting, tax and business advisory services to privately owned businesses, nonprofit organizations and individuals throughout the Rhode Island market.
The firm will take on the BlumShapiro name and intends to build a culture of personalized service coupled with specialized expertise.
BlumShapiro provides services to middle-market companies, nonprofit organizations and government entities focused in the manufacturing, distribution, retail, construction, education, automotive and health care industries. The addition of Sullivan will give BlumShapiro offices in West Hartford and Shelton, Conn., Boston and Rockland, Mass., and Providence, R.I.
TEXAS
Texas and California firms merge
Details: PMB Helin Donovan LLP of Austin has merged with San Francisco-based BBR LLP.
The two will operate under the PMB Helin Donovan name.
The merger increases PMB Helin Donovan's revenues by 30 percent, to more than $21 million annually.
BBR's 40 employees and partners will join PMB Helin Donovan, bringing the firm's total headcount up to approximately 165 employees.
Briggs & Veselka acquires White Garrison
Details: Briggs & Veselka Co. has initiated its strategic growth plan with the acquisition of Houston-based White Garrison & Hill PC.
White Garrison's employees and shareholders, James White and Brenda White, will join Briggs & Veselka and have already relocated to the Houston office.
Briggs & Veselka now has more than 150 employees and 18 shareholders, offering tax, audit and a wide range of business advisory services, from fraud examination and business valuations to M&A support and international tax services.
WASHINGTON
Peterson Sullivan acquires Davenny & Associates
Details: Peterson Sullivan LLP has expanded its Seattle practice with the addition of Davenny & Associates PS.
The addition of Davenny & Associates will boost Peterson Sullivan's staff to more than 100 in its downtown Seattle office.
Peterson Sullivan intends to pursue more acquisitions throughout the Puget Sound market.
