Carmel, Ind. (October 12, 2009) – INSIDE Public Accounting’s Best of the Best Firm’s recognition honors 25 firms annually for their wise management and superior operational performance in fiscal and management metrics based on over 50 criteria. Another 25 firms are recognized with designations as Best of the Best Honorable Mentions. IPA applies its proprietary scoring system to rank all participating firms, eliminating any geographic advantages of major metropolitan areas versus smaller cities.
The Best of the Best Firms in the Great Lakes:
Blackman Kallick / Chicago
Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co. / Middletown, Ohio
Corbett, Duncan & Hubly / Itasca, Ill.
Katz, Sapper & Miller / Indianapolis
SS&G Financial Services, Inc. / Cleveland
This is the 16th year INSIDE Public Accounting (IPA) has named the best-managed accounting firms. 245 firms participated in this year’s IPA Annual Survey and Analysis of Firms. Each of the firms is eligible for the IPA Best of Best and Best of the Best Honorable Mention designation, regardless of size.
“Best of the Best firms represent the top 25 accounting firms in the nation who each demonstrate the right combination of vision, planning and execution to deliver superior performance,” says Michael Platt, principal of the Platt Group and publisher of INSIDE Public Accounting. “Firms who earn this designation are tops in their field, and represent the best of what the accounting profession has to offer,” Platt says.
The 2009 Best of the Best and Best of the Best Honorable Mention firms range in size from $3 million to $168 million; represent all regions of the country; some firms are heavily focused on audits, some on tax, and several derive up to 40% of their revenues from non-traditional services.
Eleven of the 50 firms are from the West, 11 firms are from the Plains and Southwest; six are located in the Great Lakes region, 16 firms make up the Atlantic and Southeast region and six firms are located in the Northeast.
“The success of these firms is a tribute to the leadership of all of the firms recognized this year as a Best of the Best and Best of the Best Honorable Mention. Their stellar performance defies economic trends by recognizing the long-term goals that are needed in order to sustain growth through both prosperous times and down times.” says Kelly Platt, principal of the Platt Group and publisher of INSIDE Public Accounting. “We salute all of these firms and recognize their overall management strategies as models that the profession can be quite proud of,” Platt says.
Revenue growth of this group in the most recent fiscal year averaged 13%, compared to their peers at 7%. Income growth averaged 10.4%, significantly higher than the average of all firms at 4.3%. These firms carefully weave together benefit packages, staff salaries, expense management, staff leverage, training, strategic planning, investments in their future, and the right feedback systems to accelerate growth and success of their firms.
The 2009 25-Best of the Best Firms are listed in alphabetical order below:
Argy, Wiltse & Robinson, McLean, Va.; Armanino McKenna, San Ramon, Calif.; Aronson & Company, Rockville, Md.; Burr Pilger Mayer, San Francisco; Clark Nuber, Bellevue, Wash.; Corbett, Duncan & Hubly, Itasca, Ill.; Detweiler, Hershey & Assoc., Souderton, Pa.; Frazier & Deeter, Atlanta; Frost, PLLC, Little Rock, Ark.; Gollob, Morgan, Peddy & Co., Tyler, Texas; Grassi & Co., Lake Success, N.Y.; Hein & Associates, Denver; Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt, Santa Monica, Calif.; Johnson Lambert & Co., Falls Church, Va.; Lane Gorman Trubitt, Dallas; Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, Miami; Novogradac & Company, San Francisco; Padgett, Stratemann & Co., San Antonio; Rothstein Kass, Roseland, N.J.; SC&H Group, Sparks, Md.; Seiler LLP, Redwood City, Calif.; T R Moore & Company, Houston; Thompson Dunavant, Memphis; Whitley Penn, Fort Worth, Texas, and Yount, Hyde & Barbour, Winchester, Va.
Regional Best of The Best CPA Firms Revealed
INSIDE Public Accounting is also honored to announce the 2009 Five Best-Managed Accounting Firms by Region – a distinction that truly separates these firms from their competitors in their geographic marketplace.
The Best of the Best Firms in the Northeast:
Amper, Politziner & Mattia / Edison, N.J.
Detweiler, Hershey & Assoc. / Souderton, Pa.
Feeley & Driscoll / Boston
Grassi & Co. / Lake Success, N.Y.
Rothstein Kass / Roseland, N.J.
The Best of the Best Firms in the Atlantic/Southeast:
Argy, Wiltse & Robinson / McLean, Va.
Aronson & Company / Rockville, Md.
SC&H Group / Sparks, Md.
Thompson Dunavant / Memphis
Yount, Hyde & Barbour / Winchester, Va.
The Best of the Best Firms in the Great Lakes:
Blackman Kallick / Chicago
Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co. / Middletown, Ohio
Corbett, Duncan & Hubly / Itasca, Ill.
Katz, Sapper & Miller / Indianapolis
SS&G Financial Services, Inc. / Cleveland
The Best of the Best Firms in the Great Plains:
Frost, PLLC / Little Rock, Ark.
Gollob, Morgan, Peddy & Co. / Tyler, Texas
Lane Gorman Trubitt / Dallas
T R Moore & Company / Houston
Whitley Penn / Fort Worth, Texas
The Best of the Best Firms in the West:
Armanino McKenna / San Ramon, Calif.
Clark Nuber / Bellevue, Wash.
Hein & Associates / Denver
Holthouse Carlin and Van Trigt / Santa Monica, Calif.
Novogradac & Company / San Francisco
For a more detailed look at the IPA Best of the Best, the Honorable Mentions and the Best of the Best by Region, including charts, graphs, and more analysis, please visit: www.insidepublicaccounting.com/bob2009.pdf
IPA also ranks the Top 100 Accounting Firms in the nation. To view the complete list of the 2009 IPA Top 100 firms, go to: www.insidepublicaccounting.com/PDF/top100_2009.pdf
For more information on the INSIDE Public Accounting’s Annual National CPA Firm Benchmarking Report, go to:
About INSIDE Public Accounting: IPA was founded in 1987, and is published by The Platt Group. Michael Platt and Kelly Platt are the principals of The Platt Group, located in Carmel, Indiana. INSIDE Public Accounting is a monthly newsletter which reports and analyzes the news, trends, strategies and politics that affect the nation’s public accounting firms, providing them with the information and resources they need to compete and operate more profitably.
