Experienced partners discuss their completed upstream merger in an interactive session: Loss of control, avoiding termination, cultural compatibility, negotiating partner comp, equity, retirement and buyouts, post-merger integration, etc.

Joseph A. Tarasco, who will moderate the session, co-founded Accountants Advisory Group, LLC, to assist the leaders  of today's public accounting firms in structuring and managing their practices to increase profitability, maximize value, implement succession planning and achieve long-term success. Joe began his career in the accounting industry with a Big 4 firm and his experience includes  15 years as the managing partner of a 125-person CPA firm based in New York City. In his role as managing partner, Joe was responsible for all areas of the practice, including managing the partner group, marketing, human capital, technology, administration and financial operations.

Kevin J. Hansen has over 30 years of public accounting experience and joined Sax LLP when it combined with the Hunter Group out of Fair Lawn, NJ in 2017. There, Kevin was a Co-Managing Partner of the firm and is now Partner-in-Charge of that office. Kevin has extensive experience with real estate, retail, medical services, legal services, and wholesale distribution industries. He is a member of the firm's Real Estate Industry Services Group and focuses on real property management and advisory services for closely-held businesses. Kevin specializes in planning, coordinating and supervising accounting and auditing services for business clients, as well as tax services for corporations, partnerships and individuals.

Frank Pawlowski is a Partner with the firm, and joined Sax LLP after the 2017 acquisition of Hunter Group LLC where he led as Co-Managing Director. Frank is a member of the firm's Construction and Real Estate Practices, but serves a wide-range of industries specializing in accounting, auditing and advisory needs for closely-held and family-owned businesses.

Partners

COO's

CFO's

Managing Partners

The Seller's Perspective on Past Actual Transactions

• The psychological and ego issues of the loss of independence, firm name and control.
• M&A strategical goals and objectives from the seller's perspective.
• How to avoid the risk of a terminated transaction after many months of discussions by planning and structuring the sensitive deal terms, completing a timely comprehensive "Letter of Intent," identifying deal breaker issues, and dissenting partners early in the negotiation stages. 
• Evaluating cultural and environmental compatibility.
• Negotiating the term sheet points including partner compensation, equity, retirement pay and buyout amounts. 
• Evaluating post-merger client and staff integration considerations.
• Professional liability (Tail Insurance) coverage determinations.
• Post-merger planning and considerations for the short and long term.