M&A roundup: Marcum merges in CPA Consulting Group; Whitley Penn adds Speer

Details: Marcum LLP, a Top 100 Firm based in New York, added CPA Consulting Group LLC, a firm based in Nashville, effective Nov. 1, 2019.

The deal will bring two partners and 15 associates to Marcum’s Nashville office, and CPACG president Cathy Werthan will become managing partner of Marcum’s Nashville office.


Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Marcum ranked 15th on Accounting Today’s 2019 list of the Top 100 Firms, with annual revenues of $549.75 million for the year ending Dec. 31, 2018. The deal adds two more partners to Marcum’s 265 partners. The firm has over 2,000 employees on staff.

“CPACG has a long history of service to clients throughout the Greater Nashville area,” said Marcum’s chairman and CEO Jeffrey Weiner in a statement. “Cathy Werthan and Bryan Jones have built an exceptional team with deep roots locally and regionally. They will be great stewards of our combined growth and expanded service portfolio to our Nashville clients.”

CPACG offers an array of accounting, tax, valuation, financial planning, technical, consulting and business services to individuals and business clients in various industries, including real estate, law, architecture, engineering, construction, creative services, medicine and dentistry.

“We have long been aware of Marcum’s strength in the middle-market and see tremendous synergies between our firms, particularly given Marcum’s focus on construction in Nashville, which is a great complement to our design-build client portfolio,” Werthan stated. “My partner and I, as well as our staff, are excited to be part of the Marcum organization and are eager to get started on our work together.”

In August, Marcum expanded in South Florida by merging in OGH Certified Public Accountants & Advisors, a firm based in Miami. In July, it added Abrix Group, based in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Illinois. In March, Marcum merged in Guyder Hurley, a firm headquartered in Braintree, Massachusetts, that specializes in servicing clients in the affordable housing industry. In January, Marcum added Dawson, Smith, Purvis & Bassett, a firm based in Portland, Maine.

Details: Whitley Penn, a Top 50 Firm based in Fort Worth, has merged in Speer & Associates Ltd., a firm based in Dallas, effective Nov. 1, 2019.

Speer specializes in tax planning and consulting, focusing on clients in the real estate industry.

“We are very excited about joining Whitley Penn,” said managing partner M.L. Speer in a statement. “This is a great opportunity to offer our clients additional services and industry experience locally, nationally and internationally,”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Whitley Penn ranked 44th on Accounting Today’s 2019 list of the Top 100 Firms, with $113.4 million in annual revenue.

“M.L. and his team bring added tax and consulting experience to our firm,” stated Whitley Penn managing partner Larry Autrey. “They share the same value of relationships being the foundation and we look forward to this next chapter together.”

Last year, Whitley Penn added Dossani, Turnage & Van Hoose, P.C. and its affiliate, Impact Financial Solutions, LLC, expanding its presence in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.