People: NACVA announced that the recipients of this year’s Thomas R. Porter Lifetime Achievement Award are Richard D. Thorsen and (posthumously) Robert James Cimasi, who was with Health Capital Consultants … Sareena Malik Sawhney has joined New York City-based Grassi & Co. as a principal in Grassi’s fraud, forensic and litigation support group based in its Manhattan offices … Ely Friedman has been named vice president of the mergers & acquisitions (M&A) advisory services group at Fort Wright, Ky.-based VonLehman & Co. Inc. … Chicago-based RSM US LLP announced that Chris Banse has been named as the firm’s national franchise leader … Jeremy Falendysz has joined Chicago-based UHY Advisors as a director in the firm’s Detroit office.

Firms: Southfield, Mich.-based Plante Moran will combine with Denver-based EKS&H effective October 1; the combined firm will be the 11th largest accounting, tax, consulting, and wealth management firm in the country, the firm says … BKD Wealth Advisors, a subsidiary of Springfield, Mo.-based BKD, is expanding Wealth Advisors into Colorado, opening a Denver office … Duff & Phelps won the “Advisory and Consultancy: Tax” award at The Drawdown’s inaugural Private Equity European Services Awards 2018.

Please send your professional and firm news to us at editor@bvresources.com.