People: Justin Pate has joined Tampa, Fla.-based Vision Point Capital full-time as a financial analyst; he is a recent graduate of Tampa University who interned with the firm for the past five months … Ben Grimaldi has been promoted to senior associate in the business valuation department at Akron, Ohio-based Apple Growth Partners … Jolene Fraser, CPA, CFF, CFE, a managing director in the forensic, litigation, and valuation services group at EisnerAmper, San Francisco, was named chair of the California Society of CPAs for the 2020-21 term … Bryan Browning, CFA, ASA, has retired after 35 years with Valuation Research Corp. (VRC); he is staying on in a consulting capacity, continuing to share his experiences, and serve VRC clients … Rupesh Shah and Aaron Terry have joined FTI Consulting as managing directors in its energy, power, and products practice.

Firms: RoseRyan (Newark, Calif.) has entered into a new strategic partnership with AST Private Company Solutions to use Astrella, a new cloud-based software-as-a-service platform that brings together blockchain technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and predictive analytics … San Francisco-based BPM LLP expands in southern California by combining with Warnick Maestas & Maroney (WMM) of Irvine, Calif., on August 1 … Naperville, Ill.-based Sikich LLP is expanding its presence in central Illinois by adding Heinold Banwart of East Peoria, Ill., in a deal expected to close on August 31 … Stout has launched a new intellectual property advisory and transactions practice, a fully integrated team of investment bankers, valuation and dispute experts, attorneys, and technical experts.

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