People: At Rea & Associates, Mary Beth Koester, CVA, has been promoted to income principal and Chris Brinich has joined the firm as a senior business valuation analyst; both are in the firm’s Dublin, Ohio, office … Anthony Phillips, practice lead of the Tampa Bay Forensic & Financial Services Department of CBIZ MHM LLC, has been accepted into the Forensic & Business Valuation Division of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation … Leone, McDonnell & Roberts (Dover, N.H.) announced that one of its interns, Brooke Wells, along with her teammates from Plymouth State University, placed in the top eight nationally in the 2018 Sixth Annual Business Valuation Challenge sponsored by Georgia State University.

Firms: Hutchinson and Bloodgood LLP (San Diego) has acquired the practice of David Wood, CPA … Kernutt Stokes LLP, a Eugene, Ore.-based accounting and business consulting firm, has expanded its business in the state with the acquisition of Spectrum CPA Group LLP; the combined firm now totals 89 employees in four Oregon locations … La Crosse, Wis.-based Hawkins Ash CPAs expands its presence into southeastern Wisconsin by joining forces with the Mequon office of Anderson, Tackman & Co. PLC; the firm now has 18 partners and over 130 professionals … Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Pisenti & Brinker LLP will combine with Zainer Rinehart Clarke, also in Sonoma County, under the Pisenti & Brinker name, effective Jan. 1, 2019 … Naperville, Ill.-based Sikich has acquired Knutte & Associates, a Darien, Ill.-based audit, accounting, and tax firm, effective Jan. 1, 2019 … Birmingham, Ala.-based Barfield Murphy Shank & Smith will merge with Hall Albright Garrison & Barnes of Huntsville, Ala., on Jan. 1, 2019; the combined entity (BMSS LLC) will have 29 partners, 94 CPAs, and approximately 225 employees … Yancey & Bowman LLC, a firm based in Harrisonburg, Va., has joined Brown, Edwards & Co. LLP, based in Roanoke, Va., effective December 1; the deal adds two partners and five associates to Brown Edwards’ existing office in Harrisonburg … Appleton, Wis.-based Schenck SC will join with CliftonLarsonAllen effective Jan. 1, 2019; in the meantime, Schenck will sell its stake in Taureau Group LLC, a provider of merger and acquisition services to privately held, middle-market companies … Salmon Barton & Associates of Atlanta has been merged into two firms: Lew Salmon and his staff are joining Dublin, Ga.-based TJS Deemer Dana LLP, and Rela Barton and her staff are joining Vann Whipple Milligan PC of Atlanta … Keiter (Glen Allen, Va.) will form an affiliate, Keiter Advisors, that will focus on mergers and acquisitions for lower middle-market companies with revenues between $20 million and $200 million … Chicago-based Crowe will acquire Asset Optimization Group (AOG) from Hylant Group; AOG is a healthcare technology and consulting firm … Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP is refreshing its brand identity and will be known as Baker Tilly with the slogan “Now, for tomorrow.”

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