People: Anne Bahr Thompson, Doug Bania, and Brian Buss have been named managing directors at Brand Finance. Thompson will be based in New York City; Bania and Buss will work out of the San Diego office … Raleigh, N.C.-based financial analysis software provider Sageworks announced the promotion of Jay Blandford to president … Aaron Bobb, supervisor in Mueller Prost’s St. Louis office, has earned the ABV designation … Russell Bedford International announced the appointment of Stephen Hamlet as CEO … Gabe Shurek was promoted to partner at Woodbury, N.Y.-based GettryMarcus … Joel Stadler was appointed manager at Appleton, Wis.-based Schenk SC.

Firms: BlumShapiro of West Hartford, Conn., was selected as the “Best Accounting or CPA Firm” in the 2017 Hartford Magazine readers’ poll for the second consecutive year … LBMC of Nashville, Tenn., has acquired the Intacct practice of Atlanta-based Pivotal Bridge, folding it into the LBMC Technology Solutions group … New York City-based Marcum has merged in Meyers, Harrison & Pia and Meyers, Harrison & Pia Valuation and Litigation Support, adding 55 partners and staff in Portland, Maine, and New Haven, Conn. This acquisition will be covered in detail in a future issue of BVWire … For the third year in a row, Skoda Minotti’s Tampa Bay, Fla., office was named one of the “Best Places To Work” by the Tampa Bay Business Journal … East Brunswick, N.J.-based Wilkin & Guttenplan is merging in Martinsville, N.J.-based Gail Rosen, CPA, effective June 1 … Withum has united with PWM Advisory Group to form investment advisor Withum Wealth Management, with offices in New York City and Red Bank, N.J. Withum Wealth will service Withum clients exclusively.

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