People: Taylor Cothran and Eli Neal of Cogence Group PC (Portland, Ore.) recently acquired their ABV credentials; both are CPAs working in business valuation and forensic accounting … Michelle F. Gallagher of Gallagher Valuation & Forensics (Lansing, Mich.) is the recipient of the AICPA Business Valuation Volunteer of the Year award, which was presented at the AICPA FVS Conference in Las Vegas … William Scally, formerly with PwC, has joined Marcum as partner-in-charge of litigation services in the firm’s Boston office; his focus is on equity and debt valuation, business enterprise valuation, business model due diligence, and contract compliance … Ely Friedman has joined Warren Averett as a strategic adviser in the private equity and corporate advisory area in its Birmingham, Ala., office … At the FASB, James L. Kroeker has been reappointed as vice chairman; new to the board is Gary R. Buesser, former portfolio manager and financial analyst at Lazard Asset Management; both terms start July 1, 2018 … Lucas VanDeWoestyne has been named partner at Apex CPAs & Consultants (St. Charles, Ill.); he’s director and COO … Richard Lee is now with New York City-based AlixPartners as a managing director in the firm’s Financial Advisory Services practice in Dallas; he’s from Houlihan Lokey and also worked at the Big Four accounting firms Ernst & Young, Arthur Andersen, and Deloitte.

Firms: Cherry Bekaert expands its presence in the Greater Washington, D.C., metro area with the acquisition of Berlin Ramos & Co. PA … On December 1, Ericksen Krentel will be honored at an awards event for firms making the New Orleans CityBusiness 15th annual “Best Places to Work” list … Three Dallas firms combine into one: La Verdure & Associates PC; Henvey CPA LLC; and Atlas Tax Advisors have teamed up to create L&H CPAs and Advisors … Michigan firms Lewis & Knopf, CPAs, PC and Fausey & Associates, CPA, PC have merged … Desnudas running amok in Times Square may be one reason why Ernst & Young is vacating its offices there and heading to Manhattan West on Ninth Avenue (at West 33rd Street) … Nathan Wechsler & Co. PA celebrates 60 years of providing audit, accounting, tax, and advisory services to the New Hampshire community … New York-based Marks Paneth LLP has acquired Dylewsky, Goldberg & Brenner, a firm based in Stamford, Conn.; the deal adds two partners, Scott M. Brenner and Dannell R. Lyne, one director, Lawrence S. Goldberg, and eight professionals to Marks Paneth … Carr, Riggs & Ingram (CRI) expands west with its acquisition of RPC CPAs + Consultants LLP, New Mexico’s largest CPA firm; the deal adds eight locations in New Mexico and Texas to CRI, along with 12 partners and approximately 50 staff members; CRI has about 190 partners and 1,300 staffers.

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