Keeping It Customized
Marcum took another big step forward this week by acquiring Croskey Lanni, based in Detroit, which we announced on Monday. The transaction will give us a presence in Michigan and expand our footprint in Florida via Croskey Lanni’s Boca Raton office. With the acquisition, we welcome six partners and 50 associates to our team. Barclay Planning Group, owned by Croskey Lanni, offers pension administration services and will also join Marcum.
In the age of AI, we strongly believe in delivering customized, human-centric service, and one reason this transaction was so appealing was that Croskey Lanni shared our commitment. The team has made a name for itself by specializing in sectors such as construction/real estate, material handling, professional services, trusts/estates, and nonprofit organizations. They have also served many charter schools since that industry took shape in the 90s, becoming a leader in that field.
Many organizations are cutting back on service, as you know if you’ve been forced to “dial 1” at one of the providers you use, only to get put on hold before you get a text from a chatbot. At Marcum, we’re taking a different route, even as we embrace new technologies. We’re continuing to add to our team of real human beings with the specialized knowledge and skills to serve our clients in new and highly customized ways. With each of the acquisitions, we’ve added to the deep experience of our talent bench so we can address the complex issues emerging for many of our clients as they grow their businesses in very personalized ways.
Ultimately, accounting is a business built on trust. Our clients can trust that they will always work with professionals who live and breathe their practice area, whether that’s tax incentives, food & beverage, estate planning, or something even more specialized. That allows us to deliver better solutions. Only someone fully immersed in a niche will know about the latest, cutting-edge solutions—or have the “clinical” knowledge to observe what others might miss and develop creative and intuitive strategies.
Just as many investors benefit tremendously from working with a wealth manager or financial planner who can see the big picture of their lives, many of our clients want more than the cookie-cutter, business-in-a-box approach. They know that the best solutions in any field are customized to the needs of the recipient. As we continue our growth and acquisitions strategy, we’ll be looking to partner with other firms embracing this way of doing business.
On another note, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. I’m looking forward to celebrating with Tracy, both of our mother’s (91 & 82) and our children. Many members of our team at Marcum—and our clients and partners—are mothers who serve our clients at work and raise children at home. Though we have historically been industry leaders with our work-life benefits and flexibility, I don’t kid myself: Working in a demanding field like accounting while raising a family requires tremendous commitment, dedication, and passion. To all of the mothers on our team, I’d like to express my sincere appreciation for all you do and hope that you have a chance to kick back and relax this Sunday.
