Marcum in Overdrive
2019 was one of our most action-packed and productive years ever at Marcum, and I’m looking forward to catching my breath and spending some family time over the next couple of weeks. And I’m hoping every Marcum team member gets to do the same thing. I can’t recall a single week where the activity slowed, even during the summer months.
What kept me on the move much of the year was merging in seven firms to greatly expand our service capability: Silverman Kendall in Philadelphia and Dawson, Smith, Purvis & Bassett in Portland, Maine, in January; Guyder Hurley in Braintree, Mass., in March; The Abrix Group in Northbrook, Ill., in July; OGH CPAS & Advisors in Miami in August; CPA Consulting Group in Nashville in November; and Skoda Minotti in Cleveland earlier this month. Each of these firms joining Marcum expanded our bench of talent, service offerings and geographic reach, in order to better serve our clients’ evolving needs.
All told, we added about 325 new members to our team through these transactions. We were also delighted to admit a number of new partners through very well-deserved promotions as well as strategic recruiting over the course of the year. Some of them stepped into leadership roles in Marcum’s specialty practice areas, and they will all play an essential role in shaping Marcum’s future.
As the year rolled along, our team won recognition on many fronts – a fact in which I take tremendous pride, since I know how hard our associates and partners work, day in and day out. Marcum led the accounting industry in several key benchmarks for audit services to publicly registered companies throughout the first three quarters of 2019, after a similarly successful 2018 (I expect this gratifying trend to continue when the fourth quarter results are in). Our firm was also honored with multiple “Best of” rankings for Valuation, Forensics and Litigation Support services from the legal community in several regions of the country. Accounting Today named Marcum a Best Firm for Technology, in its inaugural review of technology innovators. Our construction practice was named Associate Supplier of the Year by the Illinois Chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors (just one branch of an important trade organization in which Marcum plays an active role nationally), while our Nonprofit & Social Sector Group was named to the inaugural list of Real Leaders 100 Top Impact Companies, a distinction that honors companies committed to putting purpose ahead of profit to help to build a better world. And we were chosen as a Top 20 Long Island Workplace for the second consecutive year in Newsday’s annual employee poll.
These are just some of the highlights from 2019, which turned out to be a banner year for Marcum. We could not have done it all without the loyal and dedicated associates and partners of our Firm. Thanks to their passion for serving our clients and commitment to excellence, Marcum has continued to grow, thrive, make headlines and attract the best talent in the markets we serve.
I also would like to express my gratitude to the very important people who support our team year-round – the spouses, significant others, children, parents and friends who root them on through each busy season. Accounting is a demanding field, and sometimes it truly takes a village to get everything done.
Of course, there would be no Marcum without our incredible clients. I count myself very lucky that I have had an opportunity to meet and serve so many talented business professionals and entrepreneurs over the years. Some of our clients are part of families that started working with us a generation or more ago; others are new to our organization. We appreciate every one of you and look forward to continuing to serve you in 2020 and beyond. And we thank those of you who continue to refer business our way – the ultimate compliment and one we sincerely appreciate.
The Weiner family will be staying in New York City this year to celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas and then something new for us – we’re off to Hawaii through New Year’s, with a stop in LA on the way back home. As regular readers know, I love the warm weather and the beach, and I’m looking forward to a reboot in the sun before our next busy season starts in January.
I wish you all a very joyous holiday season, surrounded by those you love, doing whatever makes you happiest… And a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2020 to all!
This column will be on holiday break until January 10 – see you next year!
