The Greatest
Today is the funeral of Muhammad Ali. The sad news of his death from Parkinson’s disease last Friday touched nearly everyone.
The three-time World Heavyweight Champion was the self-proclaimed Greatest of All Time. But maybe that boast just made him prophetic, because in a lot of ways, he turned out to be right. He was a great professional athlete, as well as a great Olympian (Rome 1960). He was a great activist, sacrificing his career and potentially his liberty, rather than fight in the Vietnam War, which he denounced. He was a great performer in the ring and a great humorist (just ask Billy Crystal). As he aged and his illness took over his body and mind, he was a great example of how not to give up. By any of these measures, Ali was a great American. But of all the things he was, Ali will probably be best remembered as a great man of principle. And in the world we live in today, that is truly an accomplishment to be proud of. May he rest in peace.
May we all be so lucky as to leave that legacy in our personal lives and our businesses. It’s what I’m aiming for myself, and it’s certainly what I hope for Marcum.
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Last week was a big week for our Firm. While our national SEC Services Practice was busy hosting the 5th annual Marcum MicroCap Conference in New York (a great success), we announced Marcum’s latest merger. As of June 1, Lautze & Lautze CPAs & Financial Advisors became part of Marcum’s California region, giving us an office in San Jose and expanding our existing office in San Francisco.
Annie Bianchini, who was Lautze’s managing director, and her team have deep roots in Northern California. The firm has a 70-year history of providing audit, tax and consulting services to individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations, with strength in real estate, professional services and manufacturing, and exceptional expertise in private schools and foundations.
As with all Marcum mergers, this one is a synergistic fit with clear benefits for the clients and staff of both firms. For Marcum, it expands our presence and our service offering in Northern California as well as giving us our first office in Silicon Valley. For Lautze, it accesses Marcum’s national resources, including our High Technology and Cybersecurity Practice groups.
This merger follows pretty closely on the heels of our other recent mergers in Chicago, Nashville and Philadelphia, which all took place during the fourth quarter of 2015. It is very exciting to see Marcum’s growth strategy take us into new geographic markets and deepen our service capabilities. It is part of our ongoing commitment to remain at the leading edge of the accounting industry to help our clients succeed in achieving their business and personal goals. We are honored to be your trusted advisors.
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In just a couple of weeks, it will officially be summer, and that can only mean one thing. The Marcum Workplace Challenge!
This will be our 11th annual event, which is a charity walk-run at Jones Beach on Long Island that benefits the Long Island Children’s Museum; Long Island Cares: the Harry Chapin Food Bank; the Children’s Medical Fund of New York; and the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. I’m proud to report that the MWC has raised more than $600,000 for these wonderful organizations since Marcum first got involved in 2006.
More than 200 corporate teams and 12,000+ people in total attend every year. In fact, the Marcum Workplace Challenge is now the single largest running event in the region, eclipsing even the Long Island Marathon. If your company or organization is on Long Island, we’d love to see you there. Consider fielding a team and pitching a tent to join us this year. It’s the greatest party on Long Island – ask anyone who’s been there.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
