New York Accounting Firms Announce Merger

Two prominent New York CPA firms will be merging effective November 1. The Bonadio Group and Gaines Kriner Elliott LLP (GKE) announced the new arrangement, and will operate under the Bonadio name.

The merger will add 88 employees—including eight partners and workers at two subsidiary companies—to The Bonadio Group in Western New York, for a total of 130 Bonadio employees in the region, which includes offices in Amherst, Batavia, and East Aurora. Bonadio’s current local office is in Williamsville.

“This merger is great news for everyone involved because our combined firm will be able to provide more services for clients and offer greater growth opportunities for our people,” said Tom Bonadio, CEO and managing partner of The Bonadio Group. “We’ve found kindred spirits in our new GKE partners, and we know that we can learn a great deal from each other for the benefit of our clients everywhere. It’s going to be a great fit, and we can’t wait to get started together.”

Philip Mann will serve as office managing partner of The Bonadio Group’s new combined Buffalo presence.

“My GKE partners and I are very much looking forward to our firm’s next phase with The Bonadio Group,” said Rocco Surace, managing partner of Gaines Kriner Elliott. “In our discussions with Tom Bonadio and his team over the past few months, we were delighted to find that our two firms share the values and business philosophies that breed success. Our firms’ capabilities complement each other nicely, and we know that our combined strengths and expertise will lead to great opportunities for clients and employees on both sides.”

Subsidiaries will join Bonadio

Two GKE subsidiaries will join The Bonadio Group in the merger. They are:

GEMKO Information Group—a reseller of computer servers and other information-technology equipment
Athena— a provider of sales lead generation services for companies such as manufacturing firms