Spokane Accounting Firm Merges with Eide Bailly

Spokane accounting firm McDirmid, Mikkelsen & Secrest PS will merge with North Dakota-based Eide Bailly, the company announced Thursday.

The local firm will change its name to Eide Bailly in June, when the deal becomes effective.

Company officials say the deal will not mean reductions to the staff of just over 50 employees in Spokane.

If anything, the merger with much larger Eide Bailly should lead to additional hiring here as the firm expands services for customers, said principal Andrew McDirmid.

“Our structure isn't changing … We will still be making decisions locally and as such our (partners) at Eide Bailly will rely on us for advice” about this region's customers, McDirmid said.

The Spokane accounting firm has traditionally specialized in financial services for privately held companies and medical groups. That focus will not change, other than having a fuller range of accounting and auditing options, McDirmid said.

It's considered Spokane's second-largest CPA firm based on total employees. The largest CPA firm in Spokane is Moss Adams, with around 75 employees. Moss Adams, based in Seattle, has national offices and moved into Spokane when it acquired local firm McFarland & Alton in 1999.

Eide Bailly, headquartered in Fargo, N.D., is ranked the 23rd-largest U.S. accounting firm. That size made it an appealing partner when considering whether to join forces with Eide Bailly, McDirmid said. The company has 22 offices in 10 states.

“Moving into the state of Washington continues our strategy to expand west of the Mississippi River and into the Intermountain Region to fully serve mid-market clients,” Eide Bailly Managing Partner/CEO Dave Stende said in a news release.

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