Professionals on the Move – August 18, 2014

Decosimo Adds Business Development Associate and Senior Manager
Decosimo recently announced the addition of Stratton Tingle as a business development associate in the firm’s manufacturing and distribution services practice and Steve Pashley, CPA as a senior manager with the firm’s national tax services practice. In his new position, Tingle will be responsible for providing industry-specific audit, tax and advisory solutions to manufacturers, distributors, supply chain and logistics entities and investors. Tingle will also represent Decosimo with Manufacture Alabama, Georgia Association of Manufacturing, Ohio Manufacturers Association and Tennessee Association of Manufacturers. He graduated from Southern Adventist University and has worked internationally in Ireland, Egypt, Botswana and Czech Republic.

Pashley has significant experience in the areas of federal tax credits and incentives related to research and development, energy, real estate and the domestic production activities deduction. In his new role he will advise clients in the manufacturing and distribution, not-for-profit, government contracting and technology sectors on excise tax minimization strategies and tangible personal property regulations implementation. Pashley graduated from Augusta State University with a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Business Administration.

BerryDunn Announces Promotions
BerryDunn recently announced 25 promotions as part of the firm’s commitment to fostering career growth and professional development in support of outstanding client service. Court Klein, Sandra Pappajohn, Seth Robertson, Rob Smalley and Dan Vogt have been named Senior Managers. Grant Ballantyne, Tyler Butler, Joe Byrne, Keith Damon, Brad Hanscom, Vienna Morrill and Jodi Reynolds have been named Managers. Jamie Brennan, Nick Crosman, Melissa Gouin, Yoko McCarthy, Lisa McDonough, Jessica Morse, Kevin Penley, Mike St. Pierre, Jaclyn Wall and Neal Warren have been named Seniors. Cody DeCamillis was promoted to Business Analyst, Tyson O’Keefe to Systems Administrator I and Mike Schoenbaum to Systems Administrator II.

WeiserMazars LLP Adds Director and Tax Partner
WeiserMazars LLP recently announced the addition of Louis Liebhaber as a Director in the Health Care Group and Jules S. Reich, CPA as a Partner in the Transaction Advisory Services Group. Liebhaber has more than 35 years of experience in the health care industry, including advising health care organizations on improving business performance and evaluating the quality, safety and performance of hospitals and health systems throughout the world.

Reich has more than 20 years of experience advising corporations and private-equity firms in various industries on mergers and acquisitions, complex structuring and tax efficient funding transactions in domestic, international and emerging markets. Reich received his Master of Law, Taxation from New York University School of Law, his Juris Doctorate from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Brooklyn College.

Grant Thornton Announces New Leaders
Grant Thornton LLP recently named Ilieva Ageenko managing director and leader of its Financial Services Advisory Model Risk Management practice and Terrance “Terry” Bilbo as chief administrative officer. Ageenko has expertise includes enterprise quantitative risk technology, data sourcing and modeling and commercial loss forecasting. She received a doctorate in applied mathematics from Kiev National University, Ukraine, and a master’s degree in mathematical economics from the State University of Management, Russia. She also completed the Building, Leading and Sustaining the Innovative Organization leadership program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In his new role, Bilbo will oversee the firm’s IT, Procurement and Facilities functions. He has more than 25 years of experience leading strategic programs that solve complex organizational and work flow issues and improve operations and profitability. Bilbo received his bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Southern Mississippi and his associate’s degree in environmental science from Pearl River Community College.

REDW Adds Principal
REDW LLC recently hired Mike Chelius CPA, CVA, as a Principal. Chelius has 17 years of public accounting experience working with local companies in New Mexico in the areas of real estate, construction, retail, corporate taxation, partnership taxation, estate and gifts and fiduciary taxation.

The Phoenix Companies, Inc. Names New Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer
The Phoenix Companies, Inc. recently announced that its Board of Directors appointed Ernest McNeill Jr., CPA, CFA, as senior vice president and chief accounting officer. In this role, McNeill will manage a number of Corporate Finance functions including GAAP Accounting, Expense Management, Statutory Accounting, Accounting Operations, Corporate Tax and Investment Accounting. McNeill received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s of business administration in finance from the University of Connecticut.

Manzama Names New Director of Professional Service Organizations
Manzama recently announced that it hired Todd Robinson as Director of Professional Service Organizations as part of its efforts to expand into new markets worldwide. Robinson previously worked for Thomson Reuters as a Sales Executive, serving accounting firms. He also has experience helping law firms focus on business development and competitive intelligence.

CohnReznick LLP Ranked #1 Among 2014 Best Places to Work in San Diego
CohnReznick LLP was ranked #1 in the Mega Employer category of the 2014 Best Places to Work in San Diego. This is the fourth consecutive year that the firm has been recognized, ranking #3 last year. The 2014 Best Places to Work in San Diego list is made up of 100 companies split into four size-based categories: 33 small-sized companies (15-49 U.S. employees); 33 medium-sized companies (50-249 U.S. employees); 14 large-sized companies (250-1,999 U.S. employees); and 20 mega-sized companies (2,000 or more U.S. employees). Honorees are selected based upon employee and employer surveys, which focus on employees' views and satisfaction of firm initiatives such as workplace policies, philosophy, employee experience, work environment, flexibility in schedule, one-on-one mentoring, firm healthcare benefits and employee perks.

Scott and Company CPAs Ranks #13 in South Carolina Best Places to Work
Scott and Company LLC has been ranked as one of South Carolina’s Best Places to Work for companies with fewer than 250 employees for the third consecutive year. The firm ranked #13 this year. Honorees of the program are determined from information compiled by Best Companies Group and appear in two categories: companies with fewer than 250 employees and companies with over 250 employees.

AICPA Announces Winner of Maximo Mukelabai Award
The American Institute of CPAs has named Mark K. Rich, CPA, director of investments at the Kimbell Art Foundation, as the winner of this year’s Maximo Mukelabai Award. Rich was honored for his work with the Fort Worth chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs, as well as his service to his local community.