Ernst & Young Acquires San Diego Accounting Firm RPR Partners, LLP

Ernst & Young LLP (EY) has announced that the principals and employees of RPR Partners, LLP joined the EY Private Client Services practice, based in San Diego. RPR founders and co-directors Robert P. Regnery and Kenneth R. Van Damme II, both previous EY professionals, are returning to the firm after having built their independent tax advisory practice. This new team significantly expands EY’s resources of private client service and real estate professionals.

“The addition of this team reflects our commitment to growing strategic areas with unmatched knowledge to meet each of our clients’ needs and to contribute to our EY Global Family Business Center of Excellence,” said Kate Barton, EY Americas Vice Chair of Tax Services. “We are particularly proud to have Bob and Ken back at EY, bringing their talented and insightful team with them.”

Dedicated to serving high net worth clients throughout Southern California and beyond, RPR Partners is focused on supporting individuals and businesses involved in real estate as a key element of their wealth management. The RPR team joins the practice of EY professionals that provide comprehensive services to meet the need of private clients, as well as the global network of EY professionals.

Regnery has 30 years of experience advising clients including private and public companies. He started his career in Chicago with EY before moving to San Diego. After nearly ten years with the real estate practices of EY and Kenneth Leventhal, Regnery joined Peterson & Co where he led both the Real Estate Group and the Entrepreneurial Services Group before forming RPR Partners with Van Damme.

“Having previously worked at EY, Ken and I know that EY professionals strive to be trusted business advisors to their clients,” said Regnery. “They embrace our philosophy of addressing each client’s unique needs and helping organizations – and people – succeed in today’s complex and changing environment.”

Van Damme has more than 27 years of tax advisory experience in the real estate industry and with high net worth individuals. Prior to forming RPR Partners, he had been EY’s real estate tax compliance practice area leader for Southern California, and also served as an adjunct professor at San Diego State University teaching real estate finance and taxation. Van Damme still serves as an occasional guest lecturer on real estate tax topics at several universities.

“We’re excited to work with an organization that can provide full-service to our clients,” said Van Damme. “This moment in US tax policy is likely to impact all of our clients, and we now have access to incredible resources to support them. As part of the EY team, we can also offer clients broader, long-term support for generational wealth management strategies and family business transactions.”