Newsmakers In The Profession

Ron Hecht and Jeremy Hauk joined the Billings, Mont., office of Eide Bailly as tax partners. They bring 13 staff members with them. Hecht was partner in charge of KPMG's private tax practice in Billings and Hauk was a director. EB has FY05 net revenue of $74 million, 91 partners and more than 850

total staff. The additions are expected to add approximately $2.8 million in revenue to EB's Billings office. The firm also added two new members to its board of directors for three-year terms: Kevin Anderson, a partner based in Boise, Idaho; and Keith Severson, a partner based hi Sioux Falls, S.D. Chris Champ, a partner based in Fargo, N.D., was elected chairman of the board. Kevin Doyle, a partner based in Sioux Falls, was elected vice chairman.

Harlan Maurer, former MP of the Kalamazoo, Mich., office of Ernst & Young, died Feb. 11 of pancreatic cancer. He was 65.

Geffen Mesher & Co. of Portland, Ore., admitted Douglas R. Lovett and Tony A. Pizzuti as shareholders. Lovett specializes in financial planning and services to automobile dealerships, wholesalers, manufacturers and nonprofit organizations. Pizzuti provides auditing, accounting, litigation support, succession planning, consulting, and tax services to closely held businesses. The firm has 13 shareholders and 74 employees.

Benjamin Gadon joined Marks Paneth & Shron of New York as a tax partner. Most recently, he was with Deloitte. The firm has FY05 net revenue of $58 million, 55 partners, 300-plus employees and two offices.

Mize Houser of Topeka, Kan., admitted three new shareholders: Marsha T. Oliver, Jeffrey S. Parker, and Kevin L. Pelton. Oliver joined the firm in 1974 as a staff accountant and leads the firm's marketing efforts. Parker focuses on helping clients do business over the Web. Pelton helps clients optimize technology. MH has FY05 net revenue of $14.7 million, 13 partners, 160 total staff and four offices.

Mohler Nixon & Williams of Campbell, Calif, named Bill Kelleher as its new MP. He'll take over the position in May from Greg Finley. Finley will remain with the firm and concentrate on providing clients with individual tax and executive planning services. Kelleher, a former partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, joined the firm 10 years ago and specializes in tax planning for technology companies. MN&W has FY05 net revenue of $22 million, 22 partners, more than 120 total staff and two offices.

PricewaterhouseCoopers named Michael J. Burwell as U.S. leader of its Transaction Services Group. Previously, he headed the group's automotive industry practice and its central region. Burwell replaces Jim Flanagan, who was named Cross Line of Services leader for the firm's financial services practice.

RSM McGladrey named Sharon H. Goodman, Melanie S. Hoff and Cindy Shen as managing directors in the New York office. Goodman is a lawyer specializing in estate planning and compliance in the areas of estate tax, gift tax and generation-skipping transfer tax. Hoff provides accounting and tax services to middle-market companies. Shen's specialty is serving clients in the financial services industry.

Rodriguez-Parissi, Vazquez & Co. of San Juan, P.R., changed its name to Parissi. The firm has four partners and approximately 30 staff.

Smart & Assoc. of Devon, Pa. named Ricardo Verges Director of Actuarial Services. He is based in the firm's Philadelphia office. Previously, Verges was executive vice president and co-founder of RAM Holdings, an insurance marketing and consulting practice based in Haverford, Pa. Smart has FY05 net revenue of $77 million, 55 partners, 560 total staff, and eight offices.

Patrick G. Dunleavy joined the Dispute Resolution Practice of Virchow Krause & Co. as a partner and director of Commercial Litigation Support Services. He is based in the firm's office in Bingham Hills, Mich. VK&Co., based in Madison, Wis., has FY05 net revenue of $152 million, 143 partners, approximately 1,100 total staff and 13 offices.