Ascend Expands into Midwest with Investment in Goering & Granatino CPAs
OCTOBER 3, 2023 (Arlington, VA)
Goering & Granatino, P.A. of Overland Park, Kansas has taken on an investment from Ascend, a strategic partner for regional accounting firms that is backed by private equity firm Alpine Investors.
As is common in private equity deals with accounting firms, Goering & Granatino will adopt an alternative practice structure: Goering & Granatino, P.A., an independently owned and licensed CPA firm, will provide attest services, and GG Advisors LLC will provide tax, business advisory, and other non-attest services to its clients.
The transaction, which took effect October 1, expands Ascend’s footprint into the Midwest and marks the firm’s eighth acquisition since launching its new-age growth platform for regional CPA firms in January.
Founded in 2014, Goering & Granatino adds 40 professionals to Ascend’s team.
“Amber Goering and Frank Granatino are as genuine and passionate as you will find in this industry. They care about their people and the profession at large and have pursued growth to make their mark. I am also thrilled to welcome a female CEO into our group, as we are committed to creating a premier destination for women in this industry,” said Ascend Founder & CEO David Wurtzbacher.
“Our shared people-driven cultures created instant chemistry between our firms right out of the starting gate. It has been a great way to begin the process of introducing the Goering & Granatino team to the Ascend Growth Model and the full range of resources now available to them as they pursue their vision for the future,” Wurtzbacher said.
“We built our firm from scratch and scaled up as much as we could on our own. We honestly never would have considered merging into a larger firm because we are fiercely independent and don’t want to lose our very special culture. When David and I met at a speaking engagement at AICPA’S Engage conference this year I recognized immediately that Ascend was the perfect partner for us. We not only will maintain our independence, we will be able to fast track our rising stars and empower our young professionals to take on reviewer and advisory roles more quickly, which will strengthen our culture and client service even more,” said GG Advisors CEO Amber Goering.
Ascend makes strategic investments in the non-attest businesses of entrepreneurial middle-market CPA firms and provides resources to help them grow independently. The Ascend Growth Model aligns partner firms and their teams around a shared vision, a set of transparent goals, and the path to get there.
Ascend’s rapid growth in the past nine months has established the firm in four regions of the country. In January, Ascend launched its new-age growth platform with the acquisition of Opsahl Dawson of Vancouver, WA, followed by ATKG of San Antonio, TX , in May and LMC of New York City in June. In July, Ascend expanded its service portfolio by acquiring Sentient Solutions for Accounting (“Sentient”), an offshore accounting services and technology solutions provider with offices in India and Mexico. The company is concurrently investing in leadership development, talent acquisition, technology and AI, advanced billing methods, and client accounting services.
About Goering & Granatino
Goering & Granatino is an entrepreneurial CPA firm in the Kansas City area serving small to mid-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, and start-ups locally and nationally. The firm offers a culture of personal growth, collaborative relationships, and innovative thinking, both for its clients and its professional team. Visit https://www.ggadvisorskc.com/.
About Ascend
Ascend empowers entrepreneurial CPAs to reach their goals with an innovative growth model that brings their firms into the new age. Backed by private equity from people-focused Alpine Investors, Ascend is building a modern platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent while accessing the resources of a large CPA firm to help them grow. Ascend provides access to growth capital, robust talent acquisition, best-of-breed technology, a catalytic leadership system, shared back-office services, and modernized equity incentives so that firms can surmount today’s industry challenges and reach their full potential. Founded in January 2023, the company attained revenues sufficient to qualify it as a Top 100 U.S. accounting firm within six months of operation. For more information, visit ascendtogether.com.
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Contact:
Julie Gross Gelfand
(516) 729-8067