In the fall of 2004, while practicing in the CPA Firm I founded nearly twenty years earlier, I met with the Director of Human Resources at Viacom in New York City attempting to land as many personal tax returns as possible for their mid-range executive group. As we spoke, I simultaneously pondered the amount of professional labor needed to handle the task, when a sudden and strong epiphany cam over me: “voraciously market for CPA & Audit Services in the U.S. and beyond; create a network of the best public accounting firms; and transition the clients to those firms that best fit their specific requirements”.
I inherently knew that we could market for CPA Services better and differently than any one given accounting firm, because the premise would be to provide objectivity and information to the client about a number of accounting firms, not just one firm – as a CPA Firm marketing only themselves would accomplish. Once we consulted with the client we would quickly identify those firms qualified and interested in handling their engagements. The CPA Exchange would be a Knowledge Center for the accounting profession and to the clients served by it, and help them save money by streamlining the arduous and time-consuming process of finding and transitioning to “the right” accounting firm. And what I really liked is that everything fit perfectly with the tenets of the CPA Profession itself – objectivity, independence, and third-party attestation.
The CPA Exchange was founded, built and operates on my unwavering passion for the public accounting business, one that I have had since college. In the 1980s the company achieved success by marketing for and providing personal tax services to corporate executives at public companies. As a thirty year veteran of the accounting business, I continue to practice as a CPA in our Professional Services division, providing taxation and business consulting services to clients throughout the world.
Since that day in 2004 we have successfully transitioned hundreds of companies to many of the most recognizable professional accounting & auditing firms in the U.S., Canada and Europe. We are the world’s leading consulting firm to the clients of the public accounting profession, and we provide a unique service: information, and objective choice to public and private companies seeking a “new or different” CPA or Audit Firm.
In the summer of 2011, we added Auditor Benchmark to The CPA Exchange. Auditor Benchmark provides specific information on various attributes received by Public Companies by their Audit Firms, and is part of our commitment as a Knowledge Center for the public accounting profession and the clients served by it.
These are both exciting and trying times for the accounting profession – a global economy and the related upcoming transition to IFRS; increased rules & regulations in the profession itself, and complex tax laws are just a few examples of why making an informed & objective choice of an accounting firm are more important today than ever before. Our Referred CPA & Audit Services division is and will remain committed to advising companies of their best public accounting firm options.
The CPA Exchange has a deep network of global contacts and partners at professional accounting firms throughout the world that may prove to be beneficial to your company. I encourage you reach out to me personally and let us know how The CPA Exchange may be of value to you and your company.
Paul D. Weinberg, CPA, CA
President
The CPA Exchange, Inc.
Lincolnshire, Illinois USA
August, 2011
