Keiter Announces Leadership Transition including New Managing Partner, Chief Operating Officer, and Department Leaders

By Keiter CPAs

Keiter Announces Leadership Transition including New Managing Partner, Chief Operating Officer, and Department Leaders

Richmond Region’s Largest, Independent Accounting and Consulting Firm Concludes Three-Year Succession Planning Process


RICHMOND, VA (October 8, 2013) – Keiter announces that
L. Michael Gracik, Jr., CPA will become the Firm’s new Managing Partner effective January 1, 2014. The transition concludes a three year succession planning process of retiring Managing Partner Lewis O. Hall, CPA/ABV, CExP who has served in the role for the past 15 years. During that time, Mr. Hall grew the firm to 20 Partners and increased revenues in excess of $20 million in 2013.

“Serving as Managing Partner of Keiter for the past 15 years has been a great privilege,” said Mr. Hall. “I look forward to seeing the firm continue to grow under Mike’s leadership and truly be Opportunity Advisors to our ever expanding list of clients.”

Mr. Gracik joined Keiter as a Partner and head of the Tax Department in 1991 after having served as the Tax Partner in charge of the Richmond office of Deloitte & Touche. At the time, Keiter had four people in the department and 30 total employees. It was a rare move at the time from what was known as a “Big 6” accounting firm to an independent, local firm. Mr. Gracik attributed the move to the caliber of partners at Keiter and the opportunity to work more closely with the businesses he served and personally see their successes. In his new role as Managing Partner, Mr. Gracik will continue to serve the majority of his existing clients but also will oversee the Firm’s strategic direction and be involved in marketing and client development opportunities.    

“This is a tremendous pleasure and honor to be chosen by my fellow partners for this position,” said Mr. Gracik. “I am thankful for their confidence to continue the Firm’s success.”

In addition to its new Managing Partner, the firm is undergoing additional leadership transitions. Julie H. Gustavsson, CPA.CITP has assumed the expanded role of Chief Operating Officer. In this position she will direct all of the Firm’s operations including information technology, recruiting, marketing, training, and back-office operations. She will also serve on the Firm’s Executive, Technology, Strategic, Partner Compensation, and Tax Workflow committees. Ms. Gustavsson joined Keiter in 2005 and served in IT leadership positions before becoming the Firm’s COO.

Jennifer F. Flinchum, CPA, CFP®, PFS will transition to the Tax Department leader effective January 1, 2014.  In the new role, she will be responsible for the execution of the department’s vision for growth and for client service operations including staffing and resource allocation, technical taxation, and compliance matters.  Ms. Flinchum joined Keiter in 1999 and became partner in 2003. She applies her significant experience in tax compliance and strategic consulting for both privately held businesses and their owners. Her expertise also includes tax accruals, mergers and acquisitions, multi-state tax issues, audit controversy, and tax credit opportunities which have resulted in substantial savings for both corporate and individual clients.

Christopher L. Wallace, CPA was appointed as Audit Department leader in 2012 as part of the leadership succession planning process. Mr. Wallace has over 15 years of experience in public accounting providing audit and consulting services to clients in various industries. He is a Partner with the Business Assurance and Advisory Services Group and is a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. He also serves as the leader of the Firm’s Financial Services Industry Team, and in that role oversees services to the Firm’s broker dealer, investment fun, real estate fund, and other financial service clients.

About Keiter

Keiter was founded in 1978 and provides a full range of financial services to businesses and their owners. Whether performing an audit examination or developing a business plan for a start-up, the Keiter team is always focused on providing fresh insights and creating new opportunities to help businesses grow. The Firm has over 130 employees in its Richmond office and is the third largest accounting firm in Richmond with 70 CPAs. Keiter has developed specialized expertise in serving the real estate, construction, manufacturing, and financial services industries, as well as nonprofit entities.  Keiter prides itself on being the largest, independent CPA firm in Richmond, Virginia. For more information on the Firm, please visit www.keitercpa.com.

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Keiter CPAs

Keiter CPAs

Keiter CPAs is a certified public accounting firm serving the audittax, accounting and consulting needs of businesses and their owners located in Richmond and across Virginia. We focus on serving emerging growth businesses and companies in the financial servicesconstructionreal estatemanufacturingretail & distribution industries and nonprofits. We also provide business valuations and forensic accounting servicesfamily office services, and inbound international services.

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The information contained within this article is provided for informational purposes only and is current as of the date published. Online readers are advised not to act upon this information without seeking the service of a professional accountant, as this article is not a substitute for obtaining accounting, tax, or financial advice from a professional accountant.

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