Spotlight On: Angie Walters, Office Managing Partner, EisnerAmper
October 2024 — In an interview with Invest:, Angie Walters, office managing partner at EisnerAmper, talked about the firm’s significant growth from $420 million in 2020 to nearly $850 million today, driven by mergers and acquisitions in key markets like Los Angeles and Chicago. She highlighted the importance of long-term client relationships and integrating advanced technology for cybersecurity. Walters also noted EisnerAmper’s proactive approach to economic uncertainties and its commitment to community involvement and recruitment focused on work-life balance, ensuring the firm remains a leader in the marketplace.
What have been some milestones or highlights from the last 12 months?
We have continued a successful trajectory of growth via combinations or acquisitions and organic growth. Part of our strategy is M&A and in 2020, before we assumed a PE investment from TowerBrook Partners, we were a $420 million company with about 200 partners and approximately 2,000 employees. Today, we are an almost $850 million firm with 450 partners and 4,500 staff members.
We have had several successful M&As in key markets including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, the Research Triangle in Raleigh-Durham and in Birmingham. This allows us to offer additional services including grants management, licensing and royalty examinations, HR outsourcing consulting and compliance around affordable housing credits, sales/use tax consulting and forensic tax recovery, and many others. Our growing national presence affords us the opportunity to bring the full complement of our services and products to our North Texas clients.
What makes DFW an ideal location for doing business?
DFW is a place people want to be. They are moving here in droves because of its highly desirable location with abundant opportunities. I’ve talked to many people who have moved from other large metropolitan areas like Los Angeles or Chicago to the Dallas area who tell me that it is just “easy” to live here. That includes getting around the city, parking and doing business in our business-friendly environment. You only need to look down a major highway and you will see cranes and construction fueled by the companies moving here, which creates many new growth opportunities. The DFW Metroplex is a great place to be.
Have you seen an increase in demand for any of your services?
DFW clientele is diverse, so the services are equally diverse. We provide a myriad of services to high-net-worth family offices including assisting clients with succession planning and strategies for transfer of wealth. We also work with many companies in the areas of manufacturing and distribution, heathcare, real estate and construction, so the needs are as diverse as the services, and we are happy to provide products and services that meet those needs.
What are clients looking for when they walk through your door?
Clients are and have always looked for long-term relationships and someone to help them make sound business decisions and exceed their goals. Putting the numbers in the boxes of the tax return is not where the value is; our value is in the relationships built with clients as we work closely with them to understand and reach their goals.
We continue to increase our service platform and bring on new services and products to help our clients. We listen to what they need and often create solutions to ensure they are compliant and don’t risk losing revenue. Our expanding service offerings allow us to bring additional value to our clients as they grow and change.
How are you integrating technology into your services?
We have a dedicated enterprise technology information group that is constantly exploring, designing, and refining both acquired and proprietary technologies that we are using to benefit clients. Our group is also on the cutting edge of cybersecurity to ensure the safety of our clients and our firm. Our firm’s long history in providing audit and tax services makes us naturally focused on risk and compliance. Our team of technology professionals is highly versed in creating IT governance standards to meet the diverse needs of our clients.
How are you advising clients on inflation and higher interest rates that we see around the globe?
The North Texas economy often feels like a bubble compared to other areas when it comes to fluctuations in the economy. However, uncertainties like higher interest rates, the potential ramifications of the presidential election, and possible tax law changes are concerns that are always present. We work with our clients on how to best position themselves in times of uncertainty. For example, regarding the new overtime rules launched by the department of labor, we created a webinar, sent out several large blast emails, and posted often on LinkedIn and other social media outlets. The sun setting of certain tax provisions, and changes to state tax rules and IRS scrutiny are all up in the air right now, so staying on top of that and working with clients that will be impacted is at the forefront of what we do.
How are you becoming involved in the community?
We are involved with the Dallas Regional Chamber, the DFW chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, many industry specific growth organizations and the local chapter of the Texas Society for CPAs and AICPA. We also work closely with many of the universities in the North Texas region.
Making a difference in our communities through various charitable organizations is at the core of our firm. We have a national volunteer group called “EisnerAmper Cares” which organizes national days of giving and volunteer opportunities for our colleagues. Locally, we donate funds and time to many worthwhile organizations that are close to the hearts of our local staff including several local food pantries, Rise Against Hunger, the SPCA, Operation Kindness, Ronald McDonald House, and many more. We have hosted organizations in our office and encourage our staff to spend days out in the community volunteering their time.
How do you plan to remain a leader in the marketplace?
The firm’s strategy is to continue expanding through organic growth and mergers. Each combination firm brings a different type of strength. We are strategic in how we select those potential combinations so that the entire organization is more effective. We are cautiously optimistic about where things are going and we will continue to monitor all the economic variables including interest rates, inflation, and employment and share our updates with clients.
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