Accounting & Tax Acquisitions in Colorado

Ascend, a private equity-backed platform for regional accounting firms, announced the addition of Colorado accounting firm BiggsKofford to its national Ascend platform. The deal brings nine partners and more than 40 staff across Colorado Springs and Denver to Ascend (backed by Alpine Investors); terms were not disclosed and BiggsKofford will operate with an alternative practice structure for attest and non-attest services.

Richey May announced a transformative merger that combines four regional accounting and advisory firms—WSRP, Moss Krusick & Associates (MKA), Sobul Primes & Schenkel, and The Doty Group—into a single national platform operating under the Richey May brand. The combination expands the platform's geographic footprint and technical capabilities; Richey, May & Co., LLP will perform attest services while RM Advisory LLC will provide nonattest advisory services under the unified brand.

Cherry Bekaert has acquired Spicer Jeffries LLP, a Denver-based CPA firm specializing in audit, tax, accounting and consulting services for the securities and asset management industry. The deal (structured as two purchases of non-attest and attest assets by Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC and Cherry Bekaert LLP, respectively) expands Cherry Bekaert's asset management capabilities and geographic coverage into the Rocky Mountain region and adds Cayman audit capability via Spicer Jeffries' affiliated Cayman office.

Capstone Accounting and Tax announced that Keller & Mendoza CPAs has joined Capstone, with Maury Keller joining as a Partner and continuing to lead the Vail office. The move marks Capstone’s first expansion into Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region; Capstone is backed by Seaside Equity Partners and is executing add-on acquisitions to grow its accounting platform.

Aprio has combined with Denver-based Pontiff + Associates, P.C. and Elite Tax & Accounting, LLC to expand its presence and capabilities in the Denver market. The combinations, effective Dec. 1, 2024, add local tax, client accounting, valuation and tax resolution expertise to Aprio's Denver office as part of the firm's broader growth strategy.

CBIZ, Inc. acquired tax and accounting firm Erickson, Brown & Kloster, LLC (EBK) of Colorado Springs, CO, effective February 1, 2024. Concurrently, Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C. acquired the attest assets of EBK; EBK has 50 employees and reported about $8.9 million in revenue over the past year.

New York-based Cogency Global Inc., backed by Bertram Capital, has acquired Westminster, Colorado-based Tax Guard, LLC from Falfurrias Capital Partners. The deal expands Cogency Global's tax risk assessment and compliance capabilities for lenders and other financial-services clients; terms were not disclosed and Raymond James served as Tax Guard's financial advisor.

Apex Accounting and Tax, Inc. has acquired Phases Accounting & Tax Service, Inc., a Colorado Springs–based accounting and tax firm founded in 1987 by Debby Miller. The deal, advised on the sell-side by SDR Ventures, brings Phases’ ~1,750 clients into Apex’s Littleton-based accounting platform to expand Apex’s service offering and regional footprint in the Rocky Mountain region.