Joel Sinkin is the Managing Director of Whitman Advisors, LLC a firm that consults on growth and succession through Mergers & Acquisitions and other methods for Public Accounting Firms. Mr. Sinkin is an expert in practice evaluation, succession planning and transaction structure. He has personally overseen hundreds of transaction closings of accounting firms since 1990. He consults on internal and external succession planning and provides complete transaction support including valuations, alternative deal structures, documentation, due diligence and transitional issues regarding partners, staff and clients.
Joel teaches CPE courses and lectures for the AICPA, many State Societies of CPAs, National Accounting Organizations and many other professional organizations. Mr. Sinkin is frequently quoted in trade magazines and has had dozens of articles authored by him. After being President of Transition Advisors for over a decade, we merged with Whitman Business Advisors to create the largest consulting firm of its type. Mr. Sinkin recognized, along with his partner Terrence E. Putney, CPA, the needs of some of our clients we did not have the niche or bandwidth and merging with Whitman was the solution. Mr. Sinkin along with Mr. Putney co-authored The Succession online book for the AICPA and his third book, written on behalf of the AICPA, CPA Firm Mergers & Acquisitions, How to Buy a Firm, Sell a Firm and How to Make the Best Deal.
Mr. Sinkin fulfilled a personal goal to create a new type of consulting firm that brings a fresh approach to the succession and growth needs of accounting firms and their owners nationally. In 2004, he joined forces with Terrence E. Putney, CPA to form Transition Advisors. Our latest merger with Whitman Business Advisors, creating Whitman Transition Advisors was our latest step to bring maximum value to our clients. In 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 Accounting Today named Mr. Sinkin one of the top 100 most influential people in accounting.
Terry has more than 44 years of experience in the CPA profession. For six years, he served as Managing Director - Mergers & Acquisitions for RSM McGladrey (now RSM US), the country’s fifth-largest accounting firm and held several executive posts with its then corporate parent, H&R Block. At RSM McGladrey, he structured and negotiated several dozen deals resulting in the acquisition of accounting and consulting firms ranging in size from sole proprietors to multi-state firms with hundreds of staff and professionals. Prior to joining RSM McGladrey, he served as Managing Partner of Donnelly Meiners Jordan Kline, a 60-person CPA firm in Kansas City.
Terry believes it’s imperative that CPA firm owners have a clear understanding of their objectives when pursuing a sale of their practice or the merger with, or acquisition of, another practice. “I've seen deals not work or not materialize because one of the parties to the succession plan had not thought through what they really wanted to accomplish. Whitman Transition Advisors will make sure the approach to executing your plan will meet your objectives. Because we are consultants and not brokers, we can be much more flexible in helping a firm succeed with its transition plan.”
Terry is a member of the CPA Consultants' Alliance and a member of the Kansas University Accounting Advisory Council. He is a frequent speaker and author to the accounting profession. Terry co-founded of Transition Advisors in 2004. He and Joel Sinkin merged Transition Advisors with Whitman Business Advisors in 2022 to form Whitman Transition Advisors, the largest consulting firm of its kind in the US.
Bill Carlino joined Whitman Transition Advisors as Managing Director in January 2022 after serving for nearly 10 years as a national director at Transition Advisors LLC overseeing M&A and succession strategies for the New York/New Jersey and New England Markets. Prior to coming aboard Transition Advisors, he spent 12 years as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Accounting Today and AccountingToday.com, where he was responsible for all content both in print and online. During his tenure as editor, Accounting Today won a number of financial journalism awards and was a two-time finalist for the Jesse R. Neal Award, the premier accolade among business-to-business publications. He has been a frequent industry speaker, presenter and panel moderator and has appeared as an expert commentator on such business channels as CNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, CNN as well as National Public Radio.
As a successful executive managing accounting firm M & A and practice operations and a former managing partner of a CPA firm during the past 30 years, Mark has a hands on knowledge of CPA firm management and a strong appreciation for the pulse of the California and Arizona markets.
Mark has an extensive background in the areas of tax, accounting and financial services operations and acquisitions. He spent ten years with H & R Block, most recently as the General Manager of HRB Tax and Business Services. Prior to that he was the President of H&R Block International where he was responsible for all business operations and M & A activity outside of the United States serving over 2.5 million clients worldwide.
Prior to joining H&R Block, he held a number of positions with American Express Tax and Business Services. After selling his firm to Amex in 1992, he held the roles of Managing Director, Regional Managing Director and ultimately Vice President of Operations for the firm. In that capacity he was responsible for day to day operations, acquisition and integration of accounting firms.
Russ Best has logged more than three decades in the consulting sector across a broad range of industries and disciplines including M&A, strategic business planning, and Information Technology. Prior to joining Whitman Transition Advisors, Russ was a principal with Merger and Acquisition Services, a national firm that assists companies with transition through the pre-and post-merger cycle. He is also the founder of Strategic Horizons, a consultancy catering to fast-growth companies. His consulting and practice development background includes more than 20 years in the public accounting profession and was the Kansas City partner-in-charge of General Management Consulting with Ernst & Young. Russ’ consulting expertise also includes posts as partner-in-charge at the CPA firm of Donnelly Meiners Jordan Kline and director of consulting at Coopers & Lybrand in Kansas City.
Nancy has extensive financial, technical, and strategic sales and consulting experience. She began her career as a financial analyst in the banking and chemical industries, evaluating capital investments and preparing earnings and cash flow forecasts. Nancy later joined a software firm as a client services manager, supporting their financial clients and later became a regional manager, selling software to the financial services industry – exceeding her sales goals every year.
As managing director at SMS Consulting, a boutique firm focused on customer strategy in financial services, Nancy was responsible for developing, selling, and delivering strategic plans to the largest financial services firms in North America. She focused specifically on customer retention and relationship management. She was a frequent contributor to financial and data management journals, as well as a frequent speaker at industry conferences.
Nancy has 10 years with Transition Advisors prior to the combination with Whitman Business Advisors. She successfully managed relationships in the mid-Atlantic region, marketing firms to clients and assisting with deal negotiations and transition planning.
Nancy holds a BA in Mathematics from the University of Connecticut and an MBA in Finance from Widener University.
Kay comes to Whitman Transition Advisors with extensive experience in sales and customer service. She spent 30 years in a variety of key account management and business development positions in the video distribution industry. Kay has won numerous awards on a regional and national level, and is a recognized leader in portfolio management.
Kay connects with accounting firms who are seeking to learn more about growing their organizations through mergers and acquisitions, or looking to create succession plans for the long-term health of their business.
Leading CPAs Through Transition With Succession and M & A Strategies
Transition Advisors LLC., are experts in consulting for the accounting profession. We specialize in advising managing partners who are actively pursuing growth and succession strategies including expert advice on mergers & acquisitions.
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