By David J. Blasko
CPA, Principal-in-charge, HBK Midwest Region
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – This year, HBK CPAs & Consultants celebrates our 75th anniversary. Since our founding in Youngstown in 1949, we have grown to a Top 50 accounting firm with nearly 700 employees operating out of 16 offices in five states.
Much of our growth has come from adding complementary services to address more complex client need such as data security.
We expanded the services of a 2021 merger with Vertilocity, a managed information technology provider, with the 2023 merger with Raleigh, N.C.-based Relevant CRM, which provides marketing, sales, quote automation and customer relationship management. We also expanded our mid-Atlantic region through a merger with Zapken & Loeb LLP, a 70-person CPA firm in the New York metropolitan area.
2023 was one of continued growth for our HBK Solutions infrastructure. Client service teams with industry-specific expertise help businesses to overcome operational challenges, improve competitiveness and increase their revenues.
We continued to enhance our services beyond tax and assurance to include business consulting, transactional advisory, risk advisory, business valuations, succession and estate planning, and qualified retirement plan services.
We also offer access to the services of our partner firm, HBKS Wealth Advisors.
We have invested in a talent acquisition specialist for sourcing, attracting and interviewing prospective employees. And we have implemented a customer relationship management platform that enables us to communicate and collaborate more effectively.
Community engagement is a key aspect of our company culture. Our Youngstown team remains active in supporting community causes, both financially and as volunteers.
We are involved as supporters, sponsors, and volunteers in the initiatives of the United Way, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Golden String, Boys & Girls Clubs, Junior Achievement and many others.