Every CFO knows the Big Four firms. Less familiar are the scores of accountancies that rank below the top four in revenues — but well above the sales of much smaller regional firms.
Like the Big Four, this band of second-tier accountancies, known in the industry as Group B firms, provide auditing and tax work to publicly traded companies in the United States. Unlike the Big Four, however, the Group B accounting firms typically don’t possess a true global reach. Instead, many of the firms rely on partnerships with local accountants to service multinational clients.
Of the hundreds of firms classified as Group B accountancies, six stand out — both in revenues and the number of publicly traded clients. With the help of Arthur Bowman, editor of Bowman’s Accounting Report, CFO.com has compiled snapshot profiles of these firms. We call them the Second Six.
BDO Seidman
Headquarters: Chicago
International Affiliation: BDO International
Total Sales Audited: $27.9 billion
Total Clients Audited: 280
Average Sales per Client: $99.7 million
Offices: National
Strengths: Tax services have become an important market for BDO in the past few years.
Skinny: With Denis Field becoming chairman, company settled down after period of management turmoil, says Bowman… BDO Seidman, Grant Thornton, and McGladrey & Pullen all trying to become dominant provider of audit services for middle market companies — that is, businesses with annual revenues between $500 million and $1 billion. Right now, BDO Seidman and Grant Thornton appear headed for showdown… Firm tops Second Six in average sales per customer — key figure.
Grant Thornton
Headquarters: Chicago
International Affiliation: Grant Thornton International
Total Sales Audited: $29.6 billion
Total Clients Audited: 344
Average Sales per Client: $86 million
Offices: National
Strengths: Construction, consumer and industrial products, government, nonprofit, real estate.
Skinny: Went through long period of management stability in the 1980s and 1990s. Also saw some turnover in top management turnover — until current CEO Ed Nusbaum took over. Since then Nusbaum has become something of a visible spokesman for auditing profession as a whole… Sale of firm’s IT consulting business to Hitachi few years ago gave the company cash to expand… University of Delaware’s Charles Elson says if any of Second Six were to jump to Big Four, Thornton is most likely candidate. But Nusbaum tells CFO.com that firm will stick to middle-market focus.
McGladrey & Pullen
Headquarters: Minneapolis
International Affiliation: RSM
Total Sales Audited: $4.7 billion
Total Clients Audited: 95
Average Sales per Client ($ Millions): $49.6 million
Offices: National
Strengths: Financial institutions, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, government, nonprofit, healthcare construction, agriculture.
Skinny: McGladrey sold its tax and consulting business to H&R Block in late 1990s, creating an entity called RSM. Bowman says it’s an unusual arrangement — one where McGladrey partners are Block employees, but own the auditing practice itself… To date, effort to cross-sell services between McGladrey and Block has produced mixed results.
Crowe Chizek
Headquarters: South Bend, Indiana
International Affiliation: Horwath International
Total Sales Audited: $3.7 billion
Total Clients Audited: 82
Average Sales per Client: $45.1 million
Strengths: Banking, automobile dealerships.
Skinny: Crowe Chizek was one of first accountancies to get into information technology consulting. Firm still owns U.K.-based subsidiary that sells software to banks… Bowman says Crowe Chizek has a more “collegial atmosphere than other firms. There’s more of a balance in the compensation among partners.” Setup has its plus and minuses. Few, if any, Crowe Chizek partners make seven-figure incomes. On the other hand, there’s little reason for any partners at low end of the pay scale to feel envious… Company maintains offices in Indiana, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.
BKD
Headquarters: Springfield, Missouri
International Affiliation: Moores Rowland
Total Sales Audited: $1.2 billion
Total Clients Audited: 40
Average Sales per Client: $29.7 million
Strengths: Healthcare, banking
Skinny: Bowman on BKD: “(They) like to say that they are the major player in the heartland of America.” But he says firm’s looking to acquire $20 million or so firm in Chicago to beef up presence. Currently, BKD more established in border states, with headquarters in Missouri and offices in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Firm does have operations in Colorado, Indiana.
Moss Adams
Headquarters: Seattle
International Affiliation: Moores Rowland
Total Sales Audited: $843 million
Total Clients Audited: 32
Average Sales per Client: $26.3 million
Strengths: High-tech, apparel finance, forestry, recording-industry royalty compliance
Skinny: Largest independent auditing firm based on the West Coast, with branch offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco… Bowman says Moss Adams, Crowe Chizek, and BKD all well-positioned for the future. He adds they face difficult task of “providing challenges for their personnel to show them a career path, while not exceeding management’s ability to manage the firms.” A nifty trick, if you can pull it off.