When your accounting firm is hovering around the 50th largest in the U.S. and you lure someone away from a Big 4 firm like KPMG, not only will you get a write-up in Going Concern but that news might be big enough to be featured in a local business publication.
That’s what happened recently when Aprio sent out a press release announcing that the firm had expanded its tax services in Birmingham, AL, by hiring John Santamour as tax partner. The news caught the eye of the editors over at Birmingham Business Journal, which got a reporter to write an article about Aprio’s newest partner hire.
The article pretty much covers everything in the press release that Aprio put out, which went like this:
In 2017, Aprio combined with Yeager and Boyd in Birmingham, Alabama, a firm focused on serving national public housing authorities. While the Birmingham office will continue to serve as Aprio’s public housing authority center of excellence, Santamour will work closely with Aprio assurance partner, Rob Shirley who specializes in a variety of different industries, including manufacturing, retail, franchise & hospitality, construction and non-profits, to increase the firm’s footprint in the region.
Under Santamour’s leadership, Aprio will expand its tax services to small to mid-market technology, real estate and manufacturing businesses, as well as non-profit organizations. Aprio’s comprehensive specialty tax offerings include State and Local Tax, International Tax, Tax Credits and Incentives, including the Research & Development Tax Credit, and Trusts and Estates.
Santamour brings to Aprio a deep knowledge of tax provision work, as well as expertise in tax compliance and income tax accounting and reporting requirements related to business combinations, spinoffs and divestitures. Prior to joining Aprio, John worked in a national practice at KPMG serving large companies in manufacturing, financial services and insurance.
“We’re fortunate to have such a capable leader, like John, join Aprio,” said Frank Gudger, Aprio’s Birmingham office Managing Partner. “John will be instrumental in enabling us to achieve our growth objectives in the Birmingham market as we expand our services in this region to service new sets of clients.”
“I am excited about the opportunity to join Aprio and expand our service offerings not only in the Birmingham area but across Alabama,” said Santamour. “There is so much growth in our state right now and companies are facing many new tax and regulatory changes as well as additional reporting requirements. I look forward to helping clients navigate what’s next, implement efficient tax planning strategies and succeed in a rapidly evolving market.”
What the press release doesn’t mention is that Santamour had two go-arounds with KPMG. One was a four-year stint in the House of Klynveld’s tax practice and then a nearly three-year stint in Birmingham as a senior tax manager before leaving for Aprio, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Santamour also worked for several years as tax accounting and reporting manager at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.
