CLA and CLA Wealth Advisors congratulate nine accounting professionals and three wealth advisors in Minneapolis-St. Paul who have been recognized with Five Star awards.
Minneapolis — January 23, 2014 — CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA) and CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC (CLA Wealth Advisors), a wholly owned subsidiary of the accounting firm, are pleased to announce that nine accounting professionals and three wealth advisors have been recognized with Five Star awards from Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Business magazine, and Five Star Professional.
John Gustavson, Tony Hallada, and Michael McConnell, with CLA Wealth Advisors, were honored as wealth managers in the investment category. CLA's Nicholas Houle, Dudley Ryan, Susan Clark, Harold Dahl, Lowell Foster, Bryon Reinhart, Stacy Rubsam, Cynthia Sheid, and Timothy Skelly received the award in the accounting category.
"The needs of our clients continue to get more complex," says Gordy Viere, CEO of CLA. "These 12 professionals are truly unique in their ability to work as a team and deliver specialized services to individuals, families, and privately held businesses and their owners. They are ‘strategic advisors' who strive to fully meet the needs of our clients and make an impact on their lives."
2014 Five Star Wealth Managers SM
Wealth manager award candidates were identified by one of three sources: firm nomination, peer nomination, or pre-qualification based on industry standing. Candidates who satisfied 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria were named 2014 Five Star Wealth Managers. Among the criteria were professional credentials, employment tenure in the financial services industry, a favorable regulatory and complaint history, number of clients served, and client retention rates. Below, we've listed information about the individuals honored as 2014 Five Star Wealth Managers.
| Five Star Wealth Managers | Experience |
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John Gustavson, CPA/PFS, CFP®, CFA® John Gustavson is a principal with CLA Wealth Advisors, with more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is a member of the firm's investment committee and specializes in financial planning and investment strategies for individuals, professionals, and retirees. |
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Tony Hallada Tony Hallada has more than 20 years of experience in the capital markets and financial services industry, and serves as the CEO of CLA Wealth Advisors. He is a member of the firm's investment committee, and holds FINRA Series 7, 63, 65, and 24 licenses, and Minnesota Life and Health Insurance licenses. |
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Michael McConnell, CPA, CFP® Michael McConnell is a principal with CLA Wealth Advisors, with more than 35 years of experience in public accounting and wealth advisory for business owners, families, and individuals. He specializes in business succession planning, financial planning, estate planning, investment management, life and health insurance, benefit plans, and mergers and acquisitions. |
2014 Five Star Certified Public Accountants SM
CPA candidates were also identified through firm nominations, peer nominations, and pre-qualification based on industry standing. Candidates who satisfied 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria were named 2014 Five Star Certified Public Accountants. Among the criteria were credentials, employment tenure in the accounting services industry, more than 50 percent of time spent on taxation and other accounting services, a favorable regulatory and complaint history, number of clients served, and client retention rates. Below, we've listed information about the individuals honored as 2014 Five Star Certified Public Accountants.
| Five Star Certified Public Accountants | Experience |
|---|---|
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Nicholas Houle, CPA, MBT Nick Houle is a private client tax principal with CLA. He has more than 35 years of accounting and financial services experience, and specializes in financial planning, income and transfer (gift and estate) tax planning, and tax compliance for high net worth individuals and their families. |
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Dudley Ryan, CPA, JD Dudley Ryan, a principal with CLA, has more than 30 years of accounting and financial services experience. He advises closely held businesses and their owners on a variety of tax policies related to ongoing business operations and entity selection, as well as transactional, personal, and succession planning issues. |
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Susan Clark, CPA, MBT, CSEP Susan Clark is a private client tax principal who has been with CLA for more than 20 years. She specializes in trusts and estates, including fiduciary income taxation; estate taxation and estate planning; and individual tax planning and compliance. She provides consulting services on complex gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax issues. |
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Harold Dahl, CPA Hod Dahl is a principal with CLA and has 30 years of diverse experience advising clients in the manufacturing, distribution, and professionals services industries on financial, accounting, transactional, and risk management matters. He has lectured on strategic, regulatory, and financial topics, and serves as a co-instructor for the University of St. Thomas' Executive MBA program. |
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Lowell Foster, CPA Lowell Foster has been with CLA for more than 30 years. He is a tax principal who oversees corporate and individual tax preparation services, with significant experience serving agribusiness and professional services clients. |
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Bryon Reinhart, CPA Bryon Reinhart is a principal with CLA with more than 18 years of experience working with closely held companies in the manufacturing, distribution, and professional services industries. His experience includes assurance and tax services, financial projections and forecasting, and due diligence engagements associated with mergers and acquisitions. |
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Stacy Rubsam, CPA, JD Stacy Rubsam is a tax principal with more than 33 years of service to private and publicly held clients, including extensive experience in structuring transactions and long-term planning for businesses and their owners. He is a regular presenter at the Minnesota Bar Association's Annual Tax Conference and a past contributing editor of the Tax Advisor, the national tax publication of the AICPA. |
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Cynthia Scheid, CPA Cindy Scheid is a principal with CLA and partner-in-charge of tax for Southern Minnesota. She specializes in working with mid-size clients, with extensive experience in business consulting and entity alternatives, accounting services for new and existing businesses, and individual, partnership, and corporation planning and compliance. |
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Timothy Skelly, CPA Tim Skelly is the managing principal for CLA's construction and real estate practice. In his more than 30 years with the firm, he has gained extensive experience dealing with owner-operated, closely held businesses ranging from start-ups to companies with multiple entities, locations, and trades. He has significant experience with acquisitions, mergers, and financing transactions, and has worked with the tax, financial, and business planning aspects of privately owned companies. |
About CLA
CLA exists to create opportunities for our clients, our people, and our communities through industry-focused wealth advisory, digital, audit, tax, consulting, and outsourcing services. With nearly 9,000 people, more than 130 U.S. locations, and a global vision, we promise to know you and help you. CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) is an independent network member of CLA Global. See CLAglobal.com/disclaimer. Investment advisory services are offered through CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor.