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July 8 - 14, 2016 I LIBN.COM

AVZ: Proactive Team Delivers Solutions

Having a proactive team allows
Albrecht, Viggiano, Zureck & Company, P.C. (AVZ), a certified public
accounting and business consulting
firm in Hauppauge, bring the best
and brightest solutions to its clients.
With over 66 years of providing a wide
range of financial, accounting, auditing, tax and consulting services to its
clients, AVZ keeps a vigilant watch on
daily pronouncements, industry trends
and technology advancements.
Every morning I get emails with
alerts on new pronouncements and
new updates to the profession, said
AVZ Managing Partner Robert T.
Quart, CPA, who has been with the
firm since 1980. To assure we keep
up with the latest news and updates,
we have a Quality Control Committee
that reviews all the new pronouncements and new alerts daily. We sit
down, digest the information, disseminate it to all of our staff then to clients
if it effects them.
The committee meets monthly
more often when required to discuss
new issues coming from industry sources
like FASBE (Financial Accounting
Standards Board) and Practitioners Publishing Clearing. The idea is to get these
issues out to their clients before it hits
their operations. AVZs clients include
privately held businesses, not-for-profit
organizations and government agencies.

Two issues AVZ is currently

working with clients on include new
developments in operating leases and
Revenue Recognition Standards.
There is going to be a change in
the way operating leases get reported
on financial statements, Quart said.
If someone has a lease for the facility
they are operating from, then the way
that will get reported on the financial
statement will change their balance
sheet dramatically and could have
impact on their banking relationships
and covenants.
Weve discussed this with clients
who will be affected so this way they can
start to talk to their bankers, he noted.
Although changes to Revenue Recognition Standards are many years away,
AVZ has already begun preparations.
We have alerted clients and are
educating them because they may
have to change the wording on their
invoices and sales orders so that they
fill the requirement of the new Revenue Recognition Standards, Quart
explained.
With a Millennial trend in the pipeline, AVZ is gearing up for its arrival.
According to Brookings Data Now a
publishing arm of The Brookings Institute by 2025, 75 percent of employees will be Millennials.
We are focusing on this and find
Millennials really look toward work/

life balance, Quart said. So, work

habits have to change, and some of the
things AVZ has talked about include
hours. For example, Millennials may
not necessarily want to work 9 a.m. to
5 p.m. They may feel more comfortable
working from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., have
the rest of the day to themselves then
work from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Millennials want to work remotely,
he noted. They want to use technology
to the ultimate degree and AVZ is ready.
Realizing technology is always evolving AVZ incorporates state-of-the-art
programs and security into its system.
We update our technology consistently to attain efficiency in how we
process any data in our office, Quart
said. The other concern we have with
technology is the cyber threats out
there to our data and our clients data.
In order to safeguard its clients
information, AVZ maintains physical,
electronic and procedural safeguards.
Known experts of cyber-security,
members of AVZs professional staff
are often asked to host seminars and
conferences to promote cyber-security
and help others combat cyber-risk.
Not only do we want to stay on top
of it, but we educate our clients, and
the public, bankers, and other business individuals, as well, said Quart,
who recently moderated a panel
discussion on cyber-safety at the Crest

Robert T. Quart
Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.
Whether positioned for steady
growth, caught in the midst of economic change or searching for guidance in
developing a business plan, you know
that the services of a skillful accounting firm are invaluable.
The tools you need to conduct business today and in the future are the
cornerstone of AVZs trade, Quart
said. We work to ensure your confidence from the outset and pledge the
highest level of professional excellence possible.

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I 3

Berdon at 100: Enhancing LI Services

Berdon LLP approaches its 100th
year anniversary in 2017 as trusted
advisors and accountants with a continued focus on enhanced services to
the Long Island community.
We have established a high-level technical staff and professional
team in our Long Island office, said
Co-Managing Partner Mark Bosswick,
CPA, JD, LL.M. We continue to focus
on the real estate industry, where Berdon is recognized as a national service
leader, and have launched a renewed
focus on the manufacturing/distribution industries, which are so prevalent
on the Island.
Berdon has a vested interest in
Long Island. In addition to the firms
office at One Jericho Plaza, many of
the firms members call Long Island
home. Others who do not live on Long
Island attended undergraduate or
graduate school there.
Berdon recently hosted The State of
the Real Estate Industry on Long Island at Crest Hollow Country Club in
Woodbury, where Berdons professionals and industry panelists discussed
an increase in development opportunities, public-private partnerships, and
continued growth changing the local
real estate landscape.
We will continue to bring our
technical expertise and industry
knowledge to the Long Island market

to share best practices, talk about

industry trends, and share accounting
and business advice that executives
need to continue to grow in todays
economy and competitive market,
Bosswick said.
Co-Managing Partner Stuart Kotler, CPA, J.D., LL.M., also noted that
there are a number of family-owned
businesses on the Island whose owners are approaching retirement. Now
is the time to talk about succession
planning, Kotler said, adding that an
upcoming event will focus on succession planning in the manufacturing/
distribution industry.
Berdon has proven itself to be the
advisor of choice to high net worth
individuals and family-owned businesses for generations. Other growth
areas of the firm on the Island include
valuation services, reflecting the large
number of transactions in the market,
law firm services, and compliance and
planning services to high net worth
individuals.
On behalf of all of its clients, Berdon continues to live up to its promise
to Listen. Solve. Do, taking the time
to listen to its clients, develop meaningful solutions to their problems, and
execute these plans. Our goal, Kotler
said, is to help our clients, as well as
our professionals get to the next level
and exceed their personal and profes-

sional expectations. We
pride ourselves in doing
this for our clients, as
well as our own staff
and the communities in
which we work.
This high level of client service was demonstrated in a 2015 client
satisfaction survey, in
which Berdons ratings
were among the highest
ever recorded by the
independent research
firm that conducts these
Berdons Real Estate Partner Maury Golbert, CPA, J.D.,
surveys on behalf of
LL.M., moderating the State of the Real Estate Industry
public accounting firms
panel at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.
nationwide. Specifically,
Berdon scores topped
University, as well as support for
those of all other firms surveyed in the advanced degrees and certifications,
key areas of client satisfaction, includBosswick said. And we do our best
ing People, Policies and Procedures,
to provide a quality environment for
Range of Services, Quality of Service,
our personnel in Class A office space
and Value of Service.
with a wide-ranging benefits program.
The firms concentration of talent
Berdon Strong reflects the fact that we
in Jericho and Manhattan, combined
understand the importance of fitness
with the collegial atmosphere of the
and wellness and offer tools to help
firm, allows the firm to be nimble and
our professionals reach their personal
responsive to client issues.
and professional potential.
The firms commitment to its
As we approach of Centennial,
professional team is reflected in its inKotler said, we remain committed to
ternal promise: Berdon Smart, Berdon strive for continuous improvement, to
Heart, Berdon Strong.
help our clients grow and protect their
Weve always focused on conwealth, and to further develop our own
tinuing education through Berdon
professionals.

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Gettry Marcus, CPA, P.C. Focused on Today,

Working Toward the Future
Focused on being a Firm of the
Future, Today, Gettry Marcus operates
in an interactive, collaborative environment that has allowed the Woodbury
firm to build an organization that grows
both organically and through mergers.
We are growing organically
through concentrating on our niche
practice groups, which include real
estate, healthcare, business valuation
& litigation support, financial audits
and high net worth clients, said Gettry Marcus CEO Steven Marcus, CPA.
We are focusing on finding and developing young staff and growing them
through our organization. We have
hired a Director of Recruitment &
Career Development, whose role
will include focusing on career paths
and mentoring for our employees, as
well as recruiting talent.
While Gettry Marcus focuses on
hiring and retaining new talent, it
also preserves the fabric of the firm by
forging lasting relationships with their
experienced workforce including partners who have reached retirement age.
We have worked out flexible retirement arrangements for our partners
which will give them the opportunity
to continue working at a pace that

allows them to continue to be part of a

team of Gettry Marcus trusted advisors to their clients, Marcus said.
As the firm continues to develop
talent internally, it also looks outside
for merger candidates who fit the
firms culture.
As many key partners at CPA firms
are addressing retirement, they realize
they have no succession plan, Marcus
noted. In addition, many firms are
having trouble in this competitive environment due to the array of compliance
requirements mandated by our industry, as well as lack of available talent.
We feel that Gettry Marcus would be
an excellent firm for them to consider
merging into as we have the bench
strength and depth to transition their
clients and the administrative arm to
integrate them into our practice in a
fairly seamless manner.
Realizing a need for hands-on assistance, Gettry Marcus provides more
consulting versus compliance related
services to clients, which includes outsourced/back office, strategic & business planning, specialty tax services,
and financial, estate & retirement
planning services.
Consulting services are more

proactive, Marcus said, and include

such services as tax planning, budgeting, and business strategic planning.
Other services that are now offered to
clients include personal financial planning, estate & retirement planning, as
well as business succession and exit
planning for high net worth clients.
Clients see value in these services.
Compliance services are becoming
much more complex and regulated by
the industry, Marcus explained. We
have invested in having the proper
quality controls in place which include
two full-time quality review staff, he
said. Unfortunately, the compliance
forms we are required to complete are
quite voluminous and the software
that is available is not intuitive and
quite time consuming. These services
are also very competitive in nature
and in many cases are based on fixed
fee competitive bidding. Compliance
related skills are not enough to satisfy
what clients today are looking for.
The firm is also focusing its efforts
on back office services, which include
providing clients with accounting,
bookkeeping and internal financial
reporting services that will help them
run their dayto-day business opera-

Gettry Marcus CEO Steven Marcus sits

inside the large conference room located in
the firms Woodbury office.
tions. We are investing in technology
and software applications and retraining our employees to become experts
in these areas, as well as increasing
our internal IT staff, Marcus said.
As Gettry Marcus looks toward
the future, it makes sure employees
receive well-rounded training and are
focused on a career path.
It is of the utmost importance that
in addition to technical skills, our
training is focused on developing the
interpersonal skills necessary to provide consulting services and move the
firm into the future, Marcus said.

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I 5

Grassi & Co. is excited to announce the Grassi

Emerging Manager Success Program (GEMS)
With investors emphasizing infrastructure and regulators instituting
mandatory reporting practices, additional cost pressures exist while access
to information can be fragmented and
erroneous. The professionals of Grassi
& Co. realize the increasing pressures
a new fund manager can face and instituted the GEMS Program as a way to
provide emerging managers access to
the services they require at launch, and
during their initial growth stages
maximizing their potential for success.
Heading up this new initiative is
a new addition to the Firm, Brenda
Mauro, Director in the Financial Services Practice. With over 17 years of
experience in the Alternative Investment Services Industry, Brenda has
a significantly focused background in
alternative investments, dealing with
hedge funds, funds of hedge funds,
private equity, and family offices and
service providers to the financial community.
Grassi & Co.s Gems Program offers
flexible packages that afford fund
managers the ability to collaborate
with and engage distinguished industry professionals in the accounting,
assurance, administration, tax, legal,

banking, prime brokerage, marketing

and consulting arenas.
Our GEMS Program services include:

Success Leadership For Start-Ups

Consult with Gems Program Specialist
Fee Structure Reviews
Ppm and other Agreement Reviews
Assurance
Audited Financial Statements
Performance Reporting Examinations
Procedure Reporting
Tax
Investor K-1 Preparation
Tax Planning On Investment Transactions
Prepare Tax Returns for Investment
Entities, Management Entities and General
Partner/Managing Members
Provision of Tax Estimates for Investors
Assist in Asc 740 (Fin 48)
Federal and State Residency Reporting
Liaise with Auditors
Compliance
Initial Registrations
Various Risk Reporting
Fund Administration (Offered through
Grassi Fund Administration Services, Inc.
(Gfas))
Maintain Books and Records Utilizing
Advent Geneva
Financial Statement Preparation
Cash and Portfolio Reconciliation
Computation of Performance Returns
Treasury Services
Full Investor Services Program
Including Subscriptions, Redemptions And

Allocations Utilizing Advent World Investor

Gems Program Partners
Accounting And Tax Professionals
Attorneys
Prime Brokers
Bankers And Custodians
Technology Platforms
Third Party Marketers
Incubators And Seeders

For more information about our gems

program success packages, contact:
Brenda M. Mauro
Director Financial Services Practice
at Grassi & Co., (212) 223-1701,
Bmauro@Grassicpas.com
Grassi & Co. is a premier professional services organization specializing in accounting, auditing, tax,
technology, and business consulting.
Grassi & Co. was ranked the 17th
largest Accounting Firm in New York
by Crains New York and the 7th largest by Long Island Business News.
It was also ranked the 73rd largest
in the U.S. by Accounting Today and
the 74th largest by INSIDE Public
Accounting. They have offices in Manhattan, Long Island and Rockland
County, NY as well as internationally
through its association with Moore
Stephens International. Grassi & Co.

Brenda M. Mauro
specializes in professional services
for the Not-for-Profit, Construction,
Architecture & Engineering, Financial Services, Life Sciences, Manufacturing & Distribution, Retail, Technology, Media & Telecommunication,
Transportation, Energy & Natural
Resources, and Healthcare industries,
among others.

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July 8 - 14, 2016 I LIBN.COM

Nawrocki Smith LLP 30 years

Experience, accountability and commitment thats what defines Nawrocki Smith LLP.
Nawrocki Smith LLP is a public
accounting firm based in Melville,
and is comprised of over 50 professionals and support staff. The firm
services a diverse clientele and
provides a broad range of services,
including Due Diligence, Insurance
Claim Consulting, Internal Audit,
Compliance and Fraud Prevention,
among many other services.
Thirty years ago, our mission was
simple The best people serving the
best clients with the highest level of
quality service, all in an environment
of mutual respect. This mission could
apply to any business, but was most
appropriate for a public accounting
firm being born out of the worlds largest accounting firm at the time. Thirty
years later, our mission has served us
well as weve organically grown into
one of the largest Long Island based
CPA firms from scratch. Our culture
is unique, as just about every one of
our associates has been hired right
out of college and carefully trained
and nurtured throughout their career.
Our recruiting focus was not on the
top students, but good students who
worked their way through college and
learned important life skills that
you dont learn in a classroom. Waiters, waitresses, cashiers, gas station
attendants, deli managers, retail
store salespeople, coupled with great
accounting educations from Long

Nawrocki Smith at this years Mets Opening

Day as part of our 30th year celebration.
Island colleges and careful training
and development from within our firm
have resulted in a competent, service
oriented team of professionals that
are unparalleled on Long Island. This
formula has proved tremendously
successful with our clients, many of
whom have been with us since the beginning. A careful acceptance process
has yielded a people oriented clientele, which is a pleasure to serve and
has provided a continuous stream of
referrals over the years, resulting in
our steady growth.
What makes Nawrocki Smith LLP
stand out from the rest is not only
our professional expertise, but our
overt friendliness and caring attitude
towards clients. We pledge to create
an environment that will cause each
of our clients to view us as a trusted
business advisor. Were proud of our
rich history and very thankful to our
wonderful clients and dedicated staff.
Despite the tremendous changes in
our profession over the past thirty
years, there has been one constant
that public accounting will always be a
people business.

Nussbaum Yates Berg Klein

& Wolpow, LLC
Nussbaum Yates Berg Klein
& Wolpow, LLP is a leading
accounting firm uniquely positioned to provide a wide range
of services to middle-market
businesses and high-networth individuals. Our depth
of experience is complemented by years of building close
client relationships. Through
our boutique philosophy and
hands-on management style,
our firm delivers auditing, tax,
and business advisory services effectively and efficientlya process driven by our
senior-level partners who are
directly involved with each of
our clients.

forth that often occurs when

working with more bureaucratic firms.

Senior Professionals
Delivering Personal Service
Our clients see their projects
move quickly, with fewer hours
logged because each account
is managed by a senior professional at the firm. Our accounting experts leverage their experience to make our team more
nimble and responsive to client
interests, avoiding mistakes
and the unnecessary back-and-

A Culture of Collaboration
Nussbaum Yates Berg Klein
& Wolpow, LLP partners draw
upon a wealth of expertise,
gained from participation in
the industry and from within
the firm. Our commitment
to our collaborative culture
has allowed us to foster longterm relationships with our
clients, building our businesses
together.

Closer Relationships and

Deeper Industry Experience
Many of our partners and
professionals have worked at
the firm for decades, developing close meaningful relationships and seamless rapport
with clients and colleagues.
Our teams shared experiences and close-knit structure is
what enables us to serve our
clients efficiently, anticipating
and often surpassing client
expectations.

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Securing Space in Technology

Sanders, Thaler, Viola & Katz, LLP,
a full-service accounting firm located in
Jericho and Manhattan, is fine-tuning
how it serves its clients as it prepares
to move into cloud-based software, enter social media and launch an internal
mentorship program.
The firm, which offers a variety of
tax and financial planning services for
corporations, individuals and entertainers, has begun a four-year rollout
into cloud software.
We already moved our Tax Planner
software programs over to the cloud,
last year, and it seems to be working
very well, said Scott Sanders, CPA,
PFS, CGMA, CFP, CFS, managing
partner. We are working to move
two major programs into the cloud in
January our Practice Management
program and Work Flow program.
Next year, we will also start moving
over to where all of the firms files will
go into a document program. We will
continue following with moving our
tax programs and then, the year after
that we will move our audit program
over to the cloud.
By providing full cloud technology, clients will have easy access to
all of their files 24/7 and all of these
programs work with our secure client
portal, which is also on the cloud,
Sanders said.

Over the next six months, the firm

will also be developing its connection
into Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
The firms Facebook account will keep
up with internal news about its staff and
office developments; and LinkedIn will
connect the firm to businesses and individuals as it posts tax law updates, its
specialty services and their newsletters
to inform LinkedIn members.
The firm is also excited to enter
the Twitter audience to connect with
Millennials who are very active in this
medium, Sanders stated.
The firm is also in the process of setting up an intern/mentoring program
where its entire team from directors/
managers to juniors are paired together in an effort to provide personal
and professional guidance. Everyone
at the firm, and there are about 38 of
us in total, has someone they can look
up to, someone to guide them if they
have questions, said Sanders.
The firm also provides summer
training programs and we are training
our staff for some of the more complicated topics that come up for our clients so they are well-prepared through
our in-house seminar programs,
Sanders explained.
All of these developments are just
some of the exciting things going on at
Sanders Thaler Viola & Katz, LLP.