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One of the largest and most established tax and accounting firms in Sarasota-Bradenton, Kerkering, Barberio & Co., has taken a shot at expansion in a bigger market: Tampa.
“We see an opportunity there to grow in our specialty areas,” Kerkering, Barberio Managing Shareholder Rob Lane tells Coffee Talk. “We find ourselves having more and more contact up there. It's a natural move.”
It's also somewhat unusual, in that professional services firms often come from Tampa south, to expand in Sarasota and Bradenton — not the other way. Several law firms, accounting firms and engineering firms have made the move south of the Skyway in recent years, sometimes through a merger or acquisition.
Yet Lane says growth to Tampa, not through an acquisition but from launching a new office with additional personnel, fits the firm's entrepreneurial nature. Kerkering, Barberio, founded in 1972, has 125 employees spread through three divisions: one is a CPA entity; another unit is for customized wealth management; and a third segment focuses on retirement planning and administration for other businesses. Its largest office is in downtown Sarasota, and it has a second office in east Manatee County, in Lakewood Ranch.
The firm initially intended to focus on health care clients in Tampa, one of its primary areas of business. But Lane says there has been a steady stream of potential work in all the areas the firm handles over the past few months, including businesses, nonprofits and individuals. Says Lane:
“We are seeing a greater demand for our services.”
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