Staff Highlights – Summer 2024

Top 200 Firm

We have again been recognized by INSIDE Public Accounting (IPA) as a Top 200 Accounting Firm in the nation! This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our exceptional professionals and visionary leadership, as we continue to pave the way for growth and success in the industry.

New Associates

We are excited to announce and welcome the following additions to our professional staff.

• Kaleigh Kroon returns to BMF as a staff accountant in our tax department. No stranger to BMF, Kaleigh previously completed two tax internships with us. She is a recent graduate of Kent State University and has been studying for the CPA exam. She is excited to be back with the team and playing on the BMF sand volleyball team. Welcome back, Kaleigh!
• Jason Liu returns to BMF as a staff accountant in our tax department. Jason is a recent graduate from The University of Akron and is studying for the CPA exam. He completed a tax internship with us in 2022 and is looking forward to working with the team again. Welcome back, Jason!
• Zach Tharpe returns to us as a staff accountant in our audit department after completing a summer internship and receiving his bachelors degree from Kent State. In his free time, he enjoys reading and hiking various local trails. He is looking forward to his full time position at BMF after having such a great intern experience over the summer.
• Cameron Owen joins us as a staff analyst in our Business Valuation and Litigation group. He received his Bachelors Degree in Finance from Kent State in December of 2023. In his free time, Cameron enjoys golfing, spending time with his four brothers and extended family, and watching any Cleveland sports game.
• Prakriti Walia joins as a supervisor in our tax department. Prakriti joins BMF after working in public accounting at a regional firm in Cleveland for the past 7 years. She currently lives in Strongsville with her family and her dog Simba. She loves the Cleveland Browns and in her free time, she enjoys gardening and painting on canvas. She’d love to visit Dubai one day, and her favorite vacation destination is Clearwater Beach, FL! She is looking forward to joining such a positive, collaborative team, and learning new and challenging work.

Staff & Community Updates

Help isn’t only defined in a business context. We encourage our teams to invest in our communities, each other and ourselves. Here are some of the ways we’re enhancing our efforts to support our local charities by continuing our roles as nonprofit agency leaders and investing in our individual growth and development.

• Rick Fedorovich was elected to the Board of Trustees for the University of Akron, selected as board-chair for OSCPA, and is the Board Chair for Cleveland BVU
• Jim Merklin has been elected board secretary for the County of Summit Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Service Board (County of Summit ADM Board), which is responsible for planning, funding, monitoring, and evaluating treatment, prevention, and support services for people who experience Substance Use Disorder and/or Mental Health Disorder. Jim has also been appointed the Chair of the 2024-2025 Greater Akron Heart Walk for the American Heart Association.
• Dana Mountjoy was chosen as an honoree for this year’s OSCPA Power of Change
• Kelly Harrington has been accepted into the OnBoard Cleveland Class of 2025, an organization focused on guiding early-career professionals to analyze and employ individual strengths to maximize contributions in both professional and civic settings.
• Kevin Patrick has been elected to the board of directors of Family Connections of Northeast Ohio, an organization that engages families with young children to nurture social connections, enhance child development and improve school readiness.

Fun in the Sun!

This summer has been anything but slow for our BMF team – check out what’s been keeping us connected these past few months:

• 2024 Akron Corporate Challenge – We were able to finish 2nd place overall this year which makes for three years in a row of a Top 2 finish for BMF! Our strongest events included volleyball (1st), softball (2nd), kickball (2nd) and tug of war (2nd)! To celebrate, we hosted a closing ceremony at Towpath Tennis Center for a little extra competition amongst ourselves.
• Summer Lunch Connections – Our team brought back our Summer Lunch Connections Campaign! This campaign serves as a way for our team to interact with colleagues in other departments who they may not interact with often and try restaurants all around Northeast Ohio.
• Career Connections – We hosted our Summer Career Connections event at Canal Park to watch the Akron RubberDucks and connect with local accounting students about careers in public accounting at BMF! From a panel discussion about our internship program to networking bingo, to casual connections during the game, a fun night was had by all! Thank you to the students for attending and asking great questions and thank you to our team for your dedication to BMF and continuing to foster that next great class of talent!
• Summer Party – A beautiful sunset at Mapleside Farms was the backdrop of BMF’s Annual Summer Party. Our team came together for an evening of live music, delicious food, and great company to celebrate 65 years in business and spend quality time with one another. Here’s to an incredible team, and an even brighter year ahead!
• Family Picnic – BMF enjoyed our annual summer picnic at Brecksville Reservation and gave us a chance to get all the kids together and spend time together as one big family.
• Annual Golf Outing – Another year, another fantastic golf outing in the books! Our team enjoyed some time to recharge together on the links at one of BMF’s favorite annual events. Be sure to check out some of our matching team outfits!