Type: Press Release

LOS ANGELES — April 2, 2022 — MGO (Macias Gini & O’Connell LLP), a top-100 CPA firm and one of the fastest growing business advisory and accounting firms in the country, announced that it has combined with Bay Area-based Eckhoff & Company CPAs and Advisors (Eckhoff). Eckhoff’s team of 20-plus will join MGO and Eckhoff Managing Partner Michele Hassid will join MGO as a tax principal and lead the San Rafael office.

In addition, the Eckhoff Wealth Management practice will join MGO’s wealth management affiliate, MGO Private Wealth. Bruce Frankel, Managing Partner of Eckhoff Wealth Management, will add his extensive financial planning experience and impressive list of high-net-worth clients to MGO Private Wealth.

“With complementary service lines and a likeminded commitment to providing team members with an amazing team member experience, we’re proud to welcome Eckhoff and its team members to MGO,” said Danielle Berg, President & Chief Experience Officer at MGO. “California is a vital market for MGO’s growth and the addition of Eckhoff expands our talent and resources in the Bay Area. MGO will continue to grow through strategic combinations with leading firms across key markets in the United States.”

Allan D. Koltin, CEO of Koltin Consulting Group, who advised both firms on the merger commented, “MGO is viewed by their peers nationally as having great leadership and a really cool culture – a melting pot for ambitious talent that wants to grow professionally. They are one of the country’s fastest growing and most admired firms. Eckhoff was one of San Francisco’s most prestigious and sought after firms. They were continuously approached for a merger by other regional and national firms but loved the culture and depth of resources that MGO brought to the table.”

Founded in 1955, Eckhoff provides comprehensive tax and accounting solutions to individuals and businesses throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The wealth management business started in 2017 with the joining of Bruce Frankel.
Eckhoff’s integrity, honesty, and team-based approach puts their clients’ needs front and center. This client-first service approach, and an impressive client roster of real estate entities and high-net-worth individuals, made Eckhoff an ideal fit to join the MGO team.

“MGO quickly proved itself a likeminded partner that shares our values, our culture, and our commitment to providing world-class financial solutions,” said Michele Hassid, Eckhoff Managing Partner. “We expect a seamless transition for our clients — they will continue to receive the dedication they expect from us now with a broader range of services to successfully manage their financial future.”

With this combination, Eckhoff’s existing clients will gain access to a comprehensive suite of business and financial solutions, including assurance and advisory services, and specialty offerings like R&D tax credits, international tax, transaction advisory, and cyber and information security.

“We are excited to leverage MGO’s expansive suite of services and capabilities for our wealth management clients,” said Bruce Frankel, Eckhoff Wealth Management Managing Partner. “Our practice has always been about offering our clients more value through integrated services. With MGO, our power to provide our clients with specialty tax and advisory services increases exponentially.”

By joining MGO, Eckhoff team members gain access to new opportunities for professional development and advancement. Former Eckhoff team members will continue to operate from the Bay Area as the newest MGO office.

About MGO LLP
One of the fastest growing professional services firms in the country, MGO combines deep industry experience with well-established accounting and advisory solutions to deliver tangible results. Our clients range from global technology and life science leaders to public companies and innovative startups – from the largest government entities in the country, to the biggest names in entertainment.

MGO is ranked as one of the top CPA firms in the nation by Accounting Today and Inside Public Accounting, and the firm was awarded the ‘Best of Accounting’ designation in Client Satisfaction by the independent research firm.

MGO (Macias Gini & O’Connell LLP) is pleased to announce that three of the firm’s directors have been promoted to partner. Angel Naval, Barbara Webb, and Benjamin Lau assumed their new leadership positions effective January 1, 2022.

“We are excited to welcome these three professionals to our partnership. In just the past six months, MGO has promoted six new partners to bolster our incredible growth, illustrating our commitment to developing and growing talented people from within the firm,” said Kevin O’Connell, MGO’s CEO and managing partner. “These three professionals are all committed to the firm’s core values and have demonstrated this through the dedication and innovation they bring every day.”

Based out of Los Angeles, Angel Naval has more than 14 years of combined audit, advisory, and accounting services experience for both SEC-registered and privately held companies in a diverse array of industries. She serves businesses focused on cannabis, financial services, technology, media and entertainment, nonprofit, retail, and manufacturing. She oversees MGO’s financial accounting and advisory services West Coast practice and has been instrumental in refining its internal processes. She was recently recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the Minorities of Influence in the CPA category and is currently building MGO’s brand awareness among Filipino decision-makers in both private and public practices.

Barbara Webb co-founded MGO Chicago’s office in 2019 and continues to lead the firm’s expansion in the Midwest. She brings more than 13 years of experience as a tax advisor to clients in all phases of their enterprises. She serves the health technology, life sciences, medical manufacturing, private equity, cannabis, SaaS, and construction industries with tax planning and provides advisory services specific to the cannabis industry. She is the national cannabis tax practice leader and speaks at webinars and conferences, including the National Cannabis Industry Association.

Benjamin Lau is based out of the San Francisco Bay area and serves as a leader in the firm’s state and local government practice. He focuses on creating efficiencies in general-purpose financial statement audits to generate client financial statements with minimal trial balance entries. This methodology is now utilized in municipalities of various sizes and complexities. He has more than 18 years of experience providing auditing, accounting, and consulting services to the private and public sectors. While his primary focus is on state and local governments, he is also an active pioneer in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space and has helped to build the infrastructure of the MGO cryptocurrency services practice.

About MGO
As one of the fastest growing professional services firms in the country, MGO combines deep industry experience with well-established advisory and accounting solutions that deliver results. MGO clients range from global technology and life science leaders to public companies and innovative startup – from the largest government entities in the country, to the biggest names in sports and entertainment. MGO is ranked as one of the top CPA firms in the nation by Accounting Today and Inside Public Accounting.