When I first called Phil Whitman he told me that he would either send me nothing or deals and partners that would work. Phil has been true to form. His knowledge of the marketplace and network reach is so extensive that I often wonder if there is anyone he doesn't know. Over the past three years, Phil has become not only a valued business partner, but a friend and confidant.
Lou Grassi Managing Partner Grassi & Co., CPAs
Phil facilitated a leadership retreat for our firm over a two day period, a retreat that all involved deemed to be very successful. His objective approach and style in facilitating the discussions enabled us to address and resolve topics that often cannot be addressed without an independent facilitator. Our retreat with Phil jumpstarted several strategic initiatives that have resulted in significant, measurable improvements to the firm, both operational as well as financial.
John D. Geraci, CPA, MST Partner LitmanGerson & Associates, LLP Woburn, MA
After working with several M&A consultants, it is refreshing to actually see one who earns his fees, as opposed to being just a referral source, whose total involvement is ”call this firm” and “how did it go?”
Jeffrey A. Getzel, CPA CFF - Managing Partner Getzel Schiff & Pesce LLP
Phil possesses all the qualities one could expect from a great recruiter. Phil turned what I thought was going to be a stream of interviews into an EXPERIENCE! He met with me, listened to what was important to me and selected a handful of firms that matched my personality and professional ambition. Phil then made introductions and facilitated meetings with Managing Partners of top-notch public accounting firms. One of the Managing Partners I met with described Phil as “one of the few nice guys in his profession”. Phil was professional and trustworthy. It’s easy to understand how Phil is such a successful consultant to the profession. Besides the great opportunity that he introduced me to, he provided invaluable business coaching and, I also gained a friend along the way.
Joseph Puglisi, CPA, Partner, Citrin Cooperman
Phil’s presentation on “The Four Pillars of a World Class Firm” offered practical insights for IAPA members seeking to strengthen their performance and market position. His energetic delivery addressed key issues facing firms in running a successful business and growing their client base in the face of internal and external pressures. Challenged to assess their firms’ success rate in maximising trust, communication, alignment of goals and accountability, delegates came away with a raft of realistic strategies to achieve change.
Susan Humphry Chief Executive Officer | IAPA
Mr. Whitman brought a positive and powerful energy to our event that helped set the tone for the rest of the day. I would not hesitate in having Phil return as one of our speakers, as he takes the time and effort to cater his material to the audience in a way that is engaging and educational.
Adam Crowson CEO North America GGI | Geneva Group International
Thanks again for everything Phil. If you've ever had those moments where you wonder whether or not what you do matters, I'm here to tell you: Your work matters! I'll never be able to fully explain how grateful I am for the guidance and counsel you gave me during those couple weeks, along with the introductions you made to all the firms. Our family would not be in the position we find ourselves today if I hadn't met you. More than that, you helped me find a way to ensure my father's legacy will continue for years to come. And that means a great deal to me personally. Bottom line - thank you.
Phil Whitman accomplished more for me in 2 days than other consultants did in 6 months. Phil's vast knowledge of the industry and his far reaching network are unique and impressive. Phil is a true professional and tireless worker.
Michael Kaufman Director of Tax | New York, NY
Phil we can’t thank you enough for your role in this. You are fantastic to work with and our partner group appreciative!!
Ed Guttenplan Managing Partner | Wilkin & Guttenplan, P.C.
Phil has become an essential strategic partner to our merger and acquisition and recruiting activities.
Bill Hagaman, CEO Withum Smith + Brown
I want to thank you for the help and counseling you provided me during my recent search. You quickly analyzed my strengths and positioned me in a confidential and professional manner. And best of all, landed me at a great firm. It has been a pleasure working with you.
Peter D. Baum Partner | O'Connor Davies, LLP
We have invited Phil along to 2 or 3 of our conferences because he consistently provides thought-provoking ideas in an entertaining and professional manner. And his “pitch” really does vary with the audience – our Managing Partner group gets a different approach and level of guidance compared to that needed by the less experienced future leaders of our member firms.
Phil is regularly rated by our delegates as one of the highlights of our conferences.
Alan Bezzant, Chief Executive Officer Russell Bedford International
Over the past three years, it has been an absolute pleasure to work with Phil and his team. During a crucial time in my career, Phil helped me make key decisions. During this process, he was open to all of my concerns including family and location considerations. He was instrumental in every step of the process including the identification of legal assistance concerning several matters. Since, then Phil and I have had a great working relationship as he continues to help me and my firm grow our practice. Phil is incredibly knowledgeable about the accounting industry, and his team of experts are all a pleasure to work with.
Chris Vignone, Principal Prager Metis CPAs, LLC
Phil has tremendous insight and connections in the CPA profession. Phil and WBA take a stake in advancing the careers of their clients. A truly professional and highly ethical team.
Keith Peterka, CPA Marks Paneth
Kim was great to work with. She listened to my needs and analyzed my skills to match me with a great firm that was also a great fit. Relocating is very stressful and Kim helped make the job search step of my transition stress free!
D.C. ~ successfully connected candidate
Kim was great to work with. She listened to my needs and analyzed my skills to match me with a great firm that was also a great fit. Relocating is very stressful and Kim helped make the job search step of my transition stress free!
D.C.
Phil helped us accomplish the difficult Challenge of retiring a senior partner. What we thought would be a long arduous process of multiple meetings and difficult negotiations, Phil helped us conclude in a single meeting. His process was extraordinary!Mark Curcio, Managing Partner Curcio Wieselthier Cohen
Whitman Business Advisors was very instrumental in helping me identify the right opportunity for me. The insight, guidance and coaching provided by David and Phil was invaluable. For anyone considering a new opportunity to advance their career, I strongly recommend David, Phil and the WBA team. They are simply the best and an absolute pleasure to work with!
Joseph Bittner, Director, Educational Development WeiserMazars LLP
Whitman Business Advisors guided me through my entire search. Phil and Dave were honest, professional, and counseled me well. I would not have succeeded without them. They are the best in what they do. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/spiro-leunes-82553590)Spiro Leunes, Coaching Client
Words cannot begin to describe how grateful we are to have had you present at our CPA Summit today. To take time from your busy schedule, during the busiest time of year is beyond appreciated! The summaries at the end of the meeting today were littered with quotes and takeaways from your panel discussion; to say you made an impact would be a big understatement. You exceeded our high expectations and helped make this day very memorable for my entire sales team and I am truly grateful! I look forward to connecting with you guys in the very near future.
Brad Katz | Divisional Vice President- NorthEast ADP Small Business Services
Whitman Business Advisors are a one of a kind firm. After months of searching through the industry and feeling like I had to choose the lesser of evils, WBA opened my eyes to an entire world of possibilities and opportunities. They know their clients well, they know how to measure opportunities well, and they know what constitutes a successful fit. They have a deep, thorough and refreshing way of proceeding. In over a decade of experience, I have not met as thorough professionals as David and Philip. They know how to make opportunities happen, including a successful merger for me. One comes across people like them only a few times in a lifetime.
Julio M Jimenez, Esq. Jimenez Tax Law Firm, PLLC New York, NY
I had three recruiters do nothing for me until I met Kim. Within 12 hours I had three interviews lined up and 10 days later accepted an offer that exceeded my expectations. Kim listened to what I wanted and delivered immediately. She knows her industry as a former auditor herself and is a highly effective communicator. Kim delivers plain and simple.
William T. McCallum
"Our relationship with Transition Advisors has been a key to the development and growth of our firm. We have worked with them for nearly twenty years and have seen our firm nearly triple in size. Joel Sinkin and Terry Putney have brought a unique combination of experience and professionalism to our relationship. I appreciate the fact that they always take the long view of potential transactions and seek the best result for all concerned. They have helped us position ourselves as an attractive firm to merge into as well as assisting in aligning expectations. There is no problem big or small that they cannot provide great advice."
Jeffery Mowery Mowery & Schoenfeld, LLC
"Almost 10 years ago we first started working with Joel Sinkin for the right way to merge a new partner into our firm. That led to working with Joel and his team to restructure our partner agreement. Transition Advisors has and continues to assist us with merger opportunities. Their specialized knowledge has helped us immeasurably in making the right decisions for our firm's and partners' futures. They have truly been our go to source for anything related to partnership agreement and M & A."
Joseph Press Press Schonig Rosenthal & Company, LLP
"I started working with Transition Advisors when my firm, and our partners, were considering a new strategic direction. Joel Sinkin and Bill Carlino helped us understand the marketplace, assess our value, evaluate various deal structures, create strategies to retain clients and staff, and identify merger candidate firms that would provide us with what we needed. We were seeking back up, support, professional & financial growth, and long term succession for our partners as well as a secure future for our staff and clients. Through the relationship we developed with Transition Advisors we were able to meet all of our objectives and merge with a well-respected firm with the utmost quality and integrity. I highly recommend Transition Advisors as a solution for firms seeking help with M & A and succession issues."
Bob Goldfarb Janover, LLC
"Transition Advisors has been a valuable resource for our firm for several years. Our relationship with them started with a firm retreat where they assisted us in developing a plan for long term partner succession, new partner admission, and growth through M & A. Subsequently they identified a firm that was perfectly suited to strengthen our client base in a niche industry we serve. They were instrumental in helping us successfully close that transaction providing hands on support for deal structure, valuation, due diligence, negotiations and a transition plan."
James C. Kokolas Calibre CPA Group PLLC
"Our firm is nearing the time when several partners will soon be retiring. Since this is a new experience for our firm we began to take a look at our existing agreements and decided that changes were in order. Because partners have different objectives for their retirement we soon reached an impasse on several key issues. We were at a point where progress had stopped and the path forward was not clear. Transition Advisors was able to come into the process at this point, assess the current positioning of the firm, discuss various points of view with each partner individually and as a group and in the end offer solutions that all of the partners could agree on. Having Transition Advisors, an outside, knowledgeable, independent and unbiased third party come into our process in my opinion was the best move we could have made and allowed our firm to develop employment and shareholder agreements that solidify the financial future of the firm while rewarding the partners upon retirement in a financially responsible manner. This was a fantastic experience for our firm and we will be calling upon Transition Advisors in the future."
Tom Self Self, Maples & Copeland, P.C.
