At the end of October, the Kolb+Co. name will be no more.
The Brookfield-based public accounting and business advisory firm was acquired by Sikich LLP of Naperville, Ill. in August. The two companies were co-branded for the first three months.
“They had a 10 year head start on us, so it just made sense to, instead of compete with them, join them,” said Tom Luken, former president of Kolb+Co. and current partner-in-charge for Sikich’s Brookfield office. “The model is the same—to our clients, it’s the same people.”
And the name isn’t the only change. Luken expects the branch will double its size over the next five years.
There are now about 80 employees at the Brookfield branch, and Luken expects to have 150 to 175 employees by 2018.
While Kolb had just one office, there are now 11 Sikich offices across the country. In addition to audit and tax, Sikich offers technology solutions for businesses.
The merger will allow Kolb to serve additional industries, like government and agriculture, and balance its workflow throughout the year while providing value added services.
“We will take their technology expertise and build that practice up here in Milwaukee,” Luken said.
