Russell Bedford Austin Firm, PMB Helin Donovan, Merges with Houston-based CPA Practice

LONDON, ENGLAND, March 10, 2011 (Press-News.org) PMB Helin Donovan LLP, a member of the Russell Bedford CPA network and one of the largest accounting firms in the Austin, Texas region has merged with a 33-year-old Houston firm, McEvoy & Co. The union takes effect immediately and the combined practice will operate under the PMB Helin Donovan name.

"This expands our footprint in one of the most vibrant and business-friendly cities in the nation," said Tom Wilkinson, CPA, managing partner of PMB Helin Donovan. "We performed a great amount of due diligence before determining our firms would meld well together. We're confident this will help better serve our clients and the clients of McEvoy & Co."

PMB Helin Donovan has had an emerging presence in the Houston market since opening a branch in 2006. All of McEvoy & Co.'s employees will become a part of PMB Helin Donovan, with a combined Houston presence of 20 employees.

Houston operations will be led by the partnership team of Chase McEvoy and John Thayer from McEvoy & Co. and Mickey O'Neal and David Forrest, the existing audit partners in Houston for PMB Helin Donovan. Both Chase McEvoy and John Thayer have been named partners with PMB Helin Donovan.

McEvoy & Co. was founded by Chase McEvoy in 1978, and provides tax, accounting, and business consulting services. It is highly regarded in the Houston area for its work in tax preparation and consulting to the medical and dental industries. To accommodate the growth associated with the merger, PMB Helin Donovan is expanding its office space at 3 Greenway Plaza, and will also retain the McEvoy office in the Galleria area.

"The combined firm will offer extraordinary strength in its specialty services, and an instant ability to support clients with national and international needs," said Chase McEvoy.

PMB Helin Donovan is a PCAOB-registered and inspected firm. The firm's strengths are in specialty service niches in employee benefit plan audits and internal controls, and industry niches with publicly traded companies, private companies, not-for-profit organizations in the healthcare, life sciences, technology, financial services, insurance, energy, oil and gas exploration and production industries.

With 33 CPAs and 50 professionals in the Austin office, PMB Helin Donovan ranks as Austin's second-largest locally based accounting firm, according to the Austin Business Journal's '2011 Book of Lists'. The firm has more than 100 employees in its seven offices in: Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle and Spokane. PMB Helin Donovan was recognized as one of the best places to work in 2010 by both the Austin American-Statesman and Austin Business Journal.

PMB Helin Donovan has been a member of the Russell Bedford International CPA firm association since 2002.

For further information, contact Tom Wilkinson on +1 512 258 9670. Alternatively, visit the websites at http://www.pmbhd.com and http://www.russellbedford.com .

Note to Editors

Established in 1983, Russell Bedford International is a global network of independent firms of accountants, auditors, tax advisers and business consultants.

Ranked amongst the world's leading accounting and audit networks, Russell Bedford is represented by some 460 partners, 5000 staff and 200 offices in more than 80 countries in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

All Russell Bedford affiliates are well-established firms offering international business advice and services to local and multinational clients. Most provide a full range of services comprising accounting, auditing, tax advice, general business guidance and financial consulting. In addition, many have special expertise in particular fields, such as international taxation or information technology.

In January 2008 Russell Bedford International was named one of the first 17 full members of the IFAC Forum of Firms after reporting it had implemented a globally coordinated quality assurance programme, committed to the use of International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), and met other specific ethics requirements.