To buy or not to buy a business – that is the question Jason Rader often faces.
As a partner of BKD LLP and a regional leader in its financial services group, Rader has found himself advising clients whether to buy a competitor, remain independent or consider a merger.
“I have regular dialogue with the CEOs and (chief financial officers) of my clients, including some of the larger regional banks with locations in southwest Missouri,” Rader says.
In a financial sector where merger and acquisition activity has been heavy, strategy plays a big role and so then does understanding the inner workings of a client’s business plan.
With 25 years under his belt at the firm, Rader has worked with hundreds of BKD clients, from large banks to small financial service firms. And government regulations impact them all. Rader is right there, too – whether it’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
“I also have assisted our banking clients in dealing with regulatory issues that have come up during their regulatory examinations,” he says. “Some of our clients do not have the expertise internally to deal with every issue that comes up, particularly from the regulatory standpoint, and we have assisted them by providing resources or pointing them in the right direction to get the resources they need.”
In his role, Rader provides accounting, audit, tax and consulting services – he’s the primary client service contact in the financial services group’s Springfield, Joplin and Branson offices. While he has supervisory responsibilities as a partner, he also handles nonfinancial statement audit engagements for financial institutions, including outsourced internal audit and directors’ examinations, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Improvement Act exams and due diligence.
“I also am a day-to-day business adviser to clients, counseling them not only on the proper accounting for complex issues they are involved with, but also in discussing with them areas of their business that could improve the efficiency of their operations,” he says.
Rader earned the partner title in 10 years at the firm. He’s responsible for the growth of BKD’s financial services teams in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado.
BKD grew firmwide revenue 7 percent in 2015 to $537.6 million – enough to retain the No. 12 spot on the IPA Top 100 U.S. firms. During the 12 months of its fiscal year ended May 31, BKD recorded $551 million in revenue.
Rader’s personal client list runs 45 deep, plus he assists with clients in the north region, and client retention has been his modus operandi.
A 1991 accounting graduate from Missouri State University, he is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants.
“I also have had the opportunity to counsel and mentor dozens of young CPAs beginning their careers in public accounting,” he says.
