BKD celebrates 80th year

|tab|

by Jill Henry|ret||ret||tab|

SBJ Intern|ret||ret||tab|

sbj@sbj.net|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

BKD LLP, a Springfield-based public accounting firm, celebrates its 80th year in business this year.|ret||ret||tab|

"We're proud to have been part of the Springfield business community," said Bill Kirkman, partner in charge of BKD's southern Missouri practice which includes area offices in Branson, Joplin Springfield, and Pittsburg, Kan. Kirkman has been with the firm for 33 of those years. "BKD's integrity and our reputation are a tribute to the hundreds of dedicated employees who have staffed our office here and called Springfield home."|ret||ret||tab|

The firm's Springfield office, established in 1948, now employs 145. The company's southern Missouri practice employs about 225 people. BKD LLP operates from 26 locations in 11 states, with a total of approximately 1,500 personnel.|ret||ret||tab|

Kirkman estimates the Southern Missouri practice takes care of 7,000 clients with the Springfield office serving half of those clients. BKD provides tax, assurance, accounting outsourcing and consulting services to individuals, businesses, governmental entities and not-for-profit organizations.|ret||ret||tab|

Originally specializing in Kansas City's grain and milling industries and Joplin's mining industry, the firm has diversified to include health care, manufacturing and distribution, government, not-for-profit organizations, financial institutions, construction, real estate and retail.|ret||ret||tab|

"The history of public accounting was doing audits only and tax returns," Kirkman said. "We still do those same things today, but as a result of all the expertise and business knowledge that people gain, we do a lot of other services for clients."|ret||ret||tab|

Those services include wealth management, information technology, ownership succession and mergers/acquisitions.|ret||ret||tab|

Subsidiaries of BKD LLP include BKD Financial LLC, which provides corporate finance services; BKD Wealth Advisors LLC, an investment advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and Mazars Central LLC, which provides assurance, tax and consulting services to French companies with specific U.S. business interests. |ret||ret||tab|

BKD encourages employees to enrich their communities by volunteering their time to local causes. In addition, BKD Foundation, a charitable subsidiary of the accounting firm, has contributed more than $180,000 to area charities and not-for-profit organizations including Breast Cancer Foundation, Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.|ret||ret||tab|

"The Springfield community has been good for BKD, and we are pleased that our foundation provides a meaningful way for the firm to give back to Springfield," Kirkman said. "We plan to continue to be an active business member for the years to come."|ret||ret||tab|

[[In-content Ad]]