Industry Professional services Website www.bkd.com Number of employees 2,250 | Key people Ted Dickman, CEO Revenue 475 million USD (2014) Founded 2 January 1923 | |
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Services Audit & Assurance
Tax
Consulting
Accounting Outsourcing CEO Theodore D. Dickman (1 Jun 2012–) Headquarters Springfield, Missouri, United States Type of business Limited Liability Partnership Profiles | ||
Bkd llp
BKD, LLP, formerly Baird, Kurtz & Dobson, is one of the largest U.S. accounting and advisory firms, providing consulting, tax, assurance and accounting outsourcing solutions to businesses, government entities, not-for-profit organizations and individuals.
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Services
BKD is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, and has 34 offices in 15 states and serves clients in all 50 states. In 2014, the firm reported revenues of $475 million and approximately 2,250 personnel, including roughly 260 partners.
BKD, LLP offers advisory, assurance, and tax services including state and local tax, international tax, real estate cost segregation, transfer pricing, wealth management, employee benefit plans, valuation services, business transition services, and information technologies. The firm works with clients in the construction, real estate, healthcare, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, retail, transportation sectors.
Early History
In 1922, three men—William Baird, Wade Kurtz and Claire Dobson—decided to start their own firm with offices in Kansas City and Joplin, Missouri, after the disbandment of the Montgomery Firm, where the three had been employed. On January 2, 1923, the men took the $1,700 they had in the bank and opened their business: Baird, Kurtz & Dobson.
Initially, the firm looked to expand to St. Louis and Chicago, but the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent Great Depression curtailed growth, forcing the firm to build its clientele and reputation in Kansas City and Joplin.
After World War II, a growth period began. A third office opened in Springfield, Missouri, in July 1948, and a uranium boom led the firm to purchase a tax practice in Grand Junction, Colorado.
The 1960s represented a period of significant change. In 1964, the firm drafted its formal partnership agreement, which still exists today. The passage of the Medicare Act in 1965 led the firm to focus on growing its health care practice, which today constitutes the firm’s largest industry focus.
Expansion continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with the firm opening new offices in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, Nebraska and Kentucky.
Recent History
Since that time, steady growth has continued. The firm created its first wholly owned subsidiary, BKD Corporate Finance, LLC, in 1994 and passed the $100 million revenue mark in 1999. The firm created its charitable arm, the BKD Foundation, in 2000; since making its first charitable gift in February 2000, the foundation has given more than $9 million to qualifying 501(c)(3) organization. In recent years, BKD has been known to play an active role in the charities "Fighting Hunger... Feeding Hope." and the Ronald McDonald House.
The firm undertook its largest merger in 2001, combining with Olive LLP to create BKD, LLP, which was the eighth-largest U.S. accounting firm at the time. That year also marked a name change for BKD Investment Advisors, founded in 1998, to BKD Wealth Advisors, LLC.
On October 1, 2013 BKD officially acquired Malin Bergquist & Co, LLP, a firm that was previously based in Erie, Pennsylvania.
As of November 1, 2014, Wolf & Company officially became a part of BKD through the result of a merger.
In 2015, BKD launched women's initiatives, sales training that spanned the entire firm, and a national enterprise risk solutions practice.
Today, the firm claims 34 offices in 15 states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas, making it one of the largest accounting firms in the United States.
BKD is a member of the Praxity alliance, an association of global, independent accountancy, tax, business, and consulting firms. BKD is the largest member of the Praxity group from the United States. The firm's affiliation with Praxity enables interaction with international clients, as well as provides global support and resources .
In 2015, BKD was named 13th on the list of the Top 100 Firms published by Accounting Today. Additionally, Accounting Today also ranked BKD as the #1 firm in the Midwest Region.