Page 22 - BusinessWest May 15, 2023

explained. “Whereas, Joseph Kalicka and Co. didn’t have as much summer work, so that was a good fit. Meanwhile, Joseph Kalicka and Co. had a lot of work in the construction and real-estate indus- tries, so it was just clear that we would be stronger together.”
Kalicka agreed. “We decided that it had been 50 years since we’ve been competing against each other and we’d both do better
if we merged,” he explained. “It’s worked great; it’s helped us to survive different challenges. We’ve been around for a long time and have been approached by several bigger firms to merge and have turned them down.”
D’Agostino, who joined the Kalicka firm in 1995, noted that there were several young partners with that firm at the time, a core of leadership that appealed to those at Meyers Brothers and made a merger even more attractive.
“The opportunity to make the firm stronger, work on some bigger accounts, and have a good nucleus of young partners — those were all driving forces in the merger,” he noted. “And the culture was very similar.”
The firm that emerged from that merger is now the largest accounting firm based in Western Mass., with more than 60 employ- ees. And that size brings with it several advantages, said the part- ners, including the ability to attract young talent, a challenge that has only grown in size and scope in recent years as competition for talent grows and the need for young leaders to replace retiring Baby Boomers increases.
MBK serves individuals, privately held businesses, family and independent businesses, and not-for-profit organizations in Western Mass. and well beyond. Services include taxation, accounting, audit- ing, and business-advisory work. The client list is deep and diverse, and it reflects the many business sectors served and the niches the company has developed. That client list includes Peter Pan Bus Lines, the Springfield Thunderbirds, the construction firm Fontaine Bros., the nonprofit agencies Square One and Mental Health Assoc., and small to mid-sized businesses such as New England Dermatol- ogy and Tyler Equipment Corp.
As they talked about what makes MBK different, and successful, the partners used different words and phrases, but essentially said
it comes to down to people — those at all levels of the organization. “I’ve always felt that the strength of our firm is the people here,”
Cheney said. “It’s a collaborative effort. People work really well together; we’ve got a lot of smart people who work hard. From the top down and the bottom up, everybody works as a team.”
Drzal Houghton agreed. “We believe here that it’s family first,” she said. “Our clients think of us as family, and I think it’s just that whole feeling ... the clients feel it, the employees feel it. And it really makes us different — we care about every member of our team and every client, like family.”
As they look ahead, the partners again spoke with one voice as they talked about the priorities moving forward and what will be needed for this firm to thrive for another 75 years.
Remaining an independent firm at a time when mergers remain the order of the day and the partners field calls from private-equity firms about acquisition on a regular basis is an important goal — and also a major challenge, said those we spoke with.
“We’d like to remain independent; it’s a tough fight to stay inde- pendent, but it’s worth it because it benefits the clients,” D’Agostino said. “We make the decisions here, the philosophy that the client comes first — we can keep that. We all have to follow the same reg- ulations, but we like to make sure we are doing things responsibly and really know our clients.”
Drzal Houghton agreed. “We definitely want to stay indepen- dent,” she said. “In the industry, there have been a lot of mergers; a lot of private equity is trying to buy firms, but we have worked very hard to be independent, and we want to give that opportunity to our rising stars.”
Crunching the Numbers
MBK’s partners told BusinessWest that, years ago, the firm’s leadership team would conduct an annual two-day retreat to discuss matters and set in place a strategic plan for the future.
Now, they stage four- to five- hour strategy sessions every six to seven weeks. The short- er, more frequent sessions are
MBK
Continued on page 24
“I’ve always felt that the strength of our firm is the people here. It’s a collaborative effort. People work really well together; we’ve got a lot of smart people who work hard. From the top down and the bottom up, everybody works as a team.”
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