07-23-12 Fiscal Affairs Committee

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serving the public company market. This will be a win for our clients, our staff and the Houston area." Larry Autrey, Managing Partner of Whitley Penn, said, "This merger will allow us to serve our current Houston -area clients with a local presence and broaden our Dallas/Fort Worth offering to include Null Lairson's statewide reputation for delivering audit and consulting services to governmental entities." Among Null Lairson's clients in North Texas are the Arlington, Lewisville and Forney independent school districts. "Together, the firm will be positioned for accelerated growth and strong client service throughout Texas and the Southwest across a broad range of industries and service offerings," Autrey said. The combined firm will focus on public and private entities in the following industries_and service lines: Employee Benefit Plans, Energy, Financial Services, Government, Healthcare, High Net Worth Individuals/Family Offices, Manufacturing/Distribution, Non Profit, Professional Services, Real Estate, Retail/Restaurant, and Technology. Services include audit, tax planning and compliance, risk management and process improvement, litigation support and fraud investigations, consulting, business and asset valuations, financial services and bookkeeping. "This is a perfect fit," Autrey said. "While having some duplication in practice areas, each firm can also bring more to its clients. Null-Lairson's expertise in public sector work is needed in the Dallas/ Ft Worth area and we are pleased to provide it. We are also delighted to now offer our clients an office presence in Houston." Both firms have been recognized by Accounting Today as "Best Accounting Firms in the U. S. to Work For" and Whitley Penn was recognized in 2011 by Inside Public Accounting as the "Best Managed Firm in the U.S.", the only firm to be recognized for the lastl0 years. While revenue growth in the industry averaged one percent during 2011, Whitley Penn grew revenues 17 percent.