Media Advisory
October 26, 2006
Contact:
Leigh Magadanz
Kirkland, Russ, Murphy & Tapp, P.A.
(727) 572-1400 ext. 303
Kirkland, Russ, Murphy & Tapp, P.A. Celebrates 15 Years
ST. PETERSBURG - Kirkland, Russ, Murphy & Tapp, P.A. is celebrating their 15th year anniversary. The firm was formed in August 1991. Jack Kirkland, Sr. Tax Manager from KPMG (10 years) and Jim Brakeman, Sr. Audit Manager from KPMG (8 years) set up shop in a small office on 62nd Avenue, in St. Petersburg, which was shared with another CPA firm. Jack hired the first employee, Rhonda Winkle, who is also celebrating her 15th year anniversary.
In 1992 Andy Russ joined the firm as Audit Shareholder, after 11 years with KPMG. Andy had been a Sr. Audit Manager at KPMG. In the same year, Bruce Murphy left KPMG after 8 years, where he had been a Sr. Audit Manager and joined KRMT as an Audit Shareholder. During this time, the firm relocated to a small suite of offices in the AmSouth building on Feather Sound Drive, in Clearwater. At this point they had a total staff of 7, including shareholders. In 1994, Bill Tapp, a Tax Partner at KPMG joined the firm as a Tax Shareholder. Paul Dunham also left KPMG after 5 ½ years to join the firm as a Tax Manager, which was now Kirkland, Brakeman, Russ, Murphy & Tapp, P.A. The total staff was 13, including shareholders.
The firm continued to grow and in 1996 Steve Grove left Ernst & Young and joined the firm as a Tax Manager. In 1998, Jim Brakeman left the firm to pursue other interests. The firm name was changed to Kirkland, Russ, Murphy and Tapp, P.A. In 2001, Dan Johnson joined the firm as a Sr. Audit Manager after 10 years of service with Arthur Andersen. At this point the staff, including shareholders, had grown to 35 full time associates. In 2002, Steve Grove and Paul Dunham became Tax Shareholders and in 2005 Dan Johnson became an Audit Shareholder.
“We are extremely proud of where our firm has come from fifteen years ago to where we are today. When the four named shareholders all left KPMG Peat Marwick to start this firm, we never dreamed that we would become the 9th largest accounting firm in the Tampa Bay area so quickly nor that would we be recognized as a TBBJ “Employer of Choice” organization so quickly,” said Bill Tapp, Managing Shareholder of KRMT.
In celebration of our 15th year anniversary, we are hosting an Open House reception in our office on November 2nd from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Guests will be invited to tour the office and spend time with shareholders and staff members. The staff will present a $10,000 check to The Children’s Home during the Open House event. These funds were raised by staff and shareholders during the past few months as part of a firm wide community service project.
KRMT is a Tampa Bay professional services firm providing assurance, tax, financial advisory and consulting services to private and publicly traded businesses. As an independent member of the BDO Seidman Alliance, KRMT leverages a global network of resources to serve clients through more than 500 member firm offices in 95 countries and over 100 locations in its U.S. distribution network. KRMT’s culture is driven by core values of Integrity, Reliability, Teamwork and Continuous Improvement. Collectively, these values translate to service leadership and quality delivered through the hands-on involvement of experienced and committed professionals. For more information visit www.KRMTCPA.com.
KRMT’s office is located at 13577 Feather Sound Drive, Suite 400, Clearwater, FL 33762. To contact them, call (727) 572-1400.
