AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apple Growth Partners (AGP), award-winning accounting and business advisory firm, proudly announces three staff appointments and three new hires to expand its shared services and tax team.
Steve Mazza, CPA, has been promoted to principal in the tax department. Beginning his career as an intern with AGP, Mazza has continuously grown in his tax expertise and client services for nearly 10 years. Mazza specializes in tax planning and preparation, business consulting, mergers and acquisitions, trust and estate planning, and bookkeeping. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration/Accounting degree from The University of Akron and is actively involved in the University of Akron School of Accountancy Junior Advisory Board. He volunteers his time to United Way and FETCH Akron. Mazza is also a member of Apple Growth Partners’ Charitable Giving Fund committee.
Brittany White has been promoted to senior director of marketing. For nearly three years, White has transformed the marketing department and advertising campaign delivery for the firm, including significant expansion across social media channels, website redesign, and content strategy and execution, resulting in direct contact with prospects and clients. White managed the communications for the firm’s COVID-19 Response Team in 2020, creating email notifications, social media posts, and website updates around the clock for business owners. Advancing her marketing skillset, White received certification from Syracuse University S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications for Advanced Social Media Strategy and Training in January of last year. White has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Ashland University and a Master of Management from the University of Phoenix.
Leif Erickson, CPA, MTax, has been named director of tax, in addition to his principal appointment in fall of 2020. Erickson will lead the tax department, including staff scheduling, hiring, onboarding, mentoring, project management, and problem-solving.
Along with internal promotions, AGP has recently welcomed three additional professionals to benefit the professional services firm’s growth trajectory.
David Garrett has been named chief information officer. As a product development and information technology executive specializing in high-growth startups and small businesses, Garrett has more than 20 years of experience designing, developing, and managing business critical applications and infrastructure. He has over a decade of experience working at a strategic level, leading global teams in local, remote, and hybrid models. Garrett will lead AGP’s information technology team, including supporting the firm remotely and scaling to a work from anywhere strategy. He is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management.
Brittany Williams has been hired as senior director, project management office. Williams is a seasoned project manager with more than a decade of experience designing and implementing multi-disciplinary initiatives in the public and private sectors. She is skilled at empowering and aligning teams to execute strategic priorities and consistently identifies ways to accomplish complex projects creatively to provide meaningful support to her clients and stakeholders. In her most recent role with Destination Cleveland, Northeast Ohio’s regional destination marketing and management organization, she was internally and externally focused on large-scale projects, ranging from operations and finance to conference planning and community initiatives. Williams was also the Cleveland 2016 Host Committee senior project manager, the nonpartisan, non-profit organization responsible for funding, planning, and hosting the successful 2016 Republican National Convention. Williams is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University and received her Master of Arts from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. In this new role for AGP, Williams will provide structure and oversight of strategic-level projects to deliver alignment in resources, talent, and priorities.
Jenifer Hamilton, CPA, MSA, joins the tax team as a senior manager. Hamilton is an experienced CPA, having established her career dedicated to public accounting for more than 14 years. She specializes in tax returns, gift tax returns, and financial statement preparation. Hamilton’s client services go above and beyond annual tax planning as she strategizes year-long with companies to identify opportunities for cost savings while consistently meeting deadlines. Hamilton has helped clients grow their businesses by obtaining financing, increasing the accuracy of quarterly income projects to avoid underpayment penalties, and partners with owners to develop business plans. She holds both a Bachelor of Accounting and a Master of Science in Accounting from Kent State University. While at Kent State University, Hamilton was the Honors College newsletter editor and participated in fundraising events for the Honors College student council.
“Our firm has a solid strategic growth plan over the next ten years, and the first priority is to expand our talent, including internal promotions,” comments Chuck Mullen, chairman. “The recent appointments for Steve, Brittany White, and Leif demonstrate the exceptional professionals within our firm that continue to do their best work every day. And by welcoming David, Brittany Williams, and Jenifer, we’re focused on attracting and retaining the best talent to join our award-winning team.”
About Apple Growth Partners Apple Growth Partners is an award-winning accounting and business advisory firm with more than 75 years of helping grow local businesses. With offices in Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and Kent, AGP offers a full range of services, including audit and assurance, tax planning and compliance, business valuation, litigation consulting, employee stock ownership plans, and transaction advisory services. To learn more, visit www.applegrowth.com.
###
Brittany White Apple Growth Partners [email protected]