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Richard K. Babush, CPA, JD Tax Partner Babush, Neiman, Kornman & Johnson’s reputation for excellent service is due, in part, to the efforts of Dick Babush. As head of the firm’s tax department, Dick brings leadership, knowledge, and effective strategy to the complex financial matters of high net worth individuals and closely held businesses. Dick’s legal education and 40+ years of accounting experience and knowledge allow him to provide exceptional services when dealing with complex tax issues. He focuses primarily on estates and trusts, business acquisitions and dispositions, Internal Revenue Service and State Tax Authority representation, and litigation support. Dick, a founding partner, has a strong background working with clients of various industries. More recently, his client service includes professional service firms in law, healthcare, engineering and architecture. His expertise extends far beyond professional services into manufacturing, wholesale distribution, professional sports, broadcasting and cable systems. Dick is past Secretary and Trustee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and is currently a member of the Endowment Board, serving on its Investment Committee. He also serves on the Advisory Committees of Endowment for Kennesaw State University and Georgia State University. Dick is currently on the Board of Governors of the Standard Club and was recently elected Treasurer. Professionally, Dick was appointed by Governor Joe Frank Harris to the Georgia Vocational Education Task Force, the Georgia State Board of Personnel and the Georgia State Employee Benefit Plan Council, where he served as a member and Chairman for 10 years. He was also elected a Georgia delegate to the President’s White House Conference on Small Business in 1980. Throughout his career, Dick has served his profession locally as a past president and trustee of the Atlanta Tax Forum and member of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA). In addition, he is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the American Bar Association Section on Taxation. Dick earned his JD, with highest honors, at Emory University in 1963. He obtained his bachelors degree in 1960 at Youngstown University, magna cum laude. Dick is an avid golfer and has participated in many tournaments. |
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Howard F. Neiman, CPA Partner Howard’s tax and business consulting services for family and closely held business clients are recognized nationally. Howard has been named many times in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s list of Who’s Who in Finance and he was nominated and awarded The Family Firm Institute’s “Fellow Status in Family Business Advising.”
Most of Howard’s clients have been his clients for many years, and thus Howard has built a strong niche in these clients’ industries. Those industries include:
Howard has been active with the Kennesaw State University Family Business Forum since its inception in 1987. Howard is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSPCA). He has served on many national Management Services Consulting committees with the AICPA and is a past chairman of the GSCPA’s Management Services Committee. He has had articles published with the Management Consulting Division of the AICPA, and also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Kennesaw State University School of Accounting. As a 1964 graduate of the University of Georgia, Howard earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a major in accounting. |
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Bill S. Johnson, CPA Partner Bill Johnson has been providing accounting, tax and business consulting services for more than 30 years. He believes the relationship between advisors and clients should be one where the advisor understands the problems facing businesses today and assists in providing solutions. Bill combines strong communication and management skills with many years of experience to assist with these challenging decisions faced by business owners. Bill has a diverse client base and wide-ranging experience serving clients with assurance and taxation needs. Large closely-held and family business owners, real estate developers and distribution companies particularly benefit from Bill’s experience and knowledge. His core services include:
Bill has been extensively involved with company acquisitions, transitions, successions and dispositions. He has consulted many times on the structure and value of company acquisitions and sales. He joined Babush, Neiman, Kornman & Johnson in 1973. He served as managing partner for five years and marketing partner for 18 years. Bill is a native of North Carolina, and attended the University of South Carolina. |
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Chris Clayton, CPA, JD Managing Partner As Managing Partner for the firm in its fourth decade, Chris knows what it’s like to run a business. Now in his 11th year serving as Managing Partner, he has encountered many of the same planning, operations and oversight issues as many BNKJ clients do when running a business. That’s why Chris really takes a client’s success to heart, and expands his interests much further than just meeting filing deadlines. An attorney and tax partner with nearly 25 years experience, Chris is the firm’s specialist in state and local income tax and sales and use tax matters. Many large, publicly held corporations use Chris and his team to supplement their personnel for special long-term projects. Many closely held businesses choose Chris for their corporate tax planning since he has the ability to combine complex tax issues with legal points. These same organizations like the fact that Chris has experience with creating stock option plans, providing executive coaching and performing human resource management consulting. Chris works with many professional services organizations in the areas of law, medical practice, architectural, engineering and construction. He has a well-balanced background that benefits many businesses, especially those in high tech financial software, real estate management and multi-state retail distribution. Prior to joining BNKJ in 1990, Chris gained some of his tax knowledge while at Touche Ross & Company (now known as Deloitte & Touche). There for seven years he provided general consulting services and served on the national tax committee for state and local taxation. Chris holds both a BBA in Finance (1980) and Juris Doctor in Law (1983) from the University of Georgia and serves as a guest lecturer for many professional organizations such as the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA). Busy with his three young boys and his wife, Chris coaches two baseball teams and teaches Sunday school. He also enjoys many other outdoor activities such as landscaping, backpacking, tennis and golf in his spare time. |
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Barry Klein, CPA Partner in Charge of ERISA Audits With nearly 15 years experience in retirement plan audits, Barry leads BNKJ’s retirement plan audit team and has successfully created a special preplanning process for employee benefit plan audits. He has developed this niche practice area for the firm with a talented team of trained professionals, and extended BNKJ’s services to internal controls consulting. These specialized services include Department of Labor and IRS representation, internal control analysis and plan cost examination. Because Barry has extensive auditing experience, he is able to effectively and efficiently perform plan audits in a way that reduces risks associated with fiduciary responsibilities. He clearly highlights areas of exposure identified in the performance of the audits and works with clients to ensure that plans meet the specific needs of a company. Barry stays on top of developments and issues related to employee benefit plans, and is an active leader in the business community. He continues to serve on the Board of the Atlanta Chapter of American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) and is a member of Worldwide Employee Benefits Network (WEB). He is also a member of The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants. Prior to joining BNKJ in 1988, Barry gained valuable experience as a Chartered Accountant in South Africa, where he was partner in a prominent firm. He later moved to the United States and joined BNKJ’s Audit group as a Supervisor. Barry was named a BNKJ partner in 1995. He earned a Masters in Accounting from the University of South Africa. Barry and his family are sports enthusiasts, and enjoy many action-packed activities together. Barry especially likes to ride his bicycle, and often participates in charity cycling fundraisers. He also plays soccer in recreational leagues, and likes to relax by sharing fine cuisine with his clients, friends and family. |
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Jeffrey G. Olson, CPA, MTX Partner Jeff, a partner at BNKJ, has more than two decades of broad-based public accounting and business experience. Jeff’s primary practice specialty has more recently been in accounting and auditing, but he also regularly applies his deep experiences in taxation, business capital formation and finance, and general business consulting. He is particularly specialized in the commercial and residential real estate and construction industries, and has also served public companies, including several REITs, and has participated in multiple public and private offering transactions. With these multiple disciplines and abilities, Jeff takes a business advisor approach. He is focused on value creation, while also serving the financial and tax reporting needs of his clients. Jeff particularly enjoys working with privately and closely held business owners, as he is able to use his broad range of experience to provide them with sound insights that really help their businesses. This approach – knowing the client’s business and industry, reviewing financial information and then having the client’s financial statements “tell the story” in a way most useful to them – is what has kept clients loyal to Jeff and loyal to BNKJ for so many years. Prior to Jeff’s 11 years of local CPA firm experience, he was a Senior Manager with Deloitte & Touche, LLP, where he worked for 12 years. His educational background includes undergraduate degrees in both accounting and finance from the University of South Carolina, where he also earned a Masters of Taxation in 1984. Jeff is a member of the AICPA and Georgia Society of CPAs, and is particularly active in the Georgia Society’s Real Estate Section (Section Leadership Committee, Advanced Tax Group, A&A Group). He has been a guest lecturer in SEC accounting and reporting; drafted responses to AICPA Exposure Drafts and Invitations to Comment; and is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Companies (NAREC) and is a past member of NARIET. He is a long time United Way volunteer and, like many Atlantans, is an avid member of the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA) and USTA. Jeff and his wife live in Marietta, Georgia with their two daughters. |
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Stephen M. Rogut, CPA COO and Partner Stephen has been a partner since 1999 and works with many of the firm’s largest clients coordinating audits and preparing financial statements. In addition, he conducts internal control studies and provides compliance and consulting services to clients in industries including manufacturing, distribution, professional services, real estate and not-for-profit. Stephen also performs the firm’s technical reviews on all retirement plan audits, as well as all other financial statement engagements. Known for his organizational and interpersonal skills, as well as his strong work ethic, Stephen is often in the office before the sun rises preparing for his dual role as both the Chief Operating Officer of the firm and an audit partner. Stephen has been COO for the past seven years, and ensures that the firm functions smoothly and profitably just like any of the professional service firms BNKJ represents. In addition to his client and administrative responsibilities, Stephen coordinates the recruitment of the firm’s professional and administrative staff. His ability to find individuals that match our firm’s needs and culture has enabled BNKJ to keep our people, grow our firm and maintain pace with our increasing and diverse client base. Stephen is a native of Cape Town, South Africa, and earned accounting and law degrees from the University of Cape Town. Before moving to the United States in 1986, Stephen was employed with Arthur Andersen. |
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James W. Lahm, CPA/ABV Partner Jim operates from a simple, core philosophy- the answers lie in asking the right questions. Whether providing accounting or consulting services to his clients, he applies this philosophy to an entrepreneurial outlook and a direct approach. His experience, technical and intuitive skills make him a valued advisor and trusted partner. Jim takes complex, technical issues and breaks them down into simple, easy to manage components. This is especially helpful to business owners who want to know about financial options, innovative opportunities and creative productivity methods. Jim has vast experience in financial reporting and tax services, drawing on economics, finance, and accounting analysis to help his clients. He has a background in performing business valuations, with skills and experience that have proven helpful to clients involved with sales or acquisitions and business succession planning. This knowledge has also helped his traditional clients, because understanding how to measure value can lead to improving value. A believer in lifelong learning and an avid reader, Jim continually pursues advanced education in accounting and consulting skills. Whether beginning a relationship or broadening an existing one, Jim offers top notch credentials, experience, technical understanding and dedication. He is an ABV (a CPA Accredited in Business Valuation), a member of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants and the AICPA. Jim earned his B.S. in accounting at Kean College. A music lover since childhood, he listens to everything from classical and world music to modern jazz and rock and roll. Jim and his wife Bernadette also enjoy the visual arts, international cuisine and traveling. He is a long time movie buff. |
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Stafford W. Huff, CPA Partner Stafford’s 20 years of service in public accounting, combined with his impressive and unique education, have contributed to his very strong and thorough understanding of the common and uncommon challenges facing growing businesses and their owners. From the beginning of his accounting career in 1986, Stafford has benefited from his involvement in a wide variey of tax and accounting engagements. He prides himself on developing practical solutions and earning the trust of clients, associates and other members of the professional services team. Stafford focuses his service efforts in taxation and business consulting. He is particularly knowledgeable in the areas of:
Stafford is a native of Atlanta and has earned degrees from the University of Georgia and the State University of West Georgia. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSPCA) and The Atlanta Tax Forum. |
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Stephen J. Nadeau, CPA, MTX Tax Partner Don’t be fooled by Steve’s low key style because he has 25 years of experience behind his diligent nature. However, Steve cites the 1986 Tax Reform as the most change he has experienced during his career to date. With 20 years of service at BNKJ, Steve has watched the firm grow and change as he has moved from solely reviewing tax returns for other partners to working with some of his own clients. You will usually find Steve at his desk with head down in the details of a tax return painstakingly completing a final review. Most of his time is spent working with consolidated corporate groups and multi-state tax compliance. Steve also works with individuals on their tax plans and represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service and State Tax Authorities. Steve knows what it is like to sit at the desk of many of the corporate clients he serves. He was employed as an assistant controller for a family business for six years before coming to BNKJ. That’s why Steve works so closely with many business owners. Like many of his peers in BNKJ’s tax department, Steve has completed his advanced degree with his Master in Taxation from Georgia State University. He also earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from Georgia State University and is a member of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of the Certified Public Accountants and the Atlanta Tax Forum. Steve has the distinction of having the longest commute to the office with his house in the outskirts of Atlanta. When he is not driving around the city, you can find him at home gardening or golfing with his wife and two daughters. |
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