South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
The secrets to South Florida accounting firm’s long standing success
Since its inception in 1992, Daszkal Bolton has steadily developed into an exemplary team of advisors working in all aspects of assurance, consulting and taxrelated services for an international clientele. From humble Boca Raton beginnings, founding partners Michael Daszkal and Jeff Bolton grew their business by hiring talented industry experts and building strong client relationships. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the firm now employs more than 200 people across three South Florida locations.
Mr. Bolton passed away in 2013 and Mr. Daszkal is set to retire this year. Tim Devlin, CPA the managing partner, assures clients the legacy of integrity and service that the firm’s founders worked hard to establish remains solidly in place.
Long gone is the outdated image of an accountant in a green visor crunching numbers into a calculator. The roles and responsibilities of modern financial consultants go way beyond simply filing tax returns for clients by April 15. “We are trusted advisors,” he explains. “That really says it all. Clients tend to stay with their accountants for a long time.
We’ve got a depth of knowledge about them and know the intimate details of their lives. We’re very judicious with that information.”
Daszkal Bolton prides itself on maintaining an inclusive work environment, serving a wide-ranging clientele of entrepreneurial business owners, and recruiting from diverse talent pools.
“As part of our inclusive culture, we’ve spent a lot of time building a diverse team. What we’ve found is that the more diverse our team is — the more differences your people have — the more ideas and new ways of thinking rise to the surface,” says Tax Services Leader Teri M. Kaye, CPA. “It allows for a much fuller experience and a more thoughtful analysis of whatever you’re doing.”
Kaye credits much of Daszkal Bolton’s lasting success to good communication.
“Clients are relying on us to advise them about their lives, their businesses and their finances,” Kaye says. “By being good communicators, we help them make better decisions.”
To survive for three decades, any business must know how to evolve. Embracing digital technology and remaining flexible have allowed Daszkal Bolton not only to keep pace with demands, but to actually get ahead of the curve in the face of challenges like the Covid-19 pandemic. “The playbook we’ve always relied on is to come together as a management team to assess the situation, correct course and find solutions,” Devlin says. “It’s served us well.” “Because we’re an entrepreneurial business and our clients are entrepreneurial businesses, we experience the same thing they’re experiencing,” Kaye adds. “Covid hit as a health event, but also as a business event and a tax event. We had to figure out how to learn quickly.”
Giving back remains another key tenet of Daszkal Bolton’s longevity. Team members devote their time and resources to a different designated charity each month in addition to participating in Habitat for Humanity builds, fundraising walks/runs, food distribution and other philanthropic efforts.
“We invite our staff to contribute to any charities they feel passion about,” explains Scott A. Walters, CPA, CGMA, MBA and Partner-Audit Services Leader. “It’s part of our culture, and we make a conscious effort to encourage staff to get involved.”
Looking ahead, the Daszkal Bolton team plans to continue tapping into new technologies to streamline laborintensive aspects of financial transactions, allowing staff to focus first and foremost on clients’ needs.
“It gives us time to be more analytical and thoughtful in identifying solutions to particular issues,” Walters describes.
Devlin perhaps sums it up the best when he says, “We’ve been around for 30 years, and we’re looking forward to the next 30,” he smiles.
Daszkal Bolton accountants and advisors provide tax-related services for a diverse range of clients from offices in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Jupiter. For more information, visit dbllp.com.