Taylor Leibow is one of the largest and most respected independent accounting firms in the Greater Hamilton and Burlington area.
At a time when many of the national accounting firms moved out of Hamilton, Taylor Leibow has stayed true to the local commitment made in 1947 when Sam Taylor and Kevey Leibow started the firm in downtown Hamilton. CEO Nigel Jacobs says the company has grown to 12 partners and over 70 staff by constantly seeking to implement best practices, hiring the best people and providing excellent client service. Occupying a suite of offices covering two floors in Effort Square, the full-service firm’s largest service offerings are accounting and taxation, but it also offers expertise in business valuations and litigation support, restructuring and insolvency services for individuals and corporations. In addition, Taylor Leibow has developed a number of niche services including professionals, not-for-profits, auto dealerships and real estate.
While maintaining its local expertise, Taylor Leibow has expanded its global reach through its membership in DFK International – a global association of independent accounting, tax, legal and business advisory firms. DFK represents more than 220 firms with 419 offices in 92 countries worldwide with member fee income of $1.3 Billion.
Nigel Jacobs now serves as President of DFK Canada, which comprises of 13 independent member firms with over 124 partners and 595 staff in most major centres in Canada. “The value of DFK is that we are independent and yet we share best practices to learn from each other which is very valuable for our firms. In addition, our firms are able to service our clients across the globe and provide Canadian expertise to our international members,” said Nigel. Between serving on the board of DFK International representing Canada and his duties with DFK Canada, Nigel is on the road frequently. Recent stops include Dubai, Munich, Honolulu, Madrid, Prague, Singapore and London, as well as many Canadian and North American stops. “It’s all about building relationships,” says Nigel. Everywhere I go I am waving the Canadian flag and promoting Hamilton and Burlington.” At a time of mergers in the accounting industry how does a company like Taylor Leibow not only stay independent but thrive to the degree it has? “The key,” says Nigel “is to have a good succession plan and the resources to attract good people and provide great value-added services to clients. We go beyond traditional ‘bean counting’ to meet our clients’ needs. A number of the mergers in the business these days are brought about by the lack of succession planning. Partners retire with no plan in place to transition existing client relationships resulting in the business being sold or merged into larger firms.” By contrast,
Taylor Leibow is now managed by its third generation of partners.
A talented and committed workforce is essential to maintaining a successful organization. Taylor Leibow knows one of the keys to attracting and retaining a new generation of talent is to live the firm’s core values, ongoing engagement and community involvement which appeals to younger professionals. “Our retention of talented professionals is high,” says Nigel. “We are also very active in the community,” he adds, “not just by providing financial support to worthy community organizations but also by encouraging our employees to actively participate in events- volunteering and interacting with the community whenever we can. We appreciate the ability to get involved and give back to the community where we are located.”
June 9,2021
