Excellence and Client Service Bring WTAS 10 Years of Success

SAN FRANCISCO, July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- WTAS, one of the largest independent tax firms in the country, celebrates its 10th anniversary today. Though by almost any measure WTAS quadrupled in size in the last 10 years, the core values of excellence, stewardship and client service have always remained paramount.

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"Our objective at WTAS has not been growth," commented CEO Mark Vorsatz. "Our goal has been to be 'best-in-class' in those areas where we practice. Our growth has been a byproduct of the service that we provide to our clients."

WTAS has been recognized by Accounting Today as one of the "Top 20 Tax Firms" in each of the six years the list has been published. The success of the firm can be attributed in part to its roots but also to the vision of the founders.  In 2002, in the wake of the demise of Arthur Andersen, 20 of the partners within Andersen's individual tax practice founded the firm.  Their intention was to foster the existing culture of stewardship and excellence within a more entrepreneurial environment with clients as the focus. 

"Clients have always been our priority, but founding WTAS gave us the opportunity to create the business model around the clients," said Joe Toce, New York Office Managing Director.  "It was important to us to build the business in a way that allowed the partners to work directly with the clients rather than simply overseeing the overall relationship."

In its 10 years of client service, WTAS has grown from the original 20 partners and 160 employees in six offices to nearly 100 managing directors and 500 employees in 14 offices. WTAS is now the largest independent tax practice in the nation focused on serving ultra high net worth individuals and has also been successful in developing a robust and growing practice that serves commercial clients throughout the country.

Susan Swartz, Seattle Office Managing Director, commented, "We are able to provide the highest level of service to some of the biggest and most prominent companies in the country as well as some very high profile individuals and families, yet we are still very nimble."

The founding employees of WTAS still have vivid memories of July 9th, 2002 but there is no doubt that the focus is on the future.

"We've come a long way since 2002," said Vorsatz, "but our expectations for the next 10 years are even higher."

About WTAS

WTAS LLC is one of the largest independent tax firms in the United States, providing a wide range of tax, valuation, financial advisory and related consulting services to individual and corporate clients across the country. The firm is comprised of over 500 personnel located in fourteen major cities and encompasses top advisors with previous experience in the international accounting firms, law firms, IRS, and state taxing authorities. Many of our advisors hold multiple professional credentials and have depth in a wide range of capabilities allowing us to provide clients with comprehensive, integrated solutions.

WTAS has offices serving Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Greenwich, Harrisburg, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York City, Palo Alto, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and West Palm Beach.

SOURCE WTAS