Acquisition Boosts Size Of Lemaster & Daniels Accounting Firm Acquires Spokane Valley Competitor

The LeMaster & Daniels accounting firm has doubled the size of its Spokane Valley operations with the acquisition of Schroeder, Simmons and Lochmiller, P.S., Managing Partner Robert Burton said Tuesday.

The transaction, effective last Saturday, also brings the Spokanebased firm’s total employee complement to about 200 in its offices around Eastern Washington and North Idaho, he said.

LeMaster & Daniels is already among the 50 largest accounting firms in the United States, based on revenues.

The company first expanded into the Spokane Valley three years ago, Burton said, and has continued to look for opportunities to build on its presence there.

Schroeder, Simmons enhances LeMaster & Daniels’ expertise in specialties like banking and cooperatives, while the downtown firm can lend more client support, he said.

Similar internal systems should facilitate the merger, but Burton said actual consolidation of the offices will be delayed because neither of the sites opposite each other on Argonne are large enough to accommodate the entire staff.

He said Phil Peterson will be the partner in charge, although former Schroeder, Simmons Managing Partner Gary Schroeder will remain with the merged firm.