SMART Business Advisory and Consulting

Infobox Company
name = SMART Business Advisory and Consulting, LLC
type = Consulting
foundation = 1988
location_city = Devon, PA
location_country = USA
locations = 14, Worldwide
key_people = James J. Smart, Chairman
area_served = Worldwide
industry = Professional Services
services = Accounting Services, Attest Services, Advisory Business Services, Business Consulting, Compensation and Benefits, Tax Services, Transaction Advisory Services
num_employees = 600
slogan = SMART, "The Intelligent Choice"
homepage = [http://www.smartgrp.com SMART Business Advisory and Consulting, LLC]
intl = yes

SMART Business Advisory and Consulting, LLC is a full-service business advisory and consulting company serving clients throughout the U.S. and globally. SMART has locations in the metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and internationally in Amsterdam and London.

History

SMART was founded by Jim Smart in 1988 and was primarily a tax and audit firm. Since then, SMART has evolved into a company offering a full range of business advisory and consulting services and has been aggressively growing its geographic presence and skill set through selected acquisitions and critical hires.

Major developments include:
*May 1993: First major tax outsourcing engagement
*June 1997: First major consulting engagement
*October 2001: Opened Chicago office
*July 2002: Hired 55 former Arthur Andersen consultants
*September 2002: Opened New York office
*October 2002: Purchased Glen Ingram Chicago (22 people)
*March 2003: Purchased Strategis Atlanta (21 people)
*May 2003: Purchased Grabush, Newman & Co. Baltimore (50 people)
*2005: Opened Amsterdam office
*February 2006: Purchased KPMG Compensation & Benefits Practice [ [http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2006/01/30/daily46.html Smart move snags KPMG unit - Philadelphia Business Journal: ] ]
*September 2006: Opened London office
*May 2007: Great Hill Partners, LLC infuses SMART with a $60 million investment [http://www.philly.com/philly/business/7526827.html]
*March 2008: Terence Montgomery hired as CFO replacing Richard Devine.
*August 2008: Firm founder James J. Smart steps down as CEO but remains chairman of the board. [http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2008/08/04/daily24.html]

Types of Clients

*Large domestic and multi-national companies
*Middle-market companies
*Closely-held and family-owned businesses
*Start-ups of all sizes
*High net worth individuals

Industry Experience

*Financial Services
*Government
*Healthcare
*Higher Education
*Insurance/Reinsurance
*Life Sciences – Biotech/ Pharmaceutical
*Manufacturing and Distribution
*Real Estate

Investors

[http://www.greathillpartners.com/ Great Hill Partners LLC] , based in Boston, has invested $60 million into SMART in May 2007. Great Hill Partners, LLC is a private equity firm that manages over $1.5 billion in capital and focuses on investing in growth companies operating in the business and consumer services, media, transaction processing and software industries. Great Hill Equity Partners III, L.P. targets investments of $25 million to $100 million.

Notable Staff

*James J. Smart - Named one of the most influential people in the accounting industryfact|date=July 2007
*Terence Montgomery
*Joseph L. Lansizera
*Howard Stecker

References