Local accounting firm merging with global company
The local accounting firm Pattison, Koskey, Howe & Bucci has merged with a global company, UHY, which has offices in 100 countries.
The merger was finalized Jan. 1, 2020, and Pattison, Koskey, Howe & Bucci — with offices in Catskill, Hudson and Kingston — has been renamed UHY LLP. All three offices are expected to remain open.
No layoffs are anticipated, and several jobs are expected to be created with the merger.
“There will absolutely be no layoffs. We will add positions,” shareholder Richard Koskey said. “There will be six interns and two full-time positions added.”
The merger is part of a regional push UHY is making. The company has also merged with another accounting firm in Saratoga Springs.
“From a UHY perspective, we have seen the continuing growth of and opportunity in the Hudson Valley region, and being predominantly in New York and in that region, we looked to find other firms during the course of the last several years to find an ability to succeed together,” said Howard Foote, office managing partner of the New York-Capital Region of UHY. “In developing what we consider to be the Hudson Valley/Adirondack corridor, we were really fortunate to come across the Pattison, Koskey, Howe & Bucci firm, and particularly excited about Richard and his firm and the legacy that they built over almost 75 years of history.”
Negotiations for the merger began in October 2017. Now that the merger has been finalized, UHY has offices in 21 U.S. cities, with more than 900 employees in the United States, and 100 offices worldwide, said Julie Manteria, director of marketing for UHY in the Northeast.
“We have access to not only offices across the U.S., but also globally we have resources we can tap into that really allow us to provide what we call ‘the next level of service’ to our clients,” Manteria said. “The values that we hold are providing high-quality professional services, having a very hands-on approach.”
One of the characteristics that drew UHY to Pattison, Koskey, Howe & Bucci was its connection with the local community, Foote said.
“For neither firm was it about the size,” Foote said. “It’s about our inspiring of our team and creating value as trusted advisors for our clients.”
Pattison, Koskey, Howe & Bucci has been doing business in the area for more than 70 years.
“Reginald Pattison started the firm in 1946,” Koskey said.
He lived next door to the Pattisons in Lorenz Park in Columbia County and lived with them to finish his senior year at Hudson High School after his father was transferred through his job. Koskey graduated from Duke University and served in the military, and in 1963 went to work for the firm, becoming its third employee.
“I’ve been here ever since,” Koskey said.
The merger will continue the legacy the firm’s founder started seven decades ago, Koskey said.
“UHY and PKHB share a strong culture of caring for clients and friends,” Koskey said. “The three offices of PKHB are pleased to carry on this tradition as we join UHY.”
