Carmel, Ind. (November 23, 2022) – The accounting and consulting firms of Alerding CPA Group (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Blue & Co., LLC (Carmel, Ind.) have announced their merger. The combined firm will operate as Blue & Co., LLC (Blue & Co.), effective December 1, 2022.

This acquisition will provide Blue & Co. with greater market share in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Blue & Co will be adding more than 20 employees from Alerding, including four Directors (partners) with expertise in Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) consulting, trustee services, mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, business and personal tax strategies. Alerding brings extensive niche experience serving the needs of Manufacturing, Construction, Not-for-Profit, Professional Services and Tech industries in the Midwest.

“We are thrilled to announce this merger with the Alerding CPA Group, a 2022 Inside Public Accounting Top 500 Firm,” said, Brad Shaw, managing director of Blue & Co., LLC., “Michael (Mike) Staton and Dave Garrett were both former employees at Blue, so it has been very exciting to welcome them back. We are confident that the addition of the outstanding team from Alerding will help us deepen our ability to serve our clients throughout the Midwest especially in Indianapolis. Alerding is a perfect fit for Blue and our firm’s growth strategy. We continue to look for accounting and consulting firms with cultures similar to Blue & Co including a passionate focus on client experience and service.”

Mike Staton is one of the founding members of Alerding CPA Group and is a graduate of Marian University where he received his B.S. in Accounting. He is a current member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Indiana CPA Society and is the treasurer of the Indiana State Certified Development Corporation. Staton has been in public accounting for 36 years.

“We’ve always tried to put our client’s needs ahead of everything else and it is for that reason that we ultimately came to this decision to join a prestigious firm, like Blue & Co,” said Staton, “While we are ecstatic about this tremendous expansion opportunity, we want our clients to rest assured that they will still enjoy the same local, personalized service that they have come to value with the added benefit of a large network of resources.”

David Garrett is a graduate of Radford University in Virginia where he received his B.S. in Accounting. He is a current member of the AICPA and the Indiana CPA Society. Garrett has been in public accounting for 30 years.

In addition to Staton and Garrett, Jered Fuquay, and Sarah Gregory will join Blue as Directors and Lou Ann Taylor will join Blue as a Director Emeritus.

Jered Fuquay is a graduate of Indiana University where he received his B.S. in Accounting and Finance and the University of Texas where he received his M.S. in Professional Accounting. He is a current member of the AICPA, the Indiana CPA Society, and the Institute of Internal Auditors. Fuquay has been in public accounting for 20 years. He has served on multiple audit and finance committees of local and national not-for-profit organizations including committee roles with the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana, Mother Theodore Catholic Academies, and the United Spinal Association.

Sarah Gregory is a graduate of Indiana University where she received her B.S. in Accounting and Finance. She is a current member of the AICPA, the Indiana CPA Society, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Gregory is a Finance Committee Member for Dress for Success Indianapolis and has been in public accounting for 16 years.

Lou Ann Taylor is a graduate of Old Dominion University where she received her B.S. in Accounting. She is a current member of the AICPA and the Indiana CPA Society. Taylor has been in public accounting for more than 25 years.

This team and their staff bring more than 126 years of experience to Blue and will total more than 480 professionals in 10 offices across 3 states.

To learn more, visit www.blueandco.com/alerding-merger.

About Alerding CPA Group

Alerding CPA Group was founded in 1998 and has become a leader in providing personalized tax and accounting services to a wide variety of closely-held and nonprofit organizations across the Midwest. Alerding takes great pride in offering targeted, efficient and affordable financial reporting, tax and consulting services to their clients throughout the lifecycle of their businesses. Much of their work comes from client referrals and other CPA firms that are either too large or too small to be able to serve their clients’ needs.

About Blue and Co. 

Blue & Co., LLC is an independent accounting and advisory firm with more than 470 people in 10 offices across Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. With more than 50 years in operation, Blue & Co.’s public accounting expertise includes the practice areas of assurance, tax compliance and consulting, healthcare consulting, benefit plan services, cybersecurity and data management, valuation and litigation support, and business services. Its industry specializations include manufacturing & distribution, healthcare, construction, nonprofit, technology, financial services organizations, beverage, and agribusiness. For more information, please visit www.blueandco.com.

Frequently Asked Questions for New Blue & Co. Clients

What additional services does Blue provide that I wasn’t able to get with Alerding CPA Group?

Through our affiliates and strategic partnerships, clients at Alerding CPA Group will have access to new services such as:

• Risk management
• Wealth management services,
• General ledger/accounts payable services
• Professional employment organization services (PEO)
• Retirement plan management services
• Investment banking
• Merger & Acquisitions consulting

How will this merger benefit my organization?

Blue & Co is able to offer additional resources not available to Alerding CPA Group including additional experts, resources and technology.

With more than 470 employees in 10 offices, our experts have specializations in the areas of manufacturing & distribution, healthcare, construction, nonprofit, technology, financial services organizations, beverage, and agribusiness.

Why are you merging?

Blue is acquiring the practice of Alerding CPA Group because we believe together we can better serve and address our customer’s needs and challenges through our similar values and a shared client-service philosophy.

We are aware that today’s customers are seeking actionable solutions. Together, Blue & Co. LLC, and Alerding CPA Group can provide greater expertise in the areas of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) consulting, trustee services, mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, business and personal tax strategies, to serve our diverse industry markets.

Will my contact stay the same?

Your contact person at Alerding CPA Group may change. Our goal is to maintain the same contact person you are used to working with; however, if there is a change in your contact within the firm, multiple communications will be provided and a virtual or in-person introduction will be scheduled.

Are you moving locations?

Employees from Alerding CPA Group will begin working alongside their Blue & Co. team in the Carmel, IN office effective December 1, 2022.

The address of Carmel IN office is 12800 N. Meridian St., Suite 400, Carmel, IN, 46032. This office can be reached directly at 317-848-8920.The e-mail addresses and phone numbers for your current Alerding CPA Group contacts will be forwarded directly to them in their new offices at Blue & Co.

Why should I stay through the merger? I am worried about being lost in a big company.

At Blue & Co., LLC, your success is our success. We pride ourselves on bringing the same personalized attention as smaller firms with the additional resources that can deliver you results faster and more efficiently.

Visit our about us page to learn more.