About the list: TAX-PREPARATION FIRMS

There's a new company - and it's one with a new name - on top of the Business Journal's list of tax-preparation firms. Bmc, which until just last month operated as Beard Miller Co., ranked first on this year's list, it did not appear on the list in 2004.

Berks County-based bmc reported 61 local tax preparers, which was how the list was ranked. We defined local tax preparers as those who work from offices in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon or York counties and whose primary job is tax preparation. Bmc also reported the most full-time local employees on the list, 143, and the most local locations, four.

No. 2 on this year's list is Boyer & Ritter Certified Public Accountants & Consultants, last year's No. 1. The East Pennsboro Township-based business reported 45 local tax preparers this year, an increase from 33 last year.

Rounding out the top three is Simon Lever, which climbed a spot. The Manheim. Township-based firm reported 32 local tax preparers.

Twelve firms were new to the list, and eight of them finished among the top 14. No. 4 is York-based Seligman Friedman & Company, with 30 local tax preparers. Another notable newcomer is KPMG, the New York-based giant, which has an office in downtown Harrisburg.

The only company on last year's list that did not complete the survey for this year's list is Janet L. Brackbill, doing business as H&R Block. The woman-owned franchise in Mechanicsburg finished second last year, with 26 local tax preparers. The business also had reported 2,700 local personal tax clients.

Only three companies on this year's list reported their 2004 local revenues: No. 21, Dow Tax Service of York, had $45,900; No. 22, Parks & Company of Palmyra, had $769,470; and No. 23, Kirk CPA of West Manchester Township, had $250,000.

Only one company on the list reported a woman as its top local executive: No. 25, Heljan Associates, with Helen P. O'Planick. The business is based in East Manchester Township.

The Business Journal contacted 121 businesses while researching this list, and 42 responded. Two of those firms, Parente Randolph and Rager Lehman & Houck, prepare taxes locally but reported zero local Lax preparers. We try to survey as many eligible companies as possible, but we don't reach them all. Some did not respond by press time.

Information about all the companies that responded can be downloaded in spreadsheet format from our Web site at www.centralpennbusiness.com.

Copyright Journal Publications Inc. Nov 11, 2005
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