National Accounting Firm, MNP, Expands Presence In Quebec, Greater Montreal

November 12, 2020, CALGARY, AB - MNP, one of Canada's largest national accounting and business consulting firms, is pleased to announce that it will join forces with the bilingual chartered professional accounting firm, KBHNS LLP, effective January 1, 2021.

Based in Ville Saint-Laurent, Québec, KBHNS is led by Managing Partner Michael Hayden and partners Yves Boucher and Rosa Trentadue. Created in 2002, following the merger of two Montreal accounting firms (Lawrence Kaplan & Company and Burack Silverman Chartered Accountants), KBHNS has grown to include 18 team members. The firm provides a wide range of accounting, tax and advisory services to private enterprise companies in diverse industries throughout Greater Montreal.

MNP entered the Quebec marketplace in January 2011 through a merger with the Montreal-based firm, WSBG (formerly Wasserman, Stotland, Bratt, Grossbaum). Dan Trotter, MNP’s Regional Managing Partner for Quebec, said that MNP has been growing its presence in Montreal ever since, via both mergers and organic growth, but has long been keen to expand its footprint to other boroughs.

"Montreal is a hub of innovation, talent, and economic development, with a huge range of industries supporting its importance to the Canadian economy," said Trotter. "MNP has been proud to play its part in the Quebec community, helping clients of all shapes and sizes to achieve their goals. We have been looking for opportunities to further our commitment to the city, particularly in the Laval and South Shore areas, and are very excited to welcome such a well-established firm in KBHNS - a firm that shares our values and client-centric approach - into the MNP fold."

Unprecedented and dynamic market conditions are impacting the way all businesses must operate. KBHNS Managing Partner, Michael Hayden, says the merger strengthens his team's ability to support their clients in this challenging environment:

"We were looking for an opportunity to add more resources to our team, as well as more ways in which we can help give our clients the edge they need to stay competitive in what is an historically unusual time for all organizations," said Hayden. "MNP complements and enhances our current service offerings and brings greater bench strength that will help us to service our clients across Greater Montreal and Quebec."

Founded in 1958, MNP has grown to more than 90 locations across Canada and delivers a wide range of services and specialized expertise in every sector and area of business. In addition to tax and accounting, MNP delivers a diverse range of advisory services, including succession planning, estate planning, enterprise risk, corporate finance, forensics, valuation and litigation support, insolvency and restructuring, technology solutions, cross-border taxation, and much more.

While becoming the largest of the mid-market focused firms in Canada, MNP has continued to maintain its Canadian roots, helping Canadian businesses both at home and abroad. Since entering the Eastern Canada market in the summer of 2008, MNP has added more than 30 locations across Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, while continuing to look for like-minded firms and professionals who can help it build on its strategic plans for continued growth.

"We have grown quickly but we are absolutely committed to maintaining our culture and so have always been very strategic about who we invite to join our team," adds Jeremy Cole, MNP's Executive Vice President for the GTA and Quebec. "We are known across the communities we work with as being one of Canada's most-trusted accounting, tax and business consulting firms, so we are excited to welcome a very well-respected practice in KBHNS into the MNP family. Our cultures and values are well-aligned, and we share the same entrepreneurial, trusted approach to doing business."

Hayden says that one of the deciding factors in KBHNS deciding to join MNP was the culture: "Although MNP is a large national firm, it's always been known for being local in focus with a small-firm culture and commitment to supporting the local communities that its teams live and work in. This is something that is very important to us, and to our people, and so the 'fit' had to be right. When Rosa, Yves and I spoke about it we just felt that the chance to join a firm with the depth of resources that MNP offers, while maintaining our focus on supporting our clients in the Greater Montreal Area, was a truly unique and exceptional opportunity. We couldn't be more excited about joining forces with MNP."

KBHNS will remain in Ville Saint-Laurent following the merger and eventually move to a new office in Laval, where they already serve numerous clients and MNP was looking to add a key location.

"There are over 11,000 companies based in Laval, and the borough continues to grow," added Trotter. "KBHNS shared our vision of expanding our physical presence to support the organizations based there, as well as along the South Shore, and so we're excited to be taking that next step together.

"Despite the pandemic, we're experiencing growing demand from businesses looking for help navigating the challenges and opportunities they're facing, so this merger truly is a win-win for both our firms and the Greater Montreal marketplace. We're thrilled to welcome the KBHNS partners and professionals into the MNP team."

About MNP LLP

MNP is a leading national accounting, tax and business consulting firm in Canada. We proudly serve and respond to the needs of our clients in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Through partner-led engagements, we provide a collaborative, cost-effective approach to doing business and personalized strategies to help organizations succeed across the country and around the world. For more information, visit www.mnp.ca.

For more information, please contact:

Robin Ashford, Senior Director of Marketing, Eastern Canada, MNP at 416.263.6966 or [email protected]

Michael Hayden, Managing Partner, KBHNS at 514-343-5247 ext. 284, or [email protected]