Blackman Kallick Hires Practice Leaders for State and Local Tax and Risk and Compliance Services.

CHICAGO -- Blackman Kallick, Chicago's ninth largest accounting firm, has hired Prashant C. Sheth, CPA, as tax partner and practice leader of the firm's State and Local Tax practice, and Steven Baer, CPA, as senior manager and practice leader of Risk and Compliance Services practice. Sheth, 46, has 25 years of accounting experience, including more than 18 years devoted to state and local tax wherein he assists companies with value added solutions, tax minimization strategies, structuring state and local tax departments, recovering overpaid taxes and designing infrastructure to support compliance.

"Prashant brings a wealth of expertise to the firm's growing State and Local Tax practice, particularly in the areas of sales and use tax as well as unclaimed property," says Steven Schneider, Blackman Kallick's managing partner. "We're pleased to welcome him and are confident he will be of great value to our clients."

Sheth has counseled public and privately held companies in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, retail, finance, service and telecommunications. Prior to joining Blackman Kallick, he held leadership positions at several national accounting firms, including Ernst & Young, Chicago; PricewaterhouseCoopers, Detroit; and Arthur Andersen, Chicago. He also has served in senior and executive roles at First Advantage, Indianapolis; Joseph C. Sansone Company, Chesterfield, Mo.; and DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Westchester, Ill.

Sheth received a Bachelor of Science in accounting and auditing and a Bachelor of Law from MS University of Baroda in Baroda, India, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Illinois CPA Society and the Institute for Professionals in Taxation.

Baer, 32, uses proven methodologies to help clients identify and manage risk and meet compliance requirements. He has counseled public and privately held companies engaged in manufacturing and distribution, retail, consulting and service. His international experience includes Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and internal audit assignments for U.S.-based companies with a foreign presence and foreign companies that are traded on U.S. stock exchanges.

Prior to joining Blackman Kallick, Baer worked at Grant Thornton, Chicago. Throughout his career, Baer has conducted a variety of internal and external audits as well as operational improvement and business process consulting projects. He also has worked closely with companies to develop their internal audit function by leveraging financial and operational control documentation necessary for SOX compliance.

"We recognize that in today's business environment, SOX requirements and increased demands for corporate transparency have fueled the need for internal audits," says Brian Langham, Blackman Kallick audit partner, SEC Practice. "Steve has outstanding capabilities in risk assessment and audit services. Our clients will benefit greatly from the enhanced value we can now provide."

Baer received a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Michigan State University and is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

About Blackman Kallick

Blackman Kallick is the ninth largest accounting firm in Chicago (Crain's Chicago Business, Dec. 10, 2007). The firm's more than 250 professionals provide audit, tax and consulting services for private and public companies as well as not-for-profit organizations. Blackman Kallick is a member of HLB International, a worldwide organization of accounting firms and business advisors with more than 13,000 professionals in more than 100 countries.

Blackman Kallick, 10 South Riverside Plaza, 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606, 312-207-1040, BlackmanKallick.com.