Beard Miller Company LLP (BMC), a nationally ranked U.S. Top 40 regional accounting and consulting firm, and Edwards Sauer & Owens, P.C. (ESO), a Pittsburgh-based CPA firm with offices in Pittsburgh and Altoona, announce the merger of the two firms, effective January 1, 2008. The combined firm will operate under the name Beard Miller Company LLP.

BMC serves public and private clients throughout the Mid Atlantic region, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, and Virginia. "This combination meets a critical objective for the firm, which is to grow the practice in a strategic manner, building on existing strengths and adding resources and depth to better serve clients and facilitate growth," said Lamar Stoltzfus, BMC Chairman. "Our firms also share practice specialties such as financial services, manufacturing, medical practices, and construction and the demand for these services has been steadily increasing. We are pleased that ESO's complementary services and established client base will be joining BMC, and we welcome the multi-talented ESO partners and staff to our firm."

ESO brings four partners and 14 staff members to the combined practice. The firm will maintain the Altoona location and plans to consolidate both the BMC and ESO Pittsburgh locations into one location in early 2008. Both firms provide comprehensive audit, accounting, tax, and consulting services to large and small companies in a number of industries, including financial services, manufacturing and distribution, health care, construction, and oil and gas.

ESO Partner, Scott Fozard, commented, "We are excited about this combination and the positive lasting impact it will have with our clients, our employees, and our communities. The strategic benefits to both firms, as well as the benefits to our clients, are clear."

While the ESO name will change to BMC, clients will still be working with the same people that they have come to know and trust through the years. "By combining with ESO, we are positioning BMC to strengthen our presence in central and western Pennsylvania by offering an expansive range of services delivered with personalized attention," said Stoltzfus. "By employing exceptional client service that is our hallmark, bmc will provide our clients the professional services they want and need to facilitate their success."