NCT Group CPAs intends to join with Minneapolis-based LarsonAllen LLP effective July 1, 2011, according to Jay Gray, managing partner with the NCT Group.

“Our partners all agreed this was a powerful opportunity for our clients and people,” said Gray. “The NCT Group has always adapted to changes in the market, and we have gradually added the capabilities we’ve needed to stay on top of the trends. But when LarsonAllen approached us, we saw the offer to combine as a ready-made growth package; it will immediately bring our clients and people several more ways to be successful.”

As more businesses operate internationally, and tax and compliance issues become more complex and standardized across the globe, Gray says his firm is eager to provide clients with everything they need to meet these demands. “We don’t want our clients to have to go outside our market to find what they’re after. We want to bring it to them. Joining with LarsonAllen allows us to do that.”

Gray cites research and development tax credits, international tax knowledge, and highly focused industry specialization as some of the benefits the combination brings to the NCT Group’s clients and staff. “Beyond these technical offerings, though, we were most impressed with LarsonAllen’s emphasis on building strong, lasting relationships with those they work with and serve,” he says. “They share our belief that people come first, and we found that very attractive and compatible with how we do business.”

The NCT Group serves clients throughout the entire state of Florida from its Lakeland-based location. The deal will expand LarsonAllen’s current presence in the central region. The firm was founded in 1959 and has 64 employees.

LarsonAllen is a top-20 CPA firm with more than 300 principals, approximately 1,800 employees, and more than 40 locations across the country. The firm’s industry specialization enables it to consult more deeply with clients in health care, nonprofit and government, manufacturing, banking and credit union, construction, real estate, dealerships, and agriculture, among others. Like the NCT Group, it serves primarily  small to mid-sized privately-held businesses, government entities, and community-based nonprofits.

“Coming together with the NCT Group will expand our industry specialization in Florida,” says Denny Schleper, executive principal with LarsonAllen. “We are particularly optimistic about the opportunities in the governmental sector. Together, our two firms will make up one of the largest government audit practices in the state. We’ll deliver a new level of knowledge and insight in this area—and that means better things for clients and employees.”