Two accounting veterans who made landmark contributions as business partners in the "early days" of accounting marketing, and then individually for the past ten years, were again paired up as this year's inductees into the accounting marketing Hall of Fame.

August Aquila and Allan Koltin were named to the Hall of Fame at the Association of Accounting Marketing Conference in Boston last week.

August Aquila became the first accounting firm marketing director in the United States to achieve an equity position in a CPA firm, at Chicago-based Friedman Eisenstein Raemer & Schwartz. From 1987-1994 he served as Senior Vice President for Consulting and Product Development of the Practice Development Institute (PDI), the premiere management and marketing consulting firm in the accounting profession.

For the past nine years, August has played a crucial role in the consolidation of the accounting profession, serving as Vice President-Mergers & Acquisitions for American Express Tax and Business Services Inc. (TBS), a Division of the American Express Company. He was responsible for sourcing, negotiating and closing major acquisitions throughout the country.

August has just announced his departure from American Express and is taking on the position of Director of Practice Management Consulting for St. Louis-based The Growth Partnership. Aquila will serve as a member of the TGP Executive Committee and focus his non-client time and energy on further developing the only full-service consulting firm for CPAs in the country.

Allan Koltin is the President and CEO of the Practice Development Institute, Inc. (PDI) in Chicago, a premier management and marketing consulting resource for the accounting profession.

Allan Koltin is an internationally recognized speaker, and a much sought-after business advisor, strategic coach and retreat facilitator who works with many top accounting and law firms, banks, and insurance companies. His specialties include mergers and acquisitions, sales and marketing, firm management, and strategic planning.

Their induction into the Hall of Fame came during a gala awards dinner last week at the 14th Annual Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) Conference in Boston. The conference boasted record attendance figures, a significant number of first time attendees, and marketing-focused speakers from the United States and across the world who helped set the stage for the "marketing revolution" that was celebrated at Boston's famed Park Plaza Hotel.