KBKG is pleased to announce the addition of Business Development Regional Director Todd French to KBKG’s Midwest Regional office, who is relocating from the KBKG Texas office after serving the Dallas-Ft. Worth Community.
Todd French began his finance career 15 years ago as a banker for a large regional bank where he was trained to build strong relationships with his clients so he could accurately advise them on all aspects of their finances-banking, lending, tax and investments. Before transitioning to KBKG, he helped clients qualify hundreds of Public and Private sector projects for the EPAct 179D tax incentive while working for a 179D certification company. Todd has bachelor’s degrees in both Business Management and Marketing and has been a business owner for multiple years. He brings over 25 years of sales and marketing experience to his career with KBKG, and is a member of the Illinois Society of CPAs.
“The addition of Todd French to our team is an exciting development for the KBKG’s Midwestern Practice. His relationship-based approach to business development has been an asset for the Texas Practice, and we are excited to have Todd as a first point-of-contact for our current and future Midwestern clients.” – Lester Cook, CCSP and Principal at KBKG
KBKG’s Midwestern team, led by Principal Lester Cook, CCSP, has extensive expertise and industry knowledge in value-added tax services in the midwestern region including cost segregation, research & development, and transfer pricing. The team of experts includes Transfer Pricing Principal Alex Martin, R&D Senior Manager Michael Maroney, Regional Director Kyle Ernsberger, and Cost Segregation Manager Sasha Brenecki.
Lester Cook, CCSP, Principal of KBKG’s Fixed Asset Review Practice, has more than 17 years in the tax specialty service industry. He is a certified member of the American Society of Cost Segregation professionals, a group that he has been a part of since 2008. Throughout his career, Lester has completed cost segregation analyses on thousands of properties ranging from office space leasehold improvements to multi-billion dollar industrial complexes and hotel and resort projects. He has worked with many Fortune 500 companies successfully representing his claims to both IRS and Financial Auditors. Prior to KBKG, Lester led the PwC Central Region Cost Segregation Center of Excellence; providing engineering-based Cost Segregation project management, oversight, and expertise to all other fixed assets teams throughout the U.S. and Canada. He was a recipient of the 2008 PwC Greater Chicago Market Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Leadership.
Alex Martin is the Transfer Pricing Principal at KBKG and a thought leader in the transfer pricing services industry. He has 22 years of full-time transfer pricing experience working in Washington, D.C.; Melbourne, Australia; and Detroit, Michigan over the course of his career. Alex has assisted companies in many industries addressing transfer pricing issues on a US and global basis. As a transfer pricing economist, Alex worked for a Big-4 firm for 12 years as a director, a top middle-market focused firm for six years as a principal, and four years as president of an independent transfer pricing consultancy. While at the Big-4 firm, he received a Chairman’s Award and Coach of the Year recognition for building a Detroit transfer pricing practice. Prior to joining KBKG, Alex’s transfer pricing team was named one of the world’s leading transfer pricing consultancies by International Tax Review for three years in a row.
Michael Maroney is a senior manager for Research & Development Tax Credit Services and the R&D resource for KBKG’s Midwest Practice. He advises clients on tax matters related to federal and state R&D tax credits and has advised numerous Fortune 1000 clients across a variety of industries. He has successfully defended his client’s R&D claims before the IRS and state taxing authorities. He has been an instructor on these topics for numerous CPA and industry associations and has authored articles related to federal and state R&D tax credits. Prior to joining KBKG, he’s been with two of the Big 4 firms.
Kyle Ernsberger is a Regional Director at KBKG. As a Chicago local, Kyle has successfully secured specialty tax credits and deductions for individuals and businesses throughout the metro area. His background in cost segregation and tax strategies directly benefit businesses in the real estate industry through the value-added services he is able to provide. With his background as a cost segregation engineer and his extensive knowledge of client sales, Kyle has developed a unique, personal and professional, approach in fostering relationships and providing exceptional customer service to his clients. Kyle’s greatest strengths are his enthusiasm, drive, and leadership. He thrives on helping his clients find opportunities to increase their bottom line.
Sasha Brenecki is a manager with KBKG specializing in cost segregation and fixed asset services overseeing the Midwest region. She has over 6 years of experience conducting cost segregation studies, section 481a adjustment calculations, and fixed asset reviews which include residential rental property, commercial retail property, and industrial manufacturing facilities. Her responsibilities include project management, 481a technical training for staff engineers, client development and proposals, and recruitment.
The Midwest team are passionate people and care about their communities. They are actively involved in numerous community outreach organizations such as “Windy City” Habitat for Humanity. Every year, they help build homes in areas where affordable housing is scarce, helping the community by improving the inactive areas of a neighborhood.
Want to work with our Midwest Team? Visit our Midwest page to find state-specific resources, our speaker pitch package, and contact information for our regional experts.