Partnership strengthens Stephano Slack’s regional presence while preserving KLA’s boutique, high-touch client service.
Stephano Slack LLC, a regional accounting and advisory firm headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania, has announced its merger with Kimmel, Lorah & Associates, LLP (KLA), a boutique CPA firm founded in 1946. Starting January 1, 2026, the combined organization will operate under the Stephano Slack name as the succeeding firm.
Founded in 1946, KLA has operated for 80 years as a boutique CPA firm, delivering partner-led, high-touch service with rapid responsiveness and professional rigor tailored to each client’s needs. As part of the combination, KLA is executing a client-first succession plan developed over multiple years by Managing Partner Robert Stevenson, who joined the firm in 1985 and has dedicated the last 40 years to serving clients. The plan prioritizes continuity for the client base, ensuring relationship consistency, coordinated leadership coverage, and expanded access to specialty resources within Stephano Slack.
“Joining forces with KLA strengthens our specialized expertise while preserving the responsiveness clients expect,” said Mike Stephano, Managing Partner, Stephano Slack LLC. “As the succeeding firm, we’re honored that Kimmel, Lorah & Associates, LLP is entrusting its legacy clients to our team. Clients will experience a seamless transition with deeper resources, broader industry coverage, and enhanced capabilities in HUD audits and Single Audit (Uniform Guidance), Local Government and Municipal Government Services, Trust Services, High-Net-Worth planning, international matters, and comprehensive tax return preparation—all while maintaining the boutique, high-touch service model that defines KLA.”
“When I joined the firm in 1985—my first job out of school—I committed my career to our clients,” said Robert Stevenson, Managing Partner, Kimmel, Lorah & Associates, LLP. “Over the last 40 years, my focus has been building a thoughtful succession plan that serves our clients first and also supports our people. This merger delivers exactly that. With Mike Stephano as Managing Partner of the successor firm, we are confident that our legacy client relationships are entrusted to capable hands—and that our tax preparation, HUD, Single Audit, Trust Services, High-Net-Worth, and international expertise will serve an even wider client base.”
Clients of Kimmel, Lorah & Associates, LLP can expect a seamless transition as the firm joins Stephano Slack, under the leadership of Managing Partner Mike Stephano. The KLA brand will gradually transition to Stephano Slack while existing engagement teams and leadership backups remain in place to maintain continuity and preserve the valued client relationships. With this combination, clients gain access to expanded specialty capabilities, including HUD audits, Single Audit services, trust accounting and administration, high-net-worth planning and advisory, international tax and cross-border services, as well as transaction advisory, SALT, outsourced CFO/controllership, and risk & assurance. Tax preparation services remain unchanged, covering individual, corporate, partnership, trust, estate, and gift returns, including state and multi-state filings, extensions, e-filing, and support with IRS and state correspondence, all fully integrated for business entities and their owners.
The successor firm will be led by Managing Partner Mike Stephano with an integrated partner group that includes former KLA leaders. Functional teams across quality, talent, technology, and client experience have been unified to support a single-firm, client-centered operating model and a staged transition of KLA’s legacy client relationships.
In recent years, Stephano Slack has expanded its Greater Philadelphia and Delaware footprint and entered New Jersey through combinations that complement its Wayne, PA headquarters and Wilmington, DE presence—positioning the successor firm to deliver broader resources while preserving close-knit client service.
About Stephano Slack LLC
As the premier regional accounting firm, Stephano Slack offers a full range of outsourced accounting, audit, tax, and transaction advisory services to clients. Specializing in privately owned, middle-market companies, the firm offers timely, reliable financial information, along with creative business and tax strategies that help clients achieve their financial goals. Stephano Slack is dedicated to fostering strong client relationships through industry events, webinars, seminars, and newsletters.
About Kimmel, Lorah & Associates, LLP
Kimmel, Lorah & Associates, LLP is a seasoned CPA firm rooted in Audubon, Pennsylvania, serving clients since 1946 with an emphasis on assurance, tax strategy and compliance, and dispute-related financial expertise. Our team pairs a values-driven service model—professionalism, responsiveness, and quality—with deep industry specializations in construction/real estate, manufacturing, professional services (including law and dental practices), nonprofits/foundations, and public sector/employee benefit plans. We bring recognized capability in audits, reviews, and compilations, year-round tax planning and preparation, and litigation support/forensic accounting and business valuation, helping clients navigate compliance, transactions, and complex financial matters with confidence.
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