ACG MN Monthly Luncheon - Taxes, Taxes, Taxes

Previously, a Controller and Chief Administrative Officer in the alternative investment industry; Leah Berend has a unique combination of accounting, business administration, and investment experience.

Leah is a certified public accountant, has a Master’s of Science in Accountancy, and has a Master’s of Arts in Organizational Leadership.

Serving as the Chief Financial and Chief Administrative officer at Oxbow Industries which is a Middle Market PE Firm based in St. Louis Park; Leah assesses businesses across an array of industries, manages firm operations and supports the Oxbow portfolio of companies.

She was recently named a 2022 Top Women in Finance Honoree by Finance & Commerce and has been involved in numerous acquisitions and divestitures on a global basis.

Since 2006, Joe has worked full time in the area of U.S. federal and state R&D tax credit and incentives. Prior to BDO, Joe was with a “Big Four” accounting firm, before that working as a process engineer in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.​

Leveraging his experience as both a CPA and engineer, Joe has helped Fortune 500 companies and small private firms alike identify and substantiate all of the research credits to which they’re legally entitled, supporting more than 90% of these benefits on examination by taxing authorities. Joe also has assisted clients in designing processes to help calculate and substantiate their qualified activities and costs, a service informed by the 1000s of interviews he’s conducted with engineers, scientists, and software developers regarding their R&D and R&D-related activities.​ Joe has experience serving companies in virtually every industry.

Kristin is a Senior Vice President in Wealth Management, and a founding member of the Carlson Larson Wealth Management team at UBS. She is a Certified Financial Planner professional, and a Certified Private Wealth Advisor. She and her husband, Matt, live in Hopkins, and welcomed their first child in February.

Mark is an experienced tax lawyer who provides creative, smart and practical solutions to achieve client objectives in mergers and acquisitions and other transactions. Mark regularly represents private equity funds in connection with their M&A transactions. In addition, Mark also represents public companies, closely-held businesses and management in mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, joint ventures, financings, entity formations and other transactions. Mark advises clients across a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, distribution, services, food products, consumer goods, technology, life sciences and healthcare.