Accounting and Auditing Update (E1810699)

Jim Feeser has more than 17 years of experience in the area of federal, state, and research and development (R&D) tax services. He has identified billions in R&D benefits for companies in virtually every industry and supported those benefits.

Prior to joining BDO, Jim spent 13 years with Deloitte Tax LLP, where he was fully dedicated to assisting clients with issues related to the R&D tax credit. Also, during that time he was responsible for managing, designing and implementing a technology platform and processes to identify and document R&D costs and activities across the United States.

Jim has served companies ranging from multibillion dollar multinational companies to small privately held U.S.-based companies. He has worked with these companies to identify, document and calculate their R&D benefits in the most efficient and effective manner. He has conducted interviews with engineers, scientists and software developers regarding their R&D and R&D-related activities and has managed various Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and state tax examinations.

Michael has more than 12 years of combined experience in abandoned and unclaimed property (AUP) and internal audit related matters. He possesses vast experience in handling large unclaimed property audit engagements for the nation’s largest contract AUP firm in a variety of industries including healthcare, retail, manufacturing/distribution, oil and gas, entertainment, food and beverage, automobile, and hospitality. Mike leverages his extensive knowledge of the audit process, property types, and the rules and regulations associated with AUP to assist clients in mitigating exposure and proactively addressing its escheat issues.

Michael is the Northeast Practice Leader for BDO’s unclaimed property group based out of the Philadelphia office. He specializes in audit defense, escheat planning, general consulting, mitigation strategies and voluntary disclosure agreements (VDA), etc. In addition to being the NE Practice Leader Michael also heads up BDO’s gift card escheatment practice nationally and does a lot of work within the restaurant/retail space. Michael has established professional relationships with many state unclaimed property administrators and offers clients with a unique perspective in dealing with all unclaimed property related matters.

Michael is an avid speaker in the unclaimed property community and regularly presents at tax/accounting functions across all industries.

Prior to joining BDO, Michael worked with Kelmar Associates, LLC as a Senior Audit Manager in charge of unclaimed property audits contracted on behalf of various states. Michael also worked as a Team Leader in internal audit for ABC Supply Company.

Annie has 6 years of experience in abandoned and unclaimed property (AUP), specifically working on AUP audit engagements on behalf on numerous states. She has valuable knowledge of the AUP practices and regulations of various states, including the audit process and has worked on audit engagements for numerous industries including oil and gas, retail, manufacturing, food and beverage and automotive.

Annie is a manager based out of the Philadelphia office. She specializes in audit defense, voluntary disclosure agreements (VDA) assistance, and escheat planning. Using her vast knowledge of the unclaimed property audit process, she is able to assist clients in all escheat issues, including mitigating exposure.

Prior to joining BDO, Annie worked for Kelmar Associates, LLC, the nation’s largest contract AUP firm, as a senior associate working on unclaimed property audits on behalf of various states.

Dennis Sweeney is a Managing Director in BDO’s Northeast State and Local Tax practice located in New York, New York specializing in sales and use tax consulting.

Sweeney has over 30 years of experience in Indirect Taxes. He has worked with clients in a wide range of industries, including pharmaceutical, communications, technology, retail, transportation, and financial services companies.

Examples of expertise in the state and local tax area include:

• Identifying and obtaining refunds of overpaid sales and use tax for various types of clients with multistate activities.
• Assisting clients with identifying multistate nexus issues and quantifying any tax liabilities.
• Performing multistate sales and use tax research to determine application to clients’ products and services.
• Assisting clients with resolving tax liabilities through voluntary registration with state tax officials.

He earned a B.S. in Accounting from St. Thomas Aquinas College and is a member of the Institue of Professionals in Taxation.