“We are excited to welcome Creese, Smith, Hune & Co. LLC’s highly respected practice,” Herbein CEO David Stonesifer said in a statement. ““While we continue to grow, we are primarily committed to maintaining our culture and so have always been very strategic about who we invite to join us. Our cultures and values are well-aligned, and we share the same entrepreneurial approach to succeeding with confidence.”

Founded in 1996, Creese, Smith, Hune & Co. LLC provides a wide range of client-focused assurance, tax, and advisory services.

“Herbein complements and enhances our current service offerings for our business community, and we know that they will help us provide even greater value to our clients,” Smith said. “While Herbein is a leading national firm, it is also known in our region for its local focus. A move as significant as this meant the fit had to be right, and that’s why we couldn’t be more excited about joining forces with Herbein.”

Hune added, “Herbein has comprehensive experience in all the areas we work in, and their team will bring additional bench strength to serve our clients—and provide an outstanding foundation for the future to our team members. Herbein is more than just a successful and growing CPA advisory firm with a long history. Knowing their team members value the firm and continue to feel valued themselves brings us a lot of confidence we are joining the right firm.”

While Herbein has three existing greater Pittsburgh locations—in downtown Pittsburgh, Allison Park, and Greensburg—Herbein CFO Joseph Witkowski said the firm continues to be interested in expanding its presence in the region.

“This merger reflects our focus on greater Pittsburgh—and our belief that Creese, Smith, Hune & Co. is well-positioned to help us increase our visibility in the region,” he said.

Ira Rosenbloom, CEO of Optimum Strategies, advised on the combination.