By The Nebraska Society of Certified Public Accountants
Michael Arens has been promoted to partner at HBE LLC. He is a 2010 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Upon completion of his master’s degree in 2011, he worked for a public accounting firm in Kearney before joining HBE in 2014. Arens currently leads the firm’s Agribusiness Industry Specialty Team. He also serves on the Parish Finance Committee for St. Michael’s Catholic Church and is a member of Lincoln’s Young Professionals Group.
George Behringer, a retired PwC partner, recently completed his 10-year appointment as the Honorary Consul General of Japan in Nebraska. The government of Japan recognized him for his outstanding contribution to the Japan-U.S. relationship. He received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon conferred to him by the Emperor of Japan. Behringer continues to be actively involved with the Omaha-Shizuoka, Japan Sister City relationship.
Jesse Brickner has been promoted to manager at Hancock & Dana PC. Brickner graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and joined the firm in 2014.
Grant Buckley has joined the 15-member board of directors of the Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders counties. Community Action empowers people living in poverty to reach economic stability through 17 unique programs in the areas of early childhood education, homelessness prevention, financial and family well-being, and hunger relief and healthy food access. Buckley is with Buckley & Sitzman CPAs in Lincoln.
Jessica Dailey has been promoted to shareholder at the Kearney accounting firm KSO CPAs PC. An Atkinson native and Lexington resident, Dailey received a Master of Professional Accountancy from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and joined the firm in 2010. KSO CPAs PC has been serving south-central Nebraska for nearly 50 years.
Mikaela Davis has been promoted to director at HBE LLC. Davis is a 2009 graduate of Buena Vista University. She currently serves as treasurer of the Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska.
Heather Earnest has become a shareholder in Schroeder & Schreiner PC. Earnest graduated cum laude in 2013 with bachelor’s degrees in both professional accounting and economics from Hastings College. She is a member of the Professional Development Committee of the Young Professionals Organization of the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce.
Ronald “Ron” Ecklund has retired from his career in public accounting after more than four decades of service to HBE LLP. As one of the firm’s original partners, representing the “E” in HBE, Ecklund was instrumental to the growth and success of the firm over the years. A 1972 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Ecklund joined the firm in 1974 and served as partner from 1985 through 2010.
Jeffrey “Jeff” Faltys has been promoted to manager at Hancock & Dana PC. Faltys is a graduate of Wayne State College.
Jerry Hellman of Hellman, Main, Coslor & Kathol PC and his wife Tami were among the major donors to the Buffalo County Community Partners’ Kearney Area Thanksgiving Meal fundraiser, which raised more than $20,000 and provided 2,750 Thanksgiving meals for area hospital workers, first responders, and neighbors in need.
Colby Jensen was honored with a 2020 Midlands Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award, the 19th edition of the prestigious awards program for Omaha’s entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals. Jensen has been with BKD for more than seven years and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is on the Junior League of Omaha Board of Directors, has served as a mentor for the UNO College of Business Scholars Academy, sits on the BKD Nebraska Foundation Board, participates in Boy Scouts of America events, and volunteers for various other community organizations.
Brian Klintworth has been promoted to tax director at HBE LLC. Klintworth is a 2015 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a 2019 graduate of the University of Denver. He joined HBE as an intern in 2015. He serves as chairman of the Nebraska Society of CPAs’ CPE Committee, is a TeamMates mentor, and is a member of Lincoln’s Young Professionals Group.
Maggie L. Kothe was recognized by the AICPA last year as a 2019 Elijah Watt Sells Award winner. Nearly 75,000 individuals sat for the CPA Exam in 2019 with only 137 candidates meeting the criteria to receive this award, named in honor of one of the country’s first CPAs. Each year, the AICPA bestows its Elijah Watt Sells Award upon high-performing candidates who obtain a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination and pass all four sections on their first attempt. Awards are presented in the calendar year following the year in which testing is completed. Kothe graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Accountancy. She is self-employed with MK Bookkeeping Services LLC in Hastings.
Michael “Mike” Kottwitz has been promoted to director at HBE LLC. Kottwitz graduated magna cum laude from Doane University in 2012.
Mark Manning has been appointed to the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy by Gov. Pete Ricketts. He will serve as an active permit holder from Congressional District 1 from 2020-2024, replacing Michael McClure. Manning is president of Manning & Associates created in 1988 with locations in Crete and Geneva. He has served on the Nebraska Society of CPAs Board of Directors and currently serves as president of the Foundation of the Nebraska Society of CPAs. He also served for many years as a volunteer reviewer for the State Board’s Quality Enhancement Program and currently serves on the State Board’s Peer Review Committee. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska.
Michael “Mike” Mason has joined Frankel Zacharia LLC as a tax manager. Mason is
a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in accounting.
Christi Olsen has been appointed to the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy by Gov. Pete Ricketts. She will serve as an active permit holder from Congressional District 2 from 2020-2024, replacing Michele Stromp. A graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Olsen is a member of Circle CPA LLC and has been practicing public accounting since 1989. She recently served on the Nebraska Society of CPAs Board of Directors and is a past chairman of the Foundation of the Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA).
Scott Scheef has been promoted to partner at HBE LLP. Scheef is a 2007 graduate of Hastings College. He joined HBE in 2011 and currently leads the firm’s Construction Industry and State and Local Tax (SALT) Specialty Teams. Scheef is a past treasurer of the Associated Builders and Contractors – Cornhusker Chapter, the current treasurer for SMILE-Center, and a board member for the Construction Accounting Network.
Anthony “Tony” Storer has been promoted to director at HBE LLC. Storer has more than 25 years of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software experience, spanning multiple platforms and industries.
Daniel “Dan” Torczon has been promoted to partner at Hancock & Dana PC. Torczon has more than 14 years of experience and joined the firm in 2016.
Brock Wyatt has been elected to the Aurora School Board, serving as secretary of the board. Wyatt is an Aurora native, graduating in 2002. He is presently the CFO at Hamilton Telecommunications in Aurora.
Mika Yonamine has joined BerganKDV as a tax manager. Yonamine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is a mentor in the TeamMates program and a board member of the Santa Monica House. BerganKDV has eight offices in four states.
Firms in the News
HBE LLP has announced a merger with Marvin E. Jewell & Co. PC (MEJ) effective January 1. Founded in 1963, MEJ has served individuals and businesses for nearly 60 years. Carmen Standley, owner of MEJ, has joined HBE as a partner with the firm. She and the former MEJ team members will continue serving clients from their existing office at 8215 Northwoods Drive, Suite 300, in Lincoln. HBE operates from multiple office locations in Lincoln, Norfolk, and Omaha.
Lutz celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2020. Founded in 1980, the firm now has a 275-plus person team with offices in Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings, and Grand Island.
Masimore Magnuson & Associates PC of Omaha has donated $1,040 to Goodfellows, the Omaha World-Herald charity that helps people who fall through the gaps in the social safety net. Each year, the firm conducts an internal fund drive and selects a charity to receive the dollars raised by the firm’s 20 employees. The firm has been serving the Omaha area since 1974.
SP Group PC of Lincoln formed a seven-person “SP Cares Team” in 2020, assisting more than 350 businesses in applying for and receiving COVID-related financial assistance by the end of the year.
