Top 25 Firm CLA announced two mergers on Wednesday: Seattle-based investment bank and M&A advisory firm Meridian Capital, and Milwaukee-based technology advisory firm Answerport.
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The Meridian deal is expected to boost CLA’s wealth advisory and investment banking offerings. It will go to market as CLA Meridian Capital, the investment banking division of CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisos LLC.
“Privately held business owners often need a team that understands both the financial details of running a company and the bigger strategic decisions about its future,” CLA chief growth officer Paul Bailey said in a statement. “With Meridian Capital joining CLA, we can offer clients deeper expertise when they are raising capital, buying or selling a company, or planning for long-term growth.”
“Many of the privately held, middle-market companies we advise are at pivotal points in their growth or ownership transition,” said Brian Murphy, CEO and managing director of Meridian Capital, in a statement. “By joining CLA, we’ll be able to surround our clients with a broader group of specialists who can help them prepare for major transactions and plan for what comes next.”
Murphy will be joining CLA as managing principal of investment banking, and will lead CLA Meridian Capital. Meridian Capital’s current president, Patrick Ringland, will also join CLA in a leadership role.
Meanwhile, Answerport works closely with private equity firms and their portfolio companies, and will boost CLA’s ability to help them with the technological challenges that arise from corporate M&A, and its broader digital solutions capabilities.
“Major business transactions often create complex technology challenges,” said CLA chief solutions officer James Watson, in a statement. “By adding Answerport’s experience and capabilities, we can help our clients manage those transitions more smoothly, from the financial and operational planning all the way through the technology systems that keep their businesses running.”
“Technology is often one of the biggest hurdles when companies are bought, sold or combined,” said John Cordio, CEO and founder of Answerport, in a statement. “Joining CLA allows us to work alongside a broader team of financial and business advisors so clients can move through those moments faster and with even greater confidence.”
The terms of neither deal were disclosed. CLA ranked No. 11 on Accounting Today’s 2026 ranking of the Top 100 Firms, with $2.1 billion in revenue, over 1,300 partners, and more than 8,200 employees.
Last year, CLA merged in Maryland-based
In 2023, CLA acquired
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