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S P O N S O R S H I P
The human touch
Tax consultancy looks at people, not just price and product, to develop new business while serving existing clients.
Editor’s note: Corporate Tax Advisors, Inc. is a sponsor of the 2018 Hot Firm + A/E Industry Awards Conference in Dallas. T hings are still cruising along for Corporate Tax Advisors, Inc., the niche consultancy that specializes in just three facets of the tax code, the Research & Development Tax Credit, Cost Segregation, and the 179D Green Energy Incentive. As more and more AEC firms warm to the opportunity of using incentives to improve their bottom lines, the busier the firm becomes.
Mike Woeber
But when potential clients do pick up the phone, CTA has plenty to say. The 179D energy efficiency incentive, for example, applies to commercial buildings, as opposed to residential, and includes both privately and publicly owned structures when allocated to the energy efficient designer. Deductions of $1.80 per square foot in some cases, and $.60 per square foot in others, are triggered by efficiencies in lighting, building envelope, and HVAC. The 179D incentive is still temporary. Also, the incentive is not as well known in the design “You have to stay relevant. You still have to find a way to stay top of mind, and as you grow, that becomes more challenging.”
Dawson Fercho, vice president of business development and co-founder at CTA, says that while the 179D incentive is gaining ground, the R&D piece is still the bread and butter for his firm, especially now that the tax is permanent. “Since the permanence of this tax incentive and strategy (Jan. 1, 2016), it is now being more widely discussed than it was just a couple of years ago,” Fercho says. “It has gained more interest with the CPAs. They’re more bullish on this. It pollinates. If the advisor is more comfortable, so will the client.” For firms qualifying for the R&D tax credit, the benefits are reduced costs for research, labor, and an overall lower taxable income. With greater interest in the AEC industry has come greater interest in what CTA does. Anticipating growth, CTA made a big move – the firm upgraded its website. “Growth initiated the change,” Fercho says. “With more firms learning about us, and desiring to at first window-shop, we felt we needed a refreshed platform with more and clearer content as to who and what we are. We didn’t feel like the former site answered the right questions, and did not inform potential clients and inspire them to ‘pick-up-the- phone’ action.”
Dawson Fercho
Rob Kling GUEST SPEAKERS
industry as the R&D tax credit. But that will probably change.
“Not everyone knows about it,” Fercho says. “But there’s still a lot of space to grow in R&D and 179D.” Business development is Fercho’s strength, as he has no fear of getting out and about to meet with
See WOEBER, FERCHO, & KLING, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER August 20, 2018, ISSUE 1261
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