WilliamsMarston Accelerates National Expansion with Acquisition of Chord Advisors

Combined firm has more than 100 professionals with specialized expertise in key new markets

Align Capital Partners' ("ACP") market leading advisory, tax and management consulting firm, WilliamsMarston LLC ("WilliamsMarston" or the "Firm") announced it has acquired Chord Advisors, LLC ("Chord"), a nationally recognized leading provider of accounting advisory services.

Founded in 2012, Chord Advisors is headquartered in Newport Beach, CA. With more than 30 professionals and approximately 500 clients, Chord Advisors offers specialized accounting advisory services, including IPO readiness and technical accounting support to its diverse client base. This transaction marks the second acquisition that WilliamsMarston has completed in the past year and brings the Firm’s headcount to more than 100 seasoned professionals and approximately 1,000 clients with offices in Boston, New York, Dallas and southern California.

“Chord has built a phenomenal reputation as a leader in capital markets transactions with deep subject-matter experts in numerous areas impacting our clients,” said Landen Williams, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at WilliamsMarston. “Our clients have complex challenges requiring advisors that have the depth and breadth of expertise and resources to guide them through very complicated situations. Chord’s team, which includes former Big Four national office and FASB staff members, will be immediately impactful in expanding our capabilities.”

“WilliamsMarston is very well known and highly respected in our industry,” said Dave Horin, Founder and Managing Partner at Chord Advisors. “We have a deep respect for the WilliamsMarston brand and we believe this combination will provide a powerful and unique service offering to the market. Moreover, our organizations share a very similar culture and philosophy of delivering top notch services to companies on their most complex transactions with an unparalleled commitment to quality and integrity.”

Chord’s referral sources include major private equity firms, law firms, investment banks and accounting firms. These transaction partners have come to trust Chord to help their clients navigate the accounting and regulatory aspects of a variety of complicated capital markets events.

“Both of our firms have top-rated former Big Four professionals who are trusted advisors to C-Level executives across the country,” said Sam Lynn, Managing Partner at Chord. “We are aligned in our mission to attract and retain the industry’s top talent, enabling us to continuously improve our expertise and service capabilities.”

“We’re excited to partner with Dave and Sam and their entire team to go-to-market as one national firm to better serve our growing list of pre-IPO, public and private equity-backed clients,” said Jonathan Marston, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at WilliamsMarston. “We are now a national firm as the acquisition of Chord accelerates our expansion into key new markets including Dallas, Southern California and Silicon Valley.”

ACP Managing Partner Chris Jones, Operating Partner Dave Perotti, Principal Matt Beesley and Associate Aaron Lewis worked on the transaction. WilliamsMarston is continuing to seek add-on acquisition targets who offer similar or complementary services in new markets.

About WilliamsMarston LLC

WilliamsMarston is an accounting, tax and management consulting firm founded in 2014. With more than 100 professionals and offices in Boston, New York, Dallas and Southern California, the Firm advises public, private equity-backed and pre-IPO companies managing rapid growth and transformation including mergers, acquisitions, carveouts, spin-offs, initial public offerings, complex technical accounting, corporate tax and restructuring. With a growing team of talented professionals, WilliamsMarston is the CFO's most trusted advisor through transformation and growth. For more information, visit willilamsmarston.com.

About Align Capital Partners

Align Capital Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm that partners with business owners and management teams to create shared success. ACP manages $775 million in committed capital with investment teams in Cleveland and Dallas. ACP brings experience and resources to help lower-middle market companies accelerate their growth, to the benefit of management, employees and the firm’s investors. ACP makes control investments in differentiated companies within the business services, technology, specialty manufacturing and distribution sectors. For more information, visit aligncp.com.

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