On July 24, Zinner & Co. honored Gabe Adler, CPA, CGMA, Partner and Howard Kass, CPA, CGMA, AEP, Partner, for their nearly 90 combined years of public accounting experience with a retirement party at Acacia Clubhouse in Lyndhurst.
Both Adler and Kass graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1971 and 47 years later, they are both retiring after successful careers.
“In today’s world, it’s almost unheard of to have that kind of longevity in a single field and most notably, together in the same firm for the last 19 years,” said Zinner & Co. Managing Partner Robin Baum, CPA.
“They have both left an indelible fingerprint on the firm and have shown fellow employees how
to perform the highest level of client quality service,” she said.
Adler came to Zinner & Co. in 1993 from Rabe, Adler & Co., where he served as a partner.
During his more than 40-years in the public accounting field, he concentrated on accounting, succession planning, tax and mergers and acquisitions. Adler’s clients included family-owned and small businesses, closely-held companies and professional service firms and real estate owners, managers and developers.
Baum called Adler a consummate thinker and said his strong suit is quiet observation, not only to understand the technical issues his clients faced, but what was truly important to them.
Active in the community, Adler serves on the Board of InMotion, as treasurer of the not-for-profit wellness center for people with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders and the Northern Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), where he previously served as Treasurer. He was a trustee and past officer for his synagogue; sits on the Audit Committee and the Cleveland-Israel Arts Connection Committee for the Jewish Federation of Cleveland; served as president of the Eastside Cleveland Chapter of the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accounting (OSCPA); and is involved with various other community organizations.
Adler is a huge Cleveland sports fan and enjoys playing basketball.
Zinner & Co. Partner Sue Krantz, CPA, CGMA, described Adler as kind, helpful and considerate. She said Gabe was willing to do anything for the firm and his clients.
During his retirement speech, Adler thanked everyone he had the opportunity to work with – including fellow co-workers and clients.
“It was my privilege and honor to work with so many clients and their families. I did not look at my career as a job,” he said. “I loved what I did and enjoyed the people and clients I worked with. I’m going to miss everyone and the fun we had.”
Kass came to Zinner & Co. in 1999 from Unger, Krause and Associates and became Zinner’s Senior Tax Partner.
His expertise is in individual and business income taxes, tax aspects of real estate investment, estate, gift and trust taxes and tax-exempt organizations. His diverse client base includes individuals and closely-held companies such as C Corporations, S Corporations, Partnerships and LLCs. Industries he served include real estate, manufacturing, insurance agencies, distributors and service companies.
He authored numerous articles on taxation in a variety of publications and websites, including Properties Magazine, Commercial Investment Real Estate Magazine, Lifeline, the publication of the Celiac Support Association and Celiac.com.
Kass made presentations over the past two decades on numerous tax issues to many organizations including Lorman Education Services, the National Business Institute, the Ohio Society of CPAs, the Society of Financial Service Professionals and the Cleveland Digital Publishing Users Group (CDPUG).
Baum said Kass displayed a passion for teaching the next generation of tax advisors, helping them gain a better understanding of the industry.
His passion for knowledge is also evident in the numerous organizations he has been involved with throughout his career.
Kass is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Ohio Society of CPAs, the Estate Planning Council of Cleveland and the Society of Financial Service Professionals. He serves on the boards of the Estate Planning Council of Cleveland, the Cleveland-Akron Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, where he recently finished his term as president, and the BlueWater Chamber Orchestra. Additionally, he sat on the boards of the Real Estate Investors Association of Northern Ohio and CDPUG, where he also served as president.
Zinner & Co. Partner Brett Neate, CPA, MTax, said Kass has an insatiable desire for knowledge and often gave praise to people by saying they were a lifetime learner.
A movie and music buff, Kass often referred to both during presentations and conversations.
During his retirement speech, he referenced the song Seasons of Love from the hit Broadway musical, “Rent.”
“There’s a line that describes a year as 525,600 minutes,” he said. “In my case, it would take a very long time to recount a journey of just under 22.4 million minutes – that’s nearly 43 years.”
Kass said it was a blessing to work at Zinner. He thanked all current and past partners, staff members and his family. He also thanked his clients.
“You are the reason Zinner & Co. exists and the reason why I spent 43-years in this profession,” he said. “The opportunity to work with you and to play some small part in helping you achieve a measure of success in your lives was my motivation. Thank you for your trust.”
With their successful careers coming to a close, both Adler and Kass are looking forward to the next phase of their lives.
Adler plans to spend time with his children and grandchildren, travel and pursue some new interests, while Kass wants to travel, hike and further enjoy his passion for photography.
On behalf of the Zinner & Co. partners and staff, we wish Gabe and Howard a long, healthy and happy retirement.
As a firm who offers succession planning services, Zinner & Co. has been preparing for the retirement of both partners.
The departure of Gabe and Howard will lead to some changes at Zinner & Co., but their clients will continue to receive the high customer service they are accustomed. Zinner & Co. is always committed to meeting the needs of all of our clients.
