By ANNEMARIE FRANCZYK
Business First

The Amherst CPA firm Lougen Valenti Bookbinder & Weintraub LLP has moved into new offices, built to accommodate current practice patterns and future growth.

The 7,500-square-foot facility is at 130 Bryant Woods South in Amherst, about three miles away from its former headquarters in the University Corporate Centre complex. The project cost $1.3 million, including construction and purchase of 1.5 acres, said Daniel Weintraub, partner.

The firm had the building designed to meet current operations and built so that 2,500 square feet could be added at some point, he said.

It received concurrent approval from the Amherst Planning Board for both the main building and the additional square footage so that expansion can take place when needed, Weintraub said.

Lougen Valenti has 19 total staff and grows to about 25 during busy seasons, he said. It is the 17th-largest CPA firm in the region, tied with Fox & Co. LLP of Tonawanda, according to the 2007 Business First Book of Lists.

The firm provides accounting, auditing, tax planning and consulting services for its client base of privately owned businesses, primarily.

The new facility also is home to LVBW Wealth Management LLC, a joint venture with The Fahey Group, a family-run financial-consulting firm.

Lougen Valenti was founded in 2000 when its principals acquired the former Buffalo office of BDO Seidman. It is a member of the BDO Seidman Alliance, a network of independently owned accounting and consulting offices, allowing the firm to serve clients with multi-state and international operations.

"We are committed to Western New York. My partners and I have long-standing ties to this community, and we feel strongly about investing in this area," said Keith Bookbinder, partner.

"By choosing to build instead of lease, we feel we've strengthened our commitment to the area and put something back into the local economy," he said.