Neighbors in the News: Tri-Merit accountant named to ‘100 Most Influential People’ list
• Randy Crabtree, co-founder of Tri-Merit Specialty Tax Professionals, Schaumburg, was named to Accounting Today’s list of the “100 Most Influential People in Accounting.”
Crabtree founded Tri-Merit as a national resource for accountants on the R & D Tax Credit, but the firm has since grown to provide services in specialty tax areas such as Cost Segregation, the Section 179D deduction, the Employee Retention Credit, Renewable Energy Tax Credits and others.
In addition to providing guidance to clients on complex tax issues, Crabtree has become a leading advocate for change in the accounting industry by bringing attention to mental wellness, diversity and eliminating the industry’s long-held acceptance of excessive workloads as a necessary component of a career path. He hosts the Unique CPA podcast, contributes articles to various accounting publications and has launched and hosted the annual Bridging the Gap Conference.
“It is truly humbling to receive this recognition and to see my name listed alongside so many impressive and successful contributors to our industry,” Crabtree said. “Being able to balance my wellness initiatives along with continuing to provide service to my valued specialty tax clients has been very rewarding. An honor of this nature is beyond expectation.”
• The Buffalo Grove Park District Board of Commissioners selected Kim Page to fill its vacant board seat. Page was sworn in on Monday, Nov. 13, and will serve the remainder of the term, which runs through April 2025.
Page has bachelor’s degree in public health from Northern Illinois University and works for Digital Currency Systems in Northbrook. Her community volunteer experience includes the Anti-Cruelty Society, OMNI Youth Services, GiveNKind, Boy Scouts of America, and the Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102 PTO.
Page said, “I am honored and excited to have this opportunity to serve our park district and community. With three children ages 8, 9, and 11, I have been a longtime fan of the Buffalo Grove Park District and their programs, which I have made extensive use of. From soccer and flag football, to dance, art classes, the Fitness Center, and birthday parties, my family has a soft spot for the park district and the programs offered. I am looking forward to serving the community through making our park district the best possible.”
• First Lt. Dane Meier, a native of Barrington, is serving in the U.S. Marine Corps assigned to U.S. Navy Training Squadron SEVEN (VT-7), alongside naval aviators who learn the skills they need to fly missions around the world.
Meier, a 2015 Barrington High School graduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in marking from the University of Illinois in 2019. He joined the Marines Corps two and a half years ago.
“I joined the Marines because I wanted to support a cause bigger than myself and to seek service where I could make a difference,” said Meier.
Meier serves as a student pilot with VT-7, a strike jet training squadron, located at Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi.
The aviation squadron’s primary mission is to train future naval aviators to fly as well as instill leadership and officer values, Navy officials explained. Students must complete many phases of flight training in order to graduate, including aviation preflight indoctrination, primary flight training and advanced flight training. After successfully completing the rigorous program, naval aviators earn their coveted “Wings of Gold.
• Lily Troyan, 18, of Lake Villa, 2023 Miss Lake County Fair Queen, will represent the Lake County Fair at the 2024 Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant during the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs’ convention from Jan 11-14 in Springfiel. She will be one of 73 county fair queens from across the state to vie for the title.
Troyan is a freshman political science major at Aurora University minoring in philosophy with plans to become a civil rights attorney.
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