Growth Continues for Catalyst

New Office

A new chapter in the 35 year history of High River based Catalyst Chartered Accountants and Consultants is being written with some new developments; including the addition of new partners, expanded services, and the relocation to one central office; all to better serve current and future clients.

With the launch of Catalyst Wealth Planning Inc. the firm has established the fourth of four pillars of its comprehensive client service offerings, which include financial statement preparation and related services, taxation, corporate advisory and now, wealth planning services.

Cam Crawford, who joined Catalyst in 1979 and has been Managing Partner of the firm for the past ten years, is pleased that the transition to a multidisciplinary practice is happening. "Today's complex business and financial environment calls for a team approach to the delivery of diverse services to help clients succeed with their business and personal goals" says Crawford. "Our team of 65 partners and staff are focused on this mission".

The leadership of the firm rests with its seven partners operating out of offices in Calgary and High River, and Crawford believes the firm and its clients are in good hands. “It's exciting to be on the cusp of change with a dynamic firm leadership group and we all look ahead with great anticipation to what we believe will be a bright future for the firm" he says. “Our success is based on that of our clients, and we believe our team is positioned to help them achieve that success.”

Catalyst's newest business unit, Catalyst Wealth Planning, is led by partner Tim Coakwell, a Chartered Accountant and Certified Financial Planner, Coakwell believes that clients benefit greatly from being able to access services in a one-stop-shop manner. "Through our wealth planning business unit we offer financial planning services, risk management strategies and advice on wealth management. Our services are very complementary to those offered by other Catalyst business units" says Coakwell.

Tim is son of Catalyst co-founder Gerry Coakwell who notes, “I’ve seen tremendous growth and progressive change for the firm since the beginning. The firm has gone from 5 people to over 60 people in the last 35 years and it has been great to be a part of that successful growth.”

Wayne Moore, the other co-founder of Catalyst believes that progressive change is a natural part of the evolution of the firm. “Times change, and Catalyst like every other business needs to adapt to its current circumstances; and it’s great to see the ownership and leadership of the firm in capable hands dealing with the challenges and opportunities of the day”.

Partner Terri Holowath who leads the financial statement business unit of Catalyst, has a diverse clientele and prides herself on developing deep relationships in meeting their needs. Partners Brock Cairns and Dave McLellan work with Holowath in meeting the accounting and financial statement needs of Catalyst’s diverse client base.

As of January 1st, Paige Shaw and Chris Alexander, who have both been with Catalyst for several years, will be serving clients in their new role as partners in the financial statement business unit of Catalyst as well.

"We want our client relationships to be much more than just a once a year visit to talk about what happened last year" Holowath says "We want to add value by being beside our clients throughout the year and be there to help them 24/7 with their challenges and opportunities".

Partner Dave Laycraft, born and raised in the Blackie area, leads Catalyst’s corporate advisory group. An MBA and a Chartered Business Valuator, Laycraft advises on business valuations, mergers and acquisitions, business planning, and corporate finance.

"We are here to help clients with their significant and often unique needs in these areas" says Laycraft. “Often we are parachuted in to deal with client needs and we work in tandem with other Catalyst partners and staff in developing and implementing solutions."

The Catalyst tax group is led by partner Carl Scholz. "Tax is a specialty in and of itself" says Scholz. "With our tax group working exclusively in this area, we are able to deal effectively with complex situations, solving client problems and identifying opportunities for them in collaboration with the other Catalyst business units.

Currently, Catalyst operates from offices in downtown Calgary and High River. The partners of the firm are finalizing plans to combine the two offices in the new Quarry Park suburban business park in the southeast Calgary in late 2009. Quarry Park is a flagship project of Remington Developments, offering a unique office, retail and residential community that will contain 1.7 million square feet of office space, numerous retail and service facilities including a grocery store, boutique restaurants, a hotel, child care facility and proposed recreation facility. Plans also call for call for construction of a diverse mix of condos, town homes and single family homes. Everything will be connected by parks and pathways that run through the area.

According to Crawford, the multidisciplinary nature of the firm's practice and the opportunity to be stronger together in meeting client needs are behind the decision to relocate. "On some levels, it was a tough decision to move and consolidate the two offices. But when you establish your strategies based on what is in the best interests of your clients, decisions like this one become easier."

"With our team approach to client services, we believe we need to be physically together to be most effective, and we are very excited about opportunities on many fronts with the Quarry Park location. We will be about 20 minutes from downtown Calgary and less than 30 minutes from High River, so we believe we have succeeded in bringing both ends to the middle in a dynamic location that will serve the firm and its partners, staff and clients well into the future," Crawford concluded.