Alliances

www.leadingedgealliance.com

The Leading Edge Alliance is an alliance of major independently-owned accounting and consulting firms that share an entrepreneurial spirit and a drive to be the premier provider of professional services in their chosen markets. Leading Edge members are CPA firms that are preserving the core quality and integrity of the public accounting profession while stimulating growth and progress through innovative practices.

Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP is one of the founding and is the only Minnesota member of the Leading Edge Alliance (LEA). One of the many advantages of our membership is that we are able to access extensive teams of CPAs and business advisors – a peer-to-peer connection that provides the right solutions for our clients.

www.meda.net

Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP continues to believe in and support emerging businesses. Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP also supports minority-owned businesses through our strategic alliance with the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA). We provide accounting and consulting work at a significant discount for MEDA clients.

MEDA was founded in 1971 by a group of executives from several corporations within the Twin Cities. To combat issues of poverty, crime and unemployment in minority communities, MEDA founders agreed to foster self-sufficiency by assisting minority entrepreneurs to develop the skills needed to start and grow successful businesses.

Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP has contributed time and business expertise to a large number of MEDA clients throughout the years of our affiliation with the organization. Joel Lebewitz is a current board member and serves as the board treasurer.

Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP is a proud corporate sponsor for the Minnesota Chapters of the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) and the Women’s Business Development Center of Minnesota (WBDC).

Women Presidents’ Organization

Based in New York City, the WPO has over 80 chapters in the United States and Canada. Membership is open to women business owners, offering professionally facilitated peer advisory groups to facilitate business growth.

Beth Kieffer Leonard, Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP managing partner, is a past WPO President’s Award winner for her work in launching four new Minnesota chapters and her efforts to assist women in finding opportunities and outlets for their goods and services.

Women’s Business Development Center

Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP is a Founding Partner of the Minnesota Chapter of the Women’s Business Development Center. The WBDC-MN provides training, mentoring, networking and business development opportunities to Women’s Business Enterprises in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, South Dakota and North Dakota. The WBCD-MN also provides Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) Certification to women-owned businesses in the region. The WBE Certification is recognized by many corporations and public agencies throughout the United States.

Beth Kieffer Leonard has also provided leadership and expansion of the WBDC-Minnesota. The team of sponsors has seen Women’s Business certification numbers increase six-fold in Minnesota in less than four years. Beth facilitates access to training, mentoring, networking, developing new and existing business for women, and effecting public policy changes to reflect the needs of women entrepreneurs and their families.

Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP is the proud sponsor of a seminar room at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.