Armanino McKenna Delves into Communications

California accounting firm Armanino McKenna has brought on a publishing industry veteran to form a communications and media consulting firm.

The publisher, Vintage Foster, was publisher and chief executive of the East Bay Business Times from 1999 through 2003, and of the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal from December 2003 until now. The new firm, Armanino McKenna Foster, will operate as a division of Armanino McKenna. In addition to offering branding, marketing, advertising and other communications services, it will provide non-media services such as recruitment and workforce diversity consulting. Managing Partner Andy Armanino said the new unit allows the firm to "marry" its business expertise with "innovative and effective communications support."

This is fascinating to me, and I've reached out to Armanino McKenna to ask what made them think to move into communications consulting. It brings the notion of "strategic consulting" among accounting firms to a new level.