CBIZ

CBIZ, Inc. is a U.S. business-services company headquartered in Independence, Ohio. It provides accounting, tax, advisory, insurance brokerage, employee-benefits consulting, retirement-plan and investment services, payroll and human-capital support, information-technology services, and selected healthcare and compliance consulting. Its customers include privately held businesses, middle-market companies, nonprofit organizations, public-sector entities, healthcare organizations, and individuals with specialized business or financial needs. The company traces its corporate history to Stout Environmental, formed in 1987, and to a series of restructurings and combinations involving Republic Industries, Republic Environmental Systems, Century Surety Company, and Alliance Holding Corporation. The entity that emerged from those transactions was known as International Alliance Services, Inc. After selling its environmental-services operations in 1997, the company adopted the name Century Business Services, Inc. and concentrated increasingly on professional and business services. It changed its name to CBIZ, Inc. in 2005. CBIZ expanded through a combination of organic development and acquisitions. Its purchases included insurance agencies, accounting practices, investment-banking and middle-market advisory businesses, technology firms, pension advisers, and other specialist consultancies. This acquisition-led model enabled the company to assemble a national network while retaining specialized local and practice-level capabilities. The company has operated an alternative-practice structure with CBIZ CPAs, formerly Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C.; the entities remain legally separate while collaborating through shared tax and consulting activities conducted by CBIZ MHM LLC. CBIZ organizes its activities into Financial Services, Benefits and Insurance Services, and National Practices. Financial Services covers traditional accounting and tax compliance as well as transaction advisory, risk advisory, valuation, litigation support, and healthcare compliance. Benefits and Insurance Services combines insurance brokerage with employee-benefits, retirement-plan, investment, payroll, and human-capital services. National Practices includes information-technology services and healthcare consulting. CBIZ has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 1996 and has traded under the CBZ symbol since 1997. According to the referenced Wikipedia material, the 2024 acquisition of Marcum LLP made CBIZ the seventh-largest U.S. accounting firm by total revenue. The same material reports that in July 2026 Grant Thornton Advisors LLC, backed financially by New Mountain Capital, announced a definitive agreement to acquire CBIZ in an all-cash transaction. Completion and the effect on CBIZ's public-company status are not established in the supplied material.

CBIZ's corporate history began with Stout Environmental, Inc., a Delaware corporation formed in 1987. Republic Industries acquired Stout in 1992. In April 1995, Republic Industries spun the environmental-services business into Republic Environmental Systems. That company was combined in October 1996 with Century Surety Company, an Alliance Holding Corporation business, to create International Alliance Services, Inc., which traded under the IASI symbol. The company changed direction in 1997. It sold its environmental-services operations and changed its name in December of that year to Century Business Services, Inc., while beginning to build a broader platform of professional services. In 1998 it acquired Beall Garner Screen & Geare Inc., described in the supplied reference as one of the largest privately owned insurance agencies in the United States. The transaction strengthened the company's insurance-brokerage capabilities and supported its later combination of financial, insurance, and advisory offerings. Also in 1998, Century Business Services acquired Niederhoffer-Henkel & Co., a boutique investment-banking firm associated with statistician and hedge-fund manager Victor Niederhoffer. The acquired practice initially operated as a subsidiary, was later rebranded as Century Capital Group, and was ultimately integrated into CBIZ M&A Group. This sequence illustrates the company's effort to develop middle-market transaction and corporate-finance capabilities alongside its accounting and insurance businesses. CBIZ and CBIZ CPAs, formerly Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C., have since operated through an alternative-practice structure. They are separate legal entities, a structure intended to preserve the independence requirements applicable to accounting practices, while working together with shared tax and consulting operations through CBIZ MHM LLC. The arrangement allowed CBIZ to market a broad service portfolio without treating the accounting practice and the public company as a single legal entity. The company adopted the CBIZ, Inc. name in August 2005. Over subsequent years it continued to expand by acquiring regional accounting firms, insurance and benefits practices, technology providers, pension advisers, and specialist consulting businesses. The acquisition list supplied for the company includes Marks Paneth LLP and Stinnett & Associates in 2022; Danenhauer and Danenhauer, Somerset CPAs and Advisors, Pivot Point Security, Ickovic and Co., and American Pension Advisors in 2023; and Erickson, Brown & Kloster, CompuData, and Marcum LLP in 2024. These transactions broadened CBIZ's geographic coverage and added capabilities in accounting, cybersecurity, technology, retirement plans, and advisory work. Operationally, CBIZ groups its services into three broad practice areas. Financial Services includes accounting, tax compliance, advisory, transaction and risk work, valuation, litigation support, and government healthcare compliance. Benefits and Insurance Services covers group health benefits, property and casualty insurance, retirement-plan and investment services, payroll, and human-capital management. National Practices includes managed networking and hardware services and healthcare consulting. The company has maintained a national footprint of more than 120 offices and nearly 7,000 employees according to the supplied Wikipedia reference, although those figures may change over time. CBIZ has been a New York Stock Exchange company since 1996 and has used the CBZ ticker since 1997. Its 2024 Marcum acquisition significantly increased its accounting scale. The supplied reference further reports a July 2026 agreement for Grant Thornton Advisors LLC, supported by New Mountain Capital, to acquire CBIZ for an enterprise value of $5 billion. Because the material identifies an agreement rather than a completed transaction, the company's ultimate ownership and listing status after that announcement require verification.

1. 2026Agreement to be acquired by Grant Thornton Advisors

   Grant Thornton Advisors LLC, supported by New Mountain Capital, announces a definitive all-cash agreement to acquire CBIZ at a reported enterprise value of $5 billion; closing is not confirmed in the supplied material.

   Source
2. 2024Marcum acquisition transforms accounting scale

   CBIZ acquires Marcum LLP, alongside other acquisitions including Erickson, Brown & Kloster and CompuData. The referenced material describes CBIZ as the seventh-largest U.S. accounting firm by revenue after the Marcum transaction.

   Source
3. 2023Multi-practice acquisition program continues

   CBIZ acquires Danenhauer and Danenhauer, Somerset CPAs and Advisors, Pivot Point Security, Ickovic and Co., and American Pension Advisors.

   Source
4. 2022Acquisitions of Marks Paneth and Stinnett & Associates

   CBIZ expands its accounting and advisory network through the acquisitions of Marks Paneth LLP and Stinnett & Associates, LLC.

   Source
5. 2005Name changed to CBIZ, Inc.

   The company formally adopts the CBIZ, Inc. name in August.

   Source
6. 1998Insurance and investment-banking expansion

   Century Business Services acquires Beall Garner Screen & Geare and Niederhoffer-Henkel & Co., adding insurance and middle-market advisory capabilities.

   Source
7. 1997The company becomes Century Business Services

   After selling its environmental-services operations, International Alliance Services changes its name to Century Business Services, Inc. and adopts the CBZ trading symbol.

   Source
8. 1996International Alliance Services is created and listed

   Republic Environmental Systems and Century Surety Company are combined to form International Alliance Services, Inc.; CBIZ's predecessor begins NYSE trading in the same year.

   Source
9. 1995Republic Environmental Systems is spun off

   Republic Industries spins the business into Republic Environmental Systems in April.

   Source
10. 1992Republic Industries acquires Stout Environmental

    Republic Industries acquires the environmental-services company that preceded CBIZ's later corporate structure.

    Source
11. 1987Stout Environmental is formed

    Stout Environmental, Inc., the earliest corporate predecessor identified in the supplied history, is incorporated in Delaware.

    Source

A national, acquisition-expanded provider of integrated professional and business services for middle-market companies, private businesses, nonprofits, and specialized organizations.

• Financial ServicesAccounting, tax, and advisory

  CBIZ's Financial Services practice covers core accounting, tax compliance, and consulting. It also includes transaction and risk advisory, valuation, litigation support, and federal and state healthcare compliance work. The practice is designed to support businesses and organizations through recurring reporting and tax obligations as well as more specialized transactions, disputes, valuations, and regulated-industry requirements.

• Benefits and Insurance ServicesInsurance and employee benefits

  This practice combines brokerage and consulting services for group health benefits, property and casualty insurance, retirement plans, and investments. Related offerings include payroll and human-capital management. The model gives employers access to risk-transfer, workforce-benefit, retirement, and administrative services through a coordinated national platform.

• National PracticesTechnology and healthcare consulting

  National Practices includes managed information-technology services, such as networking and hardware support, together with healthcare consulting. These services extend CBIZ beyond traditional accounting and insurance by addressing technology infrastructure, operational needs, and compliance or management issues in healthcare organizations.

• CBIZ MHMTax and consulting

  CBIZ MHM LLC is the shared tax and consulting practice associated with the alternative-practice relationship between CBIZ and CBIZ CPAs. It supports the delivery of tax and advisory work while the accounting entities retain separate legal identities.

• 2026Definitive agreement for Grant Thornton Advisors acquisitionM&A

  Following its expansion through Marcum and other acquisitions, CBIZ became the subject of a proposed transaction involving Grant Thornton Advisors LLC and financial sponsor New Mountain Capital.

  What changed. Grant Thornton Advisors LLC reportedly entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CBIZ in an all-cash transaction.

  Aftermath. The reported enterprise value was $5 billion. The supplied material does not confirm closing, regulatory completion, or the resulting status of CBIZ's NYSE listing.

  Enterprise value. $5 billion (Reported July 2026 transaction agreement)

  Source
• 2024Acquire Marcum LLPM&A

  CBIZ was expanding its national accounting and advisory platform through acquisitions, and Marcum represented a major addition to its scale and professional-services capabilities.

  What changed. CBIZ acquired Marcum LLP. The supplied reference states that the transaction made CBIZ the seventh-largest U.S. accounting firm by total revenue.

  Aftermath. The combination increased CBIZ's accounting-market presence and broadened its national platform. The supplied material does not provide transaction consideration or detailed integration results.

  Source

• 2026Grant Thornton Advisors agrees to acquire CBIZ

  Grant Thornton Advisors LLC, with financial backing from New Mountain Capital, was reported to have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CBIZ in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of $5 billion. The supplied material does not establish whether the transaction closed.

  M&A
  Source
• 2026Grant Thornton Advisors announces agreement to acquire CBIZ

  The reference material states that Grant Thornton Advisors LLC, backed financially by New Mountain Capital, announced a definitive agreement in July 2026 to acquire CBIZ in an all-cash transaction. Completion status and final transaction terms are not established here.

  M&A
  Source
• 2024CBIZ completes acquisition of Marcum LLP

  The acquisition of Marcum LLP expanded CBIZ's accounting and advisory platform and, according to the referenced Wikipedia material, moved the company to seventh place among U.S. accounting firms by total revenue.

  M&A
  Source
• 2024CBIZ completes a major acquisition year

  CBIZ acquired Erickson, Brown & Kloster, CompuData, and Marcum LLP. The Marcum transaction materially increased the company's accounting scale and national market position.

  M&A
  Source
• 2023CBIZ expands through multiple professional-services acquisitions

  The company acquired Danenhauer and Danenhauer, Somerset CPAs and Advisors, Pivot Point Security, Ickovic and Co. PC, and American Pension Advisors, broadening its accounting, cybersecurity, and retirement-services capabilities.

  M&A
  Source
• 2022CBIZ acquires Marks Paneth and Stinnett & Associates

  CBIZ expanded its accounting and advisory footprint through the acquisition of Marks Paneth LLP and Stinnett & Associates, LLC.

  M&A
  Source
• 2005CBIZ adopts the CBIZ, Inc. name

  Century Business Services, Inc. changed its corporate name to CBIZ, Inc., aligning the legal identity with the shorter brand used for its diversified professional-services activities.

  Other
  Source

1. CBIZ
2. CBIZ official website