Forging New Paths and Redefining Construction Advisory in Texas: Inside RBC’s Merger with Aprio

The Background

At a crossroads of legacy and growth, Ridout Barrett & Co. CPAs & Advisors merged with Aprio to elevate its impact and expand opportunities for clients and team members across Texas.

Meet Ridout Barrett & Co. CPAs & Advisors In early 2023, the leadership at Ridout Barrett & Co. CPAs & Advisors (RBC) began exploring options for the future of the firm. With nearly 40 years of history, retirement timelines for legacy partners, evolving technology and staffing realities, and client demand for broader advisory services were all factors in the conversation. “We were losing some legacy knowledge, so a lot of what we were thinking about was how the industry was changing, technology was evolving, and staffing would look different…and being able to expand our services with our client base,” said Melanie Geist, then Managing Partner at RBC. The firm wanted to serve as a full advisor, not only for audit and tax, and that scaling from a ten to fifteen-million-dollar firm required significant infrastructure and benefits for its team members. The search was supported by a brokerage in Austin that had assisted RBC clients in past transactions. “We wanted to keep it confidential because we weren’t fully convinced at the time that it’s what we wanted to do,” Melanie said. The strategy was also intentional when it came to market position. “We wanted to work with a national firm that wasn’t in Texas and be its first entrance into the Lone Star state.”

The Brief Firm: Ridout Barrett & Co. CPAs & Advisors (RBC) Industry Specialty: Construction and Real Estate Merged with Aprio: December 2023

As conversations progressed, Aprio’s growth trajectory and culture stood out. After an in-person session with Aprio CEO Richard Kopelman and a handful of virtual meetings with other Aprio leaders, momentum accelerated in September 2023. “We continued to talk, explore, and understand what the synergies would be…how [the merger] could be a win-win situation for everyone involved,” Melanie recalled. The decision to move forward with Aprio spurred from alignment around fundamentals, client focus, and a shared vision for building a national advisory platform with a strong construction segment.

The Opportunity

The rationale was clear. Joining Aprio would give RBC’s clients access to expanded services across specialty tax, valuation, wealth management, and advisory, while giving its team members a larger stage for career growth and collaboration. At the market level, the move would double Aprio’s firm‑wide construction practice, establish a presence in Austin and San Antonio, and begin a broader Texas buildout modeled on Aprio’s growth path in new markets.

Internally, the merger addressed succession and scale. With founding partner retirements approaching, RBC had proven it could manage transitions, yet leadership also recognized that staying relevant would require broader capabilities, technology, and national reach. “It was one of those things where it was getting harder and harder to be able to offer all services to our clients in a market where that was what was becoming expected,” Melanie said.

RBC closed the deal on December 1, 2023, with an effective date of January 1. The team arranged communication with partners, managers, and staff, then prioritized direct client outreach before the press release. “December was about informing the clients of the merger. The partner group divided and conquered on this communication before the press release,” Melanie said. The firm observed a quiet period to prevent premature disclosure and align messaging.

A structured, phased integration minimized disruption during the busy season while allowing for quick movement where and when it mattered most. For Phase 1, time, billing, and project management shifted first. Aprio provided onsite support to move client and employee data into its systems. The team continued using certain legacy applications to get through April 15, then executed Phase 2 migrations in the summer for audit and tax platforms. “It felt like we were integrating all year long, but it was the right approach for our team members. We did not want to throw too many new applications at them all at once,” Melanie added.

Aprio’s M&A team hosted an onsite “Aprio Week” to accelerate adoption and relationship building. “If we had a question, we could easily walk up to someone onsite from the integration team and ask them…you start to learn who your team is. In the early days of integration, this is crucial for team building,” Melanie recalled. Aprio’s buddy program also supported team members during the transition, and where pairings were less effective, leaders stepped in to help connect people with the right internal leaders.

Results & Growth

The merger put national scale behind RBC’s client-first approach. “Some of the ancillary services that we were able to provide our clients such as valuation services, specialty tax services, wealth management, and 401K support…those were the things that we started learning pretty quickly and Aprio provided huge support in,” Melanie said. The practical effect was speed and access. Where RBC once needed to coordinate with outside providers, the team could now bring in the right Aprio specialists to the table even on short notice.

The expanded proposal infrastructure surfaced quickly as a differentiator as well. “There was a big firm in town that asked us to bid on work. And had we not merged with Aprio, we wouldn’t have been invited to the table. And the support for the proposal writing…we’ve never had that,” Melanie recounted. The experience underscored how national resources and sector depth opened doors in competitive pursuits.

Aprio’s Texas entry is designed to be a growth engine. The merger doubles the size of Aprio’s construction practice, adds a presence in Austin and San Antonio, and lays the groundwork for a multi‑year expansion to support manufacturing, technology, and government contracting clients statewide.

“It’s different opportunities than what I had before…I’m working with a national firm with far more opportunities with clients as well as more opportunities for collaboration with other team members.” Melanie describes the shift as taking a more successful route to the destination, with access to larger pursuits and cross‑functional teams that did not exist at the same scale as before. “I’ve watched other team members participate in larger clients and work with the larger team inside Aprio,” she said.

The merger also catalyzed the vision for an integrated construction segment that aligns audit, tax, and outsourcing with advisory and technology. “We merged in with the firm to be part of the construction segment and to grow the construction practice for Aprio. I’m working with the greater Aprio team to create a construction segment that’s not necessarily siloed, a cross-functional team that works together to meet client needs.” The team is documenting goals and building its roster, treating construction as a focused national niche with a lot of room to scale.

Client Win: Multiplying Value in the Field RBC’s early wins are a set of high‑value engagements that show the breadth of Aprio’s platform in Texas: Technology enablement for a general contractor in Austin: “We were able to convert [a client] to Acumatica and they’ve been working with Aprio on that,” Melanie said. The engagement, supported by Aprio’s technology advisory team, gave the client a modern accounting backbone to support growth. Retirement plan and wealth solutions for construction clients: “We’ve had a couple of instances where we’ve created some 401K plans for clients…it was so much easier to get our team members in front of our clients and start those 401K plans,” Melanie said. The ability to mobilize wealth, 401k, and plan design specialists quickly has enhanced client conversations. Specialized advisory at the ready: “There’s valuation services, specialty tax services, and forensic accounting instances,” Melanie said. For an attorney client that needed the counsel of outside specialists, the team tapped into Aprio’s broader bench to bring in the right people without needing to leave the firm.

“The additional services we’ve been able to bring to our collective clients…it really has been fantastic.”

— Melanie Geist, San Antonio and Austin Office Leader | Partner

Bottom Line One year into the Texas expansion, the RBC and Aprio merger is doing exactly what it set out to do: strengthening Aprio’s leadership position in the construction segment, expanding services for clients across Central and South Texas, and giving team members a national platform for collaboration and growth. Integration required planning and stamina, from time and billing transitions to new devices and summer platform migrations, yet the outcome is a stronger, more connected team with greater capacity to advise builders, developers, and real estate leaders across the state. For firms considering a merger, Melanie offers a future‑focused perspective. “It’s all about the future.” She encourages leaders to focus on where they want to land, rather than the difficulty of getting there. “You cannot focus on the stress, or you’ll never do it. You have to consider and be able to visualize what you want the future of the firm to look like and how you can possibly move towards that. Where would I like my firm to be? What opportunities do I want my team members to have?” And above all, Melanie says to be proactive. “I want to instigate that change. I don’t want the change to happen to me.” Are you interested in exploring a strategic partnership with a like-minded firm? Visit grow.aprio.com for more information.

Goals Achieved Since 2023 Established Aprio’s first offices in Austin and San Antonio, expanding the firm’s reach into key Texas markets. Supported team members in pursuing new certifications and career development opportunities, including transitions into wealth management and financial planning. Enhanced proposal capabilities, allowing the team to compete for larger, more complex engagements in the region.