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The
Danbury accounting firm Fiorita, Kornhaas and Company P.C. has long
been recognized for its commitment to the community and the
university — and the firm’s partners credit WCSU in turn for its
contributions to training a new generation to enter the accounting
profession.
Joseph A. Fiorita Jr. and Robert J. Kornhaas
Jr., Certified Public Accountants and principal partners of the
firm, received the WCSU Foundation Community Service Award in March
2010 for exemplary professional and public service at the annual
WestConn Society luncheon on the university’s Westside campus.
“Fiorita, Kornhaas and Company has long been
one of the most respected professional services firms in the Danbury
area,” President James W. Schmotter observed.“Through their
professionalism, partnerships and philanthropy, they have made a
difference — for our community, and especially for Western
Connecticut State University.”
Reflecting on the firm’s longstanding
relationship with WCSU, Kornhaas recently shared his observations on
how those ties have mutually benefited Fiorita, Kornhaas and Western
students.
“We have hired many WestConn students as
interns over the years,” Kornhaas observed. “These internships have
allowed the students to gain first-hand experience in the world of
public accounting.
“Interns work with our professional staff in
dealing with real-life client issues,” he explained. “This enables
the students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it
on a daily basis,” building skills that have served them well in
seeking future employment in the accounting profession.
Kornhaas noted that many students taken on
initially as interns have gone on to become full-time employees of
the firm after graduation. WCSU students who have interned with the
firm also have been recruited to take positions with the “Big Four”
accounting firms as well as with major companies in business and
industry, he said.
Founded in 1973, Fiorita, Kornhaas and Company
provides a diverse range of financial services ranging from tax
preparation, business accounting and audits to personal financial,
retirement and estate planning, corporate mergers and acquisitions,
and litigation support. The firm is regarded as one of the leading
CPA practices in the Greater Danbury area.
In addition to providing career opportunities
and internships for Western students, Fiorita, Kornhaas and Company
is a member of the WCSU Trustees’ Club and the WestConn Society. The
firm sponsors a scholarship awarded annually to a WestConn student
majoring in accounting who demonstrates outstanding academic
performance. The firm’s partners also participate in local and
regional professional organizations, corporate boards, and
activities supporting the university and the WCSU Foundation.
A Danbury native and graduate of Mount St.
Mary’s College, Fiorita has practiced public accounting for over 40
years, initially at Arthur Andersen and Company and since 1973 at
his own Danbury-based firm. His specializations include personal and
corporate taxation, mergers and acquisitions, and family, estate and
succession planning. He is a member of the Connecticut Society of
Certified Public Accountants (CSPCA) and the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He serves as a corporator for
Newtown Savings Bank and as a director and chairman of the audit
committee of Brookfield-based Photronics Inc., as well as on
advisory boards for a number of closely held companies and
charitable organizations. A member of the WestConn Society, Fiorita
previously served on the boards of several banks and as a member of
the City of Danbury Parking Authority. He and his wife Sally reside
in Danbury, and have two children and six grandchildren.
Kornhaas is a Danbury native and holds an accounting degree from the
University of Connecticut, returning after his 1978 graduation to
join the accounting firm founded by Fiorita. Over his 33-year
career, Kornhaas has done extensive work on audits and reviews for
closely held businesses and nonprofit organizations, as well as
providing a wide range of personal financial services including
advice on income tax and estate planning issues. He is a member of
the CSPCA and AICPA; a member of the board of directors for Savings
Bank of Danbury, where he serves on the audit committee; and a
former member of the board of directors of the Charles Ives Center
for the Arts. He also is active in St. Joseph Church as a member of
the parish council. He and his wife Kathy reside in Danbury with
their three children.
Cover photo:
(Left to right): Ancell School of Business Dean Allen Morton, Robert
J. Kornhaas Jr., WCSU President James W. Schmotter, Joseph A.
Fiorita Jr., Ronald Pugliese, Gerard Robilotti
Above photo: Joseph A. Fiorita Jr. and Robert J. Kornhaas
Jr.
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