Gary Levy, CPA, a J.H. Cohn partner, recently participated in an expert Q&A with Privcap where he discussed how J.H. Cohn connects middle-market “growth concept” companies with potential private equity investors, how private equity firms distinguish themselves in the eyes of business owners, and how investor introductions fit into the J.H. Cohn business model.

On February 3, the U.S. Department of Labor released the January 2012 employment report, which revealed that the unemployment rate fell for the fifth straight month. The Labor Department says employers added 243,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 percent from 8.5 percent in December, the lowest in three years.

J.H. Cohn’s Carolyn J. D’Anna, CPA, partner and human resources managing director, and Sharon Gordon, CPA, partner, have been named among New Jersey’s 2012 Best 50 Women in Business in NJBIZ’s awards program. They are also co-directors of J.H. Cohn’s Professional Women’s Program (“PWP”).

Earlier today, the U.S. Department of Labor published weekly unemployment insurance statistics, including data for New Jersey through the week ended January 21, 2012. 

U.S. exports of manufactured goods have made a significant recovery since the downturn of 2009, according to data released this month from the International Trade Administration (“ITA”). From January through November 2011, U.S. exports of manufactured goods totaled $1.158 billion, up 39.2 percent since the same period in 2009.

Effective January 1, 2012, Michigan replaced the Michigan Business Tax (“MBT”) with the Michigan Corporate Income Tax (“CIT”).

Lou Pizzileo, CPA, partner at J.H. Cohn, was selected as an honoree for the 2012 Long Island Business News 40 Under 40 Awards. 

On Friday, February 3, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) will release data on national employment conditions during January 2012. Patrick J. O’Keefe, J.H. Cohn’s director of economic research, expects the DOL to report a monthly gain of 90,000 nonfarm jobs, with the private sector adding 100,000 jobs and the public sector losing 10,000.  He advises to look for the unemployment rate to rise as previously discouraged jobseekers return to the labor market in pursuit of employment.

Given current budget issues, many states are expanding their definition of what constitutes a taxable presence (e.g., “nexus”), which is creating significant risks for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions. The threshold issue for these entities is to identify the states in which the entity must file tax returns and pay tax.

Many business owners and finance personnel in the retail and consumer products industry may be exposed to significant unclaimed property liabilities prompted by recent technological, entrepreneurial, and marketing innovations.