Rick has been a partner with Walthall, Drake & Wallace LLP since 1979. He received his Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, majoring in accounting, from the University of Toledo in June 1970. He began his accounting career at Haskins & Sells (now Deloitte and Touche) in 1970. He completed his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Toledo in 1971, majoring in Finance. Shortly after graduating, he took the CPA exam and passed it, becoming a CPA in 1972. From 1973 to 1976, he went into business for himself as a USPTA tennis professional. In 1976, he left the tennis profession and returned to accounting profession when he joined the Firm as a staff accountant.

For the current year, Rick is Chairman of the Firm’s Management Committee. As such, he is very involved with setting the priorities and direction of the Firm’s activities. In addition to these duties, as the Partner in charge of continuing education, he is responsible for the training and development of thestaff. Rick also is responsible for the ongoing operations of the Firm’s specialty practice groups. Rick is specifically in charge of the Real Estate practice group and a member of the Business Valuation group.

Rick's clients include a wide range of industries. Among them are retail, distribution, manufacturing, venture capital, and medical service businesses. Over the years, he has developed practice specialties in real estate and partnership taxation. The formation of family limited partnerships and the structuring of like-kind exchanges are examples of transactions in which he has assisted. He also has helped many clients with tax and business issues surrounding purchases or sales of businesses. An outgrowth of this has been the development of business valuation skills used in succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, and estate planning.

Professionally, Rick is a member of the Ohio Society of CPAs and American Institute of CPAs. He is also a member of the Institute of Business Appraisers and the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA). Most recently, he obtained the credential of ABV, Accredited in Business Valuation, through the AICPA.

Rick and his wife, Marsha, have lived in Avon since November 2004. They have two daughters. Laurie is currently a teacher with the Cleveland school system. She is married and has a daughter, Alyssa and a son, Caelan. Sherry is now a fashion designer living in New York City. All members of the family are accomplished tennis players. Rick and Marsha also enjoy golfing and other outdoor activities.