Meet CJBS’ Newest Team Members: Howard Goberstein of Northshore Professional Group

In 2024, CJBS acquired the tax and accounting firm Northshore Professional Group (NSPG)–and is pleased to announce that three of the firm’s members have recently joined the CJBS team to provide support to our valued clients and partners. 

Here, we’ll introduce you to NSPG’s founding member Howard Goberstein, who shares his background, how the world of accounting and tax has evolved, and the synergies he sees with his firm’s integration into CJBS. 

Q: Howard, welcome to the CJBS team! Please share a little about the origin story of Northshore Professional Group and how the company served its clients. 

Howard: Northshore Professional Group was formed 34 years ago to provide accounting and tax services to the Chicagoland area–not long after I relocated here from California. 

Over the years, we grew over $1 million in receipts and acquired a couple small practices over time to continue to grow our customer base. 

We became a close-knit team who cared deeply about customized service and in-person communication with our clients–which is in nice alignment with how CJBS runs its firm, even in today’s environment of everything being increasingly virtual. 

Q: Tell us more about some of the core services you offered through Northshore. 

Howard: We focused on small businesses and individuals–completing nearly 1,000 individual returns and 200 business returns per year. We also offered bookkeeping, QuickBooks support, estate and trust planning, financial advisory, and many other related services. 

We’ve always taken a very proactive role with our clients, meaning we’re communicating openly, doing research and analysis, and asking questions to help people prepare for the future and achieve their goals. Today, many accountants don’t speak with their clients. They get the information, they complete the tax return, and tell you what you owe. 

For us, there’s always been great pride in being quick to respond to our clients and also being that trusted partner. People oftentimes would stop in our office to talk things through or get advice–we had an open-door policy that made our clients very comfortable. 

All of that has helped us build a strong referral base and grow steadily throughout the years. 

Q: What drove your decision to merge Northshore Professional Group with CJBS? 

Howard: This has been a terrific move for us for a number of reasons. 

First and foremost, CJBS shares many of our core values–so we feel confident in bringing our clients into the fold here, knowing they will get the kind of service they’re used to with NSPG. Everyone is warm and friendly and there is a family-like atmosphere here. They care about the clients. They care about doing things right. It also gives me peace that our clients, some of whom we’ve worked with for decades, will never be left hanging. 

CJBS offers additional services–such as reviews and audits–and so our clients are getting an upgraded level of service, as well, which I think they’ll really appreciate.  

Stephanie Vadasz, Rich Kane, Mira Xenos, & John Kalafatic who have also come along from NSPG to join CJBS, will experience a significant amount of career development in their respective areas, being part of a larger firm. I look forward to seeing how they’ll be able to level up in an environment that has a great amount of upward mobility and retention. 

Learn more about CJBS’ additional new team members from Northshore Professional Group: 

LINKS

Meet the Team: Stephanie Vadasz

Meet the Team: Rich Kane