Gegner Co. P.C., a Johnston-based certified public accounting firm, will merge with Bergan, Paulsen & Co. P.C. of Waterloo. The merger, effective Jan. 1, will provide a Central Iowa presence for Bergan Paulsen, one of the larger CPA firms in the state.

The combined firm, which will have approximately 90 employees including about 70 CPAs, also has offices in Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids and Coralville. Bergan Paulsen is affiliated with BDO Seidman Alliance, a nationwide association of accounting and consulting firms with BDO, one of the largest accounting and consulting organizations in the world.

Norton Gegner, founding partner of Gegner Co., said an advantage of merging with a firm from outside Greater Des Moines is that “everybody keeps their job.” A Drake University graduate, Gegner will be a Bergan Paulsen stockholder and partner in charge of the Johnston office, which will begin operating as Bergan Paulsen on Jan. 1.  

The Johnston office employs four CPAs and will be hiring an additional staff member for a total of 11 people, said Gegner, who said he expects the local staff will double in size within the next three years.

An information technology company affiliated with Bergan Paulsen, Networking Solutions LLC, will open a co-located office in Johnston, Gegner said. The company has offices in Cedar Rapids and Waterloo.

Bergan Paulsen and Network Solutions were recently recognized by Inc. magazine as among the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in the United States.