New Name, Same Commitment: Cassilly & Appel Celebrates 45th Anniversary

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About 65% of small businesses close within 10 years of opening, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. So, it was quite a milestone in 2024 when Gardiner & Appel Group celebrated 45 years in business.

Entering 2025, the firm will be known by a new name: Cassilly & Appel, CPAs & Advisors.

Scott Gardiner founded the firm in April 1979. He originally called it General Business Services, then Gardiner Group, and later Gardiner & Appel Group after the addition of Karl Appel in 1998.

The accounting firm specializes in business counseling, financial review, tax planning and preparation, and succession planning for when a business changes ownership.

Regardless of the name change, clients can expect the same dedication to great customer service from Cassilly & Appel.

“Our clients are small businesses that make up the fabric of the community,” Appel said. “We have so many local businesses, and from when the firm started in 1979, it’s always been service oriented. Since we work with small businesses, our clients are part of the business community and so are we.

“Our client base is very diverse whether it’s nonprofits, restaurants or contractors,” Appel said.

The firm is proud to provide free services to SPAN, the Katherine’s Light Foundation and other Anne Arundel County nonprofits.

For clients and nonprofits, Cassilly & Appel does whatever possible to help them reach their financial goals. That takes a team-wide effort from the partners: Appel, Patrick Cassilly, Debbie Feather, Virginie “Ginny” Bolton and the rest of the staff.

“The personal relationships are part of the value we provide,” said Cassilly, who joined the firm in 2012. “Working with Scott, Karl, Ginny, Debbie and the whole staff, I think the team has done a lot.”

Appel said, “One of the unique characteristics of Cassilly & Appel is that we meet with our clients during the year, and we are very proactive in business and tax planning, with face-to-face meetings so we are always in touch with clients. We’re in tune with them since we’re talking to them multiple times during the year.”

That care and attention to each client is part of the reason for the firm’s long-standing success, along with the trust and confidence clients have placed in the business over the years.

“Something that we take a lot of pride in is the confidentiality we have with our clients, because we live in such a small, close business community that the client confidence and keeping that confidential just between us and the client, that’s so important because everyone knows everyone,” Appel said. “That trust and confidence is something we are always stressing to everyone in the office.”

Another emphasis is staying ahead of industry trends and technology, adopting digital tools and studying the ever-changing financial and tax regulations.

“We invest a lot of money to make sure we are doing things with the current technology,” Appel said. “And not just technology but the constant change in tax laws whether it’s federal or state of Maryland tax laws, but they’re always changing. A lot of clients are always asking, ‘With a new administration coming in, what is going to be different?’ And we just have to stay on top of that. We do a lot of training, tax seminars, accounting seminars, to keep up with that.”

Joining the firm was one of the best things that ever happened to Cassilly, who looks forward to the next few decades of helping people in the community.

“Being part of a small business and a firm that serves small businesses in the community has been extremely fulfilling for me,” Cassilly said. “The firm’s ability to do that for 45 years is quite an accomplishment, and we appreciate all the clients along the way. The name change, it’s not that Karl is going anywhere, but the firm is trying to set itself up to continue to serve clients well into the future, with another generation of talent, where other accounting firms may not have done that.”

Appel said the firm is always looking to grow and add good people to the firm.

“In a growing firm, there’s always a lot of opportunities, and with that growth, there is a lot of upward mobility,” Appel said. “Even though we are a lot larger, our core services are the same and our main focus is working with small businesses and the owners of those small businesses.”

Cassilly & Appel is located at 570 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in Severna Park. For more information, call 410-647-7777 or visit www.cassapp.cpa.

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