October 7, 2026 (Arlington, VA) – Walter Shuffain, a Boston-based accounting and business advisory firm, and Ascend platform since 2024, announced Thursday that Stolberg & Blanchette (S&B), a public accounting firm located in Worcester, Massachusetts, has joined the firm. This addition reflects the growing trend of independent firms choosing to combine with Ascend partner firms to access national resources and transformation infrastructure, while preserving the personal client relationships and local presence that sit at the foundation of their business.
Since its founding in 2004, Stolberg & Blanchette has earned a reputation for excellence in client service. The firm has grown organically each year since its inception, and today, it is still led by its founding partners and an experienced team of tax, assurance, and advisory professionals. The firm’s strong commitment to personalized service has earned it deep and trusting relationships with clients across manufacturing, distribution, construction, retail, insurance, real estate, and professional services—industries that closely mirror Walter Shuffain's own client base. The combination also adds business valuation expertise to Walter Shuffain, further expanding the portfolio of advisory services available to clients across industries, and establishes a new location in Massachusetts to further entrench the combined firm's presence in the region.
Worcester will now become Walter Shuffain's third office location, alongside Boston and Westwood, and will serve as an anchor for the firm's continued growth in Central Massachusetts. With this addition, Walter Shuffain now has approximately $58M of revenue across 125 professionals. As part of the combination, Keith Blanchette, Managing Partner at Stolberg & Blanchette, will join Walter Shuffain's Executive Leadership Team.
“Ascend partner firms wield an M&A capability that allows them to attract the talent and clients they are building their firms around, at scale and with pace. Walter Shuffain’s addition of Stolberg & Blanchette exemplifies this. Walter Shuffain adds two values-aligned, entrepreneurial leaders in Joe Stolberg and Keith Blanchette; a depth of talent and technical expertise alongside them; and hundreds of middle market clients with complex needs and opportunities for expanded service. Meanwhile, S&B accesses resources that no firm of their size can build on their own, while continuing to write their story within a regional firm and a culture that resonates,” said Nishaad Ruparel, President of Ascend.
“This combination brings together complementary strengths that make both firms stronger,” said Jonathan Yorks, CEO and Managing Partner of Walter Shuffain. “Stolberg & Blanchette adds deep relationships, strong talent, and valuable advisory expertise, while Worcester becomes an important anchor for our continued growth in Central Massachusetts.”
"Walter Shuffain is a strong cultural fit for our team and for our clients," said Joseph Stolberg, Founding Partner of Stolberg & Blanchette. "We share the same commitment to client service, and this partnership creates meaningful opportunities for our clients and our people. The Ascend platform is a differentiator in this market. Its people-first approach, investment in technology and platform resources, focus on the middle market, and the independence its model gives each firm all align with what we value."
About Walter Shuffain
Walter Shuffain joined Ascend in 2024 with approximately $35M in revenue. With the addition of Stolberg & Blanchette, the firm has nearly doubled in size in under two years. Walter Shuffain has built a strong reputation nationally, earning Accounting Today's Best Firm for Young Accountants in 2020 and landing on Inside Public Accounting's 2026 Top 200 Firms, 2025 Best of the Best Firms, and 2025 Fastest-Growing Firms lists. Ascend partner firms gain access to a suite of resources to support business transformation—including shared services infrastructure, proprietary workflow technology, expansion capital, and a community of like-minded partners nationwide.
About Ascend
Ascend is a private equity-backed platform for regional accounting firms, funded by Alpine Investors, that has been steadily expanding its network of partner firms since its founding in January 2023. The platform ranked No. 24 on Accounting Today’s 2026 Top 100 Firms list, reporting $590.5 million in revenue at the time and nearly 3,000 employees. Ascend recently announced the addition of Miller Grossbard Advisors in Houston, Texas, and GreerWalker of Charlotte, North Carolina, to its partner firm network. California-based PP&CO and New York-based LMC each also recently completed additional add-ons. For more information, visit www.ascendtogether.com.
Contact:
Kate Perko
kate.perko@ascendtogether.com
910-273-3350