Three Grant Thornton leaders named “Top 100 Accountants” by the Los Angeles Business Journal

LOS ANGELES — Grant Thornton, one of America’s largest brands of professionals providing end-to-end audit, assurance, tax and advisory services, has three new award winners in Los Angeles. Cathy Hyodo, the firm’s managing principal for the Los Angeles market, is one of the “Top 100 Accountants” recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal (LABJ). Grant Thornton partner Micah Dekofsky and principal Damon Frier were also named to the annual list.

This news wraps up a year of strong recognition for Grant Thornton in Los Angeles, including “Women of Influence” and “Leader of Influence” wins for local leaders.

The LABJ’s “Top 100 Accountants” awards recognize professionals who provide consistently excellent results for their clients, and all three Grant Thornton winners have decades of experience delivering personalized, high-quality services.

“I’ve worked alongside Cathy, Micah and Damon since the early 2000s, and I’ve seen time and again how they can anticipate client needs,” said Tony Perazzo, the managing principal for Grant Thornton’s West region. “From technology to media and entertainment, this trio’s wealth of industry knowledge helps our clients attain their goals in hyper-competitive markets — and they each bring unique talents to every project.”

More on the winners

Cathy Hyodo

A skilled accountant with over 30 years of leadership experience, Hyodo has held multiple leadership roles for Grant Thornton. As the firm’s market managing principal in Los Angeles, she leads hundreds of audit, tax and advisory professionals, while also supporting clients in the manufacturing, digital media, e-commerce and technology industries. Hyodo has also served on multiple advisory boards for her alma mater, the University of Southern California (USC). In these roles, she helps shape policies and programs that develop agile graduates.

Further, she was recently one of only five finalists for the “Inspirational Woman in Professional Services” award from the Los Angeles Times. She was also the only accountant who was named a finalist for that award.

Hyodo earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from USC and is a certified public accountant (CPA) in California.

Micah Dekofsky

Dekofsky is a partner and the Audit leader within the firm’s Media & Entertainment Industry practice. For nearly twenty years, he has used a wealth of industry knowledge to guide companies in the technology, media and entertainment sectors. He often serves clients who operate at the intersection of all three of those spaces, including professional sports organizations and film, television and music producers, as well as advertising technology providers and both business-to-business and business-to-consumer technology platforms.

Outside of work, he is a longtime board member for JVS SoCal, a nonprofit organization that offers training, mentorship and career guidance to individuals seeking sustainable careers, including veterans and refugees. Additionally, Dekofsky is the president of San Luis Obispo Hillel: the cornerstone of the Jewish student community at California Polytechnic State University.

Dekofsky earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting and a master of business administration degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He holds a CPA license in California.

Damon Frier

Frier has served in a variety of key leadership roles for Grant Thornton since 2003. For instance, he has led the firm’s Los Angeles Tax practice and the firm’s West Region Privately-Held Business Tax practice. He also led Grant Thornton’s Southern California Private Equity initiative for over a decade.

Most recently, Frier transitioned to a role as a principal in the firm’s Partnership Tax Solutions practice after many years serving as a partner in the firm’s Federal Tax practice. His ability to traverse industries and build genuine relationships with everyone he encounters has helped him and his clients thrive throughout a career that now spans three decades.

Frier earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and a master’s degree in business taxation from USC. He holds a CPA license in California.