Welcome to the “Biz Apps Partner Podcast,” a weekly video series designed to decentralize intelligence about how partners can scale their Microsoft practice by having short, to-the-point discussions with Microsoft leaders in product, engineering, marketing, partner management, programs, and more.
In episode 35, John Siefert hosts Greg Kaupp, CEO, ArcherPoint by Cherry Bekaert, to discuss the partnership between ArcherPoint and Cherry Bekaert, which went into effect in Q4 of 2024. Further, Kaupp shares the company’s key priorities after the acquisition, how ArcherPoint is enabling broader Power Platform adoption, and how the shared culture between both companies enables stronger collaboration.
Key Takeaways
- Overview: In Q4 of last year, it was announced during Community Summit North America, that ArcherPoint would be joining forces with Cherry Bekaert, a firm that provides assurance consulting, financial and advisory services, tax services, and more. Kaupp explains that despite being a fast-growing public accounting firm, Cherry Bekaert lacked a significant technology component in its offerings. “when they came and talked to us… I was pretty excited, because I saw how we fit a pretty unique hole they had in their offering.”
- Strategically aligned: ArcherPoint, whose main focus is mid-market companies, aligned with Cherry Bekaert’s reimagined strategy, which focuses on the Office of the CFO and startups up to $250 million. “That’s right in our sweet spot,” notes Kaupp. This ensures no strategic misalignment, especially as they aim to make acquisitions in the mid-market space without competing with larger enterprise firms.
- Delivering value to clients: Since being acquired five months ago, ArcherPoint is still getting familiar with the expanded portfolio of services now offered under “Business Optimization,” which includes ERP, analytics, automation, CFO advisory, and outsourced accounting support. With so many new capabilities, the challenge has been prioritizing what to focus on, and the team has decided to concentrate first on strategic tax services and targeted analytics and automation offerings to bring the most immediate value to clients.
- Developing new IP: During the acquisition, a key focus was the value of Suite Engine — ArcherPoint’s IP development side of the business — which enables scalable, repeatable solutions tailored to specific industries or markets. The current priority is educating Cherry Bekaert’s industry leaders on existing IP while exploring opportunities to develop new IP that aligns with their unique client concentrations and market needs.
- Broader Power Platform adoption: Kaupp explains that a key focus has been identifying a repeatable, practical use case for the Power Platform within the Business Central community, rather than training teams without a clear application. ArcherPoint addressed this by developing and releasing a free app called Power Approvals, designed to simplify workflows and demonstrate the real-world value of combining IP with business needs, enabling broader Power Platform adoption without high service costs.
- Balancing culture with strategy: In closing, Kaupp details how from the start, Cherry Bekaert took a thoughtful and collaborative approach to the acquisition. That same mindset has carried through post-acquisition, where mutual trust and a shared philosophy of “assume positive intent” have helped both sides work through challenges smoothly and constructively.
Stream the audio version of this episode here:
Related Posts
