Blake brings over 35 years of experience providing tax consulting and compliance services to clients that include multinational, publicly-traded corporations and closely held owner-managed businesses. Throughout his entire career, Blake has specialized in federal, state, and local tax incentive programs. Blake is leading the firm’s efforts in providing tax consulting services for Qualified Opportunity Zones (OZ). Blake and the HCVT OZ Team have formed over 25 Qualified Opportunity Funds (QOF) and over 150 Qualified Opportunity Zone Businesses (QOZB). They have also advised hundreds of other investors and professionals regarding the complexities of formation, operation, semi-annual testing, and restructuring of QOFs and QOZBs.
As a thought leader, Blake has been recently interviewed by US News and World Reports and other national publications providing insights into this powerful yet complex tax incentive program and has authored several articles and HCVT Tax Alerts about OZ and QOFs. Blake has developed unique insights into OZ strategies for real estate developers and investors, as well as for operating business start-ups and expansions. In addition to tax incentive consulting, Blake provides partnership and individual tax planning and compliance services. His broad industry experience includes manufacturing and distribution, service companies, restaurant, shipping and transportation, energy, and healthcare.
Blake joined HCVT to open the firm’s Long Beach office over 25 years ago and opened the firm’s Park City, Utah office in 2014. Blake has served in leadership positions on numerous community boards including the Long Beach Community Foundation as Vice-Chair, Cal State Long Beach Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership Governing Council, and the Long Beach Rotary where he served as president. Blake was also an active member of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and served as chairperson. Blake was named one of the Top 10 California Accounting Professionals in 2015 and 2014. The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce awarded Blake the 2016 Community Spirit Award for his economic development work and leadership in the California Enterprise Zone program. He was named a Top 25 National OZ Influencer and a Top 25 OZ Tax Specialist three years in a row (2021-2023) by OpportunityZone.com.
Blake is a frequent contributor to leading industry-related publications. TaxConnections.com named Blake one of the Top 50 Tax Bloggers in the US. Blake has been a contributing columnist for the AICPA CPA Insider, a past columnist for the AICPA Corporate Tax Insider Newsletter, and a regular contributor to the Long Beach Business Journal as well as numerous other publications. He has lectured at a number of universities, including the University of Southern California (MBT Program) and California State University Long Beach (Annual Tax Conference), BYU, and the University of Utah, as well as various business and tax forums throughout the country. Blake has also been a technical resource for many news organizations, including USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Press-Telegram, KTLA News, Park City TV, KNX NewsRadio, and KFI Radio KPCW.
Blake began his career at KPMG LLP and was admitted to its partnership. Blake holds a master’s of taxation from the University of Southern California, a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and a minor in finance from California State University, Long Beach.
KPMG LLP
Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants Mountain Chapter President
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
California Society of Certified Public Accountants
Long Beach Rotary Club
Utah Association of CPAs (UACPAs) Tax Issues Committee
Mountain Life Church Park City, Finance Committee
The Southern California Children’s Endowment, Founding Donor and President
Top 25 Opportunity Zone Influencer, Opportunity Zone Magazine (2021-2023)
Top 25 Opportunity Zone Tax Specialist 2022, Opportunity Zone Magazine (2021-2023)
Verified Opportunity Zone Certified Public Accountant, Opportunity Zone Magazine
Chick-fil-A 2016 Community Spirit Award, Long Beach Chamber of Commerce
"Top 10 Public Accounting Professionals", The National Academy of Public Accounting Professionals (NAPAP), 2015
MBT, University of Southern California
BS, Accounting, California State University, Long Beach
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