Brian Kurtz
Our first profile in the Meet Your Northbrookian series is Brian Kurtz! Brian is active around town, and you can find him coaching his son Weston's baseball team in the spring and summer. Brian is also a busy professional, and a Partner at EisnerAmper in Chicago. He recently wrote an article helping businesses decide when they might want to consider engaging an independent CPA to assist with financial statements (read it here). Brian is an active networker - please feel encouraged to reach out to him!
How long have you lived in Northbrook, and what originally brought you to the community?
We moved to Northbrook from the West Loop in March 2020. We closed on our house that February, but my office was three-quarters of a mile away and busy season was just getting started, so the plan was to hold off on moving until it wrapped up. Then COVID happened.
Tell us a bit about your life — what do you do for work, and what keeps you busy during the week?
I'm a CPA and partner at EisnerAmper, and most days the Metra takes me from downtown Northbrook to our office right above Union Station. I work with owners of privately held companies, a lot of them contractors, manufacturers, distributors, and healthcare practices, on the financial statements their banks, bonding companies, and buyers ask for. Outside of work, Jennifer and I have our hands full with three kids, and I help coach Weston's baseball team.
What does your family love to do for fun around town, or how do you prefer to spend a free weekend in the area?
Most weekends are filled with kid activities: baseball, soccer, golf, and plenty of birthday parties. Weston takes lessons at Heritage Oaks Golf Club. In the summer it's the Northbrook pools and ice cream at Graeter's, and any time of year we love going to baseball games and spending time with friends and family.
Why is Northbrook important to you, and what is your favorite thing about living in this community?
I grew up in Buffalo Grove, just a few towns over, so this area has always been home. Now it's where Jennifer and I are raising our kids. My favorite thing is how welcoming Northbrook is to young and middle-aged families.
If someone were moving to Northbrook tomorrow, what is the first piece of advice or local recommendation you would give them?
Get involved through your kids. Sign them up for a local team, volunteer to help coach, and say yes to the birthday parties. That's how we built our community here, and it's how I met a lot of the people I now consider great friends.
Lightning Round
Where is your go-to local spot for a meeting or a great cup of coffee?
Bean Bar on Cherry Lane
What do you consider the best “hidden gem” in town?
Leonidas Chocolate & French Cafe on Shermer Road
If you had to describe Northbrook in exactly three words, what would they be?
Chicago, plus parking.
Anything else you’d like to add?
A little more on the work side. I work with growth-minded businesses as they expand and need more from their financial reporting and tax work. EisnerAmper is a national firm with a deep bench, so whatever comes up as a business grows, I can usually bring in the right people.
If you own a business in town, big or small, I'm always happy to grab a coffee at Bean Bar and talk through what's next. You can reach me at brian.kurtz@eisneramper.com or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-kurtz-02840052/.