Clarity to Advance™

Our tagline is our commitment. It is continually reinforced by how we work, how we communicate, the results we achieve, and how we relate to our partners and the broader business community.

We help you provide information that’s clear with no lofty language, or complicated explanations. We will break the issues down into easy-to-understand concepts so you can present them to your clients in plain language. Our goal is to help you help your clients understand the key performance metrics that are critical to managing and advancing their business.

Axcelerate’s Principal Partners:

Douglas C. Smith, CPA, CVA

Doug has had over twenty years of experience in corporate and public accounting in the areas of audit, financial statement preparation, tax planning and preparation (business, personal, estates & trusts), management consulting management consulting and business valuation.

Doug has rendered professional services for many valuation purposes including the areas of mergers and acquisitions, estate and gift taxes, marital dissolution, receiverships and forensic accounting. Doug has acted as a court-appointed expert in marital dissolutions and receiverships and has testified in arbitrations, mediations, depositions and trial. Additionally, Doug has consulted with dozens of companies regarding business valuation issues.

Doug is a graduate of Bentley University with a BS degree in accountancy. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New Jersey Society of CPAs (NJSCPA). Doug is also qualified as a team captain in the AICPA’s Peer Review program and is frequently called upon to opine on the system of quality control of other CPA firms.

In January 1997, Doug was awarded the designation of Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) from the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA). NACVA is the only nationally recognized business appraisal organization that requires its members to also be Certified Public Accountants. Certification is awarded only after obtaining extensive training and testing on issues such as valuation theory and effective litigation support. Once certification is awarded there are strict continuing education guidelines and required participation in quality enhancement programs.

Doug is active in the community and is a “friend” and past-president of the Princeton Corridor Rotary Club and its related Foundation. He is also an active member of both the Princeton Regional and Somerset County Chambers of Commerce.

Connect with Doug at dsmith@axcelerateCFOs.com

Melinda D’Antuono, CPA, MBA

Melinda has had over fifteen years of experience in corporate and public accounting in the areas of audit, financial statement preparation, tax planning and preparation (business, personal, estates & trusts), management consulting, business valuations and forecasting. She has also had experience in the corporate treasury function.

Prior to her career at Axiom CPAs, she maintained similar responsibilities at KPMG LLP and a local CPA firm. Melinda’s audit and tax experience have included a wide variety of industries including manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail, technology, construction, software development, and health and welfare organizations.

Melinda is also an entrepreneur, having owned both a direct sales company and a financial consulting firm, which provided strategic advisory services to start-up companies. This experience gives her further insights into the needs of small to mid-sized enterprises.

Melinda earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from The State University of New York at Albany in 1994, graduating summa cum laude. In 1997 she became a CPA and in 2000, she earned her Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University. Melinda is a CPA in both New York and New Jersey and is a member of the New Jersey Society of CPAs (NJSCPA) as well as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Melinda is actively involved in her community and is also a member of both the Princeton Regional and Somerset County Chambers of Commerce.

Connect with Melinda at mdantuono@axcelerateCFOs.com

Axcelerate’s Advisors:

Robyn Darlow, CPA

As a dedicated and detail-oriented accounting professional, Robyn has been meeting the accounting needs of small to medium sized business as well as individuals for over fifteen years. She has experience in both corporate and public accounting in the areas of audit, financial statement preparation, tax planning and preparation (business, personal, estates & trusts), management consulting and forecasting.

Prior to her career at Axiom CPAs, she first worked at a local CPA firm for 10 years before migrating to the private accounting environment assisting startups and businesses across the United States in a controller capacity.

Robyn’s accounting and tax experience has included a wide variety of industries including manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail & e-commerce, technology, construction, software development, and professional services.

Robyn earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from The College of New Jersey in 2003 and her Masters of Accountancy at Rider University in 2005. In 2008, she became a CPA, certified in New Jersey, and is a member of the New Jersey Society of CPAs (NJSCPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Robyn is also an Intuit QuickBooks Pro Advisor.

Connect with Robyn at rdarlow@axcelerateCFOs.com

Christopher Thompson, Fractional CFO

Chris has over twenty years of experience in accounting and finance in the areas of financial statement preparation (private and public companies), tax planning and preparation (management companies, investment funds and service companies), budgeting and forecasting, management consulting, process improvement, private investment valuations and investor relations.

Prior to joining AXcelerate, Chris served as CFO within the KJohnson Enterprises family of companies, overseeing the accounting and finance functions of a large-scale health club, multiple construction entities and a property management company. Other experience leading up to Chris’s time with KJohnson Enterprises includes serving as Controller and Director of Finance with ProQuest Investments, a healthcare venture capital fund manager, as well as several roles within NUI Corporation, the publicly traded parent company of multiple public utilities and energy brokerage companies.

In addition to his corporate experience, Chris also owns a small business financial consulting firm which provides accounting and operational guidance to start-up, family-owned service companies and educational non-profit companies. He has also formed and serves as Executive Director of a non-profit focused on using youth sports as a conduit to teach healthy lifestyles, develop strong character and share his faith.

Chris earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Stockton University (formerly Richard Stockton College of NJ), where he also competed in NCAA baseball, served as a team captain and was awarded the team’s Most Valuable Pitcher designation. He calls on his experience in team sports often and prides himself on his servant-minded leadership approach learned from some outstanding coaches and teammates.

Chris is actively involved in his community. He is currently on the East Amwell Township School Board of Education where he is Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee. Additionally, he coaches high school baseball and football; serves as chaplain for the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees AA) with Baseball Chapel; and holds the position of Sports Leadership Director (Central NJ) with Athletes in Action. Previously, he held roles as President and Treasurer of two local youth sports organizations and Overseeing Elder and Chairman of Trustees for multiple churches.

Connect with Christopher at cthompson@axcelerateCFOs.com

Axcelerate CFOs, LLC
103 Carnegie Center, Suite 300
Princeton, NJ 08540
PH: 609-955-3427