If you ask Deanna Salo about her 35-plus-year career with Cray Kaiser, she will eventually share stories of the mergers and acquisitions she has overseen. In due time, she will tell you about how she assists in shareholder disputes and getting great agreements into every company’s infrastructure. But first, Deanna will reflect on the impact that she and her team members have with each engagement.

In her mind, every engagement is linked to a person or family. So while it is true that Deanna grew up professionally at Cray Kaiser—joining in 1986, fresh from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s in Accountancy—Cray Kaiser has also grown with her. The firm’s people-centric approach has been instilled in every corner of the firm since its inception, which is one of the main reasons why Deanna has her career rooted in the Firm.

A CK Principal since 2001 and Managing Principal since 2021, Deanna executes assurance, strategic and tax planning services across the client portfolio. For closely-held and family-owned businesses, she focuses on the value she can bring to the family and owners. For nonprofit clients, she instills best practices in budgeting, governance issues and audit compliance procedures. Using her technical and creative talents, Deanna also performs M&A engagements for the buyer and seller sides.

Leading Cray Kaiser’s relationship with the Entrepreneur and Family Business Council at DePaul University, Deanna is a past chair to the Strategic Partner Committee and presently serves on its Finance Committee and Curriculum Committee. Given her investment in the success of family-owned businesses, it should come as no surprise that members of the organization practically have Deanna on speed dial.

Local and Abroad:  Global Board member of Russell Bedford International, various committees at the Entrepreneur & Family Business Counsel at DePaul

Recognition: 2024 and 2025 award recipient of Titans 100 Chicago

Karen Snodgrass oversees Cray Kaiser’s tax division, with niche expertise in closely held and family-owned businesses. In her tax planning work, she minimizes liability at the entity and individual level by helping clients think through the tax implications of their decisions throughout the year.

The leaders of family-owned businesses, whose personal lives mingle with their business lives, share more with Karen than their 1099s. They share their financial heart and soul. For Karen, that’s an honor. So she aims to do more than meet tax goals. Before asking clients to sign a single dotted line, she picks up the phone to inform and educate them.

That’s the common thread that runs through her diverse specialties: a commitment to sharing knowledge. Having successfully navigated evolving tax codes for 20-plus years—more than 15 of which she spent at Cray Kaiser—Karen leads seminars on tax law updates at the firm. Based on her ongoing analysis of the effects of new laws, the firm’s reputation for excellence in tax services is unmatched.

With Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame, Karen also gives presentations on tax and business finance topics to groups like the Entrepreneur and Family Business Council at DePaul University.

Community: Memberships: AICPA, Illinois CPA Society, Notre Dame Clubs, Exclusive Professional Women’s Networking Group, Trusted Advisors Council.

Brian Kot oversees technology and quality assurance within the firm’s assurance department. Having grown up in his father’s accounting firm, Brian knew early on he would pursue a career as a CPA, bringing both technical expertise and a practical, people-first mindset to his work. In his role today, he helps ensure compliance with professional standards while continuously improving systems and processes that support consistent, high-quality audits.

As a practitioner, Brian knows his clients’ time is best spent running their businesses rather than navigating accounting complexities. He’s known for streamlining engagements to make the process efficient, informative, and client-focused. Central to his approach is listening. Brian begins each engagement by gaining a deep understanding of a client’s operations, risks, and goals, allowing him to quickly identify needs and deliver an unparalleled level of service.

While Brian serves across a wide range of industries, his niche lies in manufacturing. He brings a strong understanding of the operational, financial, and regulatory challenges manufacturers face and works closely with leadership teams to ensure that audits deliver value to support decision-making and long-term growth.

Brian is a member of the Illinois CPA Society’s Accounting Principles Committee, a senior committee responsible for developing responses to new accounting standards issued by regulators. This role is especially important to Brian because new standards often have trickle-down effects on non-public companies, frequently increasing audit costs without delivering additional value. Through his committee work, Brian serves as an advocate for non-public businesses, bringing a practical, business-minded perspective to standard-setting discussions while keeping clients informed of changes that truly matter.

Brian was also selected to serve as the United States Regional Quality Ambassador for Russell Bedford International, a global network of independent professional services firms. In this role, he collaborates with peer firms to share best practices and support consistency across international engagements, strengthening the firm’s ability to serve clients with global operations or aspirations.

Committed to continuous learning and connection, Brian is a member of CFO Mastermind Group, where he engages with finance leaders across industries to expand his perspective, exchange ideas, and stay ahead of emerging trends affecting today’s CFOs and business owners.

Brian earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Bradley University and a Master’s Degree in Accountancy from Elmhurst College.

Community: Member, and Past-Chairman of the Illinois CPA Society Accounting Principles Committee; Treasurer of the Harris Farm Homeowners Association; Committee Member with Boy Scouts of America

Service: Mentoring boy scouts by teaching them new skills and assisting them as they make progress in their scouting careers.

Amy Langfelder joined Cray Kaiser in 1995, after working for a year in the industry at an IBM joint venture. After immediately demonstrating her innate customer service talents, she soon became a supervisor. In 2017, Amy ascended to her current role as a CK Principal. In addition to her work with clients as an accountant—including engagements as an assurance principal for both profits and nonprofits, she builds client relationships while leading and developing our client accounting advisory services (CAAS).

As she sees it, most certified public accounting practitioners can sufficiently manage matters of compliance. But the real power of the accounting discipline lies in expanding clients’ financial literacy so that they may more effectively lead their businesses. This belief has led Amy to head CK’s CAAS division which is dedicated to empowering clients with knowledge and understanding to make confident decisions and pave the way towards success.

Because of Cray Kaiser’s niche expertise in closely held and family-owned businesses, many of the owners and presidents of these companies work directly with Amy on their consulting and tax needs. This access to client leadership extends her ability to change business practices for the better. And that is what
Amy is all about.

Amy graduated with a degree in Accounting from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.

Community: Memberships: Vistage, CAAS Accelerator and formerly served on various boards and finance committees.

As a Principal at Cray Kaiser, George Domino has a passion for working with closely-held and family-owned companies and has the ability to develop enduring client relationships through the comprehensive scope of accounting services Cray Kaiser offers. George provides the type of steadfast advice that only decades of experience can bring, helping his clients make tough decisions and reach their financial goals.

George has been serving clients in the Chicagoland area since 1976. Over the course of his career, George has been providing personalized, in-depth counsel to all of his clients on nearly every aspect of their financial lives. He’s served clients in a diverse range of industries, from construction to manufacturing to retail, and worked with large corporations and individuals. George is known for being a ‘utility player’ who brings a depth of knowledge and the ability to humanize complex scenarios to each client interaction.

In January of 2018, Domino & Associates, Ltd. merged into Cray, Kaiser Ltd. George believes in a personal approach to accounting services and a commitment to getting to know each client beyond just the numbers, making him a perfect addition to the Cray Kaiser team.

George has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

After nine years on the Cray Kaiser team, Micah became a partner in 2020. Throughout his tenure at CK, Micah has led the completion of client engagements with a focus on closely-held and investor-backed businesses across a wide range of industries including construction, healthcare, logistics, technology, manufacturing, and others. His broad experience serves as the foundation for the assurance, accounting and tax services he provides to clients today. As one of the firm’s Certified Valuation Analysts, Micah also advises clients on matters of business valuation, business sales and acquisitions, and transition.

When you meet Micah, you’ll notice his listening skills and his humor. It’s hard to miss his genuine interest in uncovering his clients’ biggest concerns and issues. It fuels his determination to find solutions that are integrative, creative, and add value. Micah finds it fulfilling to bring knowledge and expertise that impacts his clients’ businesses beyond the basic accounting functions. Throughout that process, he also enjoys involving junior Cray Kaiser team members and helping them progress in their careers.

Involvement: Micah earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL. He’s a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS), and the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA).