Sandmeier/LK1st/mark2nd

John Sandmeier

Southern California tax leader

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Specialty: Tax strategy

If no two companies are the same, then neither are any two tax strategies. That’s why John Sandmeier divides the marketplace into as many specific niches as possible and tailors his tax accounting services accordingly.

Sandmeier, 41, is the Southern California tax leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He is in charge of between 350 and 400 tax specialists who provide strategies for thousands of clients, from offices in Los Angeles, Century City, Woodland Hills and Orange County.

“We slice and dice the market into separate and distinct market segments,” said Sandmeier, “and develop strategies in order to best serve each segment because one market strategy does not fit all.”

The tax concerns of a high-tech firm looking to go public in a few years, for example, will differ from those of a privately held, middle-market firm.

“A middle-market company will end up spending money at year end just to get a tax benefit, whereas a high-tech company is really looking for the earnings growth,” Sandmeier says. “They’re not going to spend money on a discretionary expense that they wouldn’t otherwise spend just to get a tax benefit.”

By recognizing the differences between the myriad market segments in Southern California, Sandmeier has helped build PricewaterhouseCoopers’ tax practice into a local juggernaut, as the firm capitalizes on the growing trend among corporations to outsource their tax accounting needs.

Sandmeier holds a business degree from the State University of New York, and a master’s in tax accounting from the University of Texas. He has been with Coopers & Lybrand, which recently merged with Price Waterhouse, since 1982.

Sandmeier figures that the increased globalization of business makes his services especially important. “The rules can change on a daily basis,” said Sandmeier, “so you have to have strategies in place that are flexible.”

Southern California is the place to be to meet those kinds of financial challenges, he says.

“The world is truly shrinking faster than we realize, and Los Angeles is definitely a point of entry and exit on the West Coast,” he said. “It’s a fantastic market to be in.”

R.W. Greene