Previously, GEMRT’s leaders were members of two small firms that started to think about the best way to move forward. Each firm recognized that as accounting firms evolve into multidisciplinary consulting practices with strong technology components, the need to scale the practice became a stronger pull. Yet in contemplating a merger, they saw that finding the right match, in terms of culture, philosophy and goals, would be paramount to their success.

And so, members began to think: who would be a good fit? They remembered chance meetings at restaurants and short conversations in Miami office building lobbies. At one point, Rodriguez ran into Garcia at the Mexico pavilion during the Disney Food & Wine festival, and the two men raised the possibility of working together sometime in the future.

A December 2016 lunch at Graziano’s restaurant in Coral Gables sealed the deal. Partners of both firms saw a common culture and firms that seemed to mirror each other.

The camaraderie among the partners is clear when they reminisce about their times at FIU Business.

When Trueba was at the university in 1975, there were two buildings and a third on the way. The goal was to get in and out of campus quickly, with an occasional beer at the Rathskeller. Back then, competition in the accounting program was fierce, classes were tough and professors could often be merciless.

“For those of us who stuck it out,” Trueba said, “that was what made us strong.”

As FIU students in a later era, Garcia, Espinosa and Miyares lived a more classic college life, joining a fraternity and taking an active interest in athletics. They built relationships with fellow FIU alumni that have endured through the years, with South Florida business leaders and clients. His affinity for the school led Espinosa to serve as president of the FIU Alumni Association. GEMRT’s clients, many of them fellow FIU alumni, are recognized names in South Florida, as well as small businesses that form the heart of their community.

Previously, GEMRT’s leaders were members of two small firms that started to think about the best way to move forward. Each firm recognized that as accounting firms evolve into multidisciplinary consulting practices with strong technology components, the need to scale the practice became a stronger pull. Yet in contemplating a merger, they saw that finding the right match, in terms of culture, philosophy and goals, would be paramount to their success.

And so, members began to think: who would be a good fit? They remembered chance meetings at restaurants and short conversations in Miami office building lobbies. At one point, Rodriguez ran into Garcia at the Mexico pavilion during the Disney Food & Wine festival, and the two men raised the possibility of working together sometime in the future.

A December 2016 lunch at Graziano’s restaurant in Coral Gables sealed the deal. Partners of both firms saw a common culture and firms that seemed to mirror each other.

The camaraderie among the partners is clear when they reminisce about their times at FIU Business.

When Trueba was at the university in 1975, there were two buildings and a third on the way. The goal was to get in and out of campus quickly, with an occasional beer at the Rathskeller. Back then, competition in the accounting program was fierce, classes were tough and professors could often be merciless.

“For those of us who stuck it out,” Trueba said, “that was what made us strong.”

As FIU students in a later era, Garcia, Espinosa and Miyares lived a more classic college life, joining a fraternity and taking an active interest in athletics. They built relationships with fellow FIU alumni that have endured through the years, with South Florida business leaders and clients. His affinity for the school led Espinosa to serve as president of the FIU Alumni Association. GEMRT’s clients, many of them fellow FIU alumni, are recognized names in South Florida, as well as small businesses that form the heart of their community.