Plante Moran was founded by Elorion Plante in 1924. Frank Moran was named partner in 1950, and the firm became known as Plante & Moran. The pair had originally met when Moran, a philosophy student, became a geometry tutor for Plante’s daughter. Moran’s philosophy training would lay the foundation for what he called “a people firm disguised as an accounting firm.” In 1955, Moran became managing partner, remaining in the role until stepping down and becoming chairman in 1981. By the early 1960s, a third of the firm's revenue came from non-accounting services. In 1977, the firm created its first affiliate, Total Personal Financial Planning, now known as Plante Moran Financial Advisors. The firm’s first mergers came in 1986 under the direction of Managing Partner Edward Parks and included expansion into three Michigan cities (Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor/St. Joseph), as well as Cleveland, Ohio. Several more additions to service capabilities came in the 1990s under the direction of Bill Matthews, who was named managing partner in 1993. That same year, Plante Moran Financial Advisors registered with the SEC, and just one year later, Plante Moran Cresa (commercial real estate advisors, now Plante Moran Realpoint) was formed. The firm created P&M Corporate Finance, an investment banking group, in 1996, and in 1998, Plante & Moran Benefits Administration LLC (now Plante Moran Group Benefits Advisors) was formed. In 2001, Bill Hermann was named managing partner. The following year, the firm was chosen to help investigate the
Enron collapse, and Plante Moran Trust was formed. Their international expansion began shortly after, with offices opened in Shanghai, China; Monterrey, Mexico; and Mumbai, India by 2010. During that time, the firm also merged with Gleeson, Sklar, Sawyers & Cumpata (GSS&C), adding three Illinois offices. In 2003, Plante Moran established its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council to guide the firm toward long-term success and growth in diversity practices. In 2009, Gordon Krater became managing partner. During his time as leader, the firm opened an office in Detroit, Mich., and merged with two other firms: Stuart Franey Matthews & Chantres P.C., and Blackman Kallick. Plante & Moran also dropped the ampersand from its name, becoming “Plante Moran,” and won the first-ever Global Workplace Recognition with International Accounting Bulletin's Employer of the Year award. In 2011, Krater and his predecessor, Bill Hermann, coauthored “Succession Transition: A Roadmap for Seamless Transitions in Leadership.” The following year, the firm began its Women in Leadership program to address the issue of attrition among women at the firm before reaching the most senior positions. In 2017, Jim Proppe assumed the managing partner role. Later that year, the firm opened its fourth international office in Tokyo, Japan, and the following year, the firm expanded its presence into the western United States after merging with Denver-based firm, EKS&H. This brought Plante Moran’s number of staff to over 3,000 — the highest in firm history — and at the time made them the 11th largest accounting firm in the nation. In November 2023, Jason Drake was elected the firm’s next managing partner, effective July 1, 2024. A former leader of Plante Moran’s international offices and global services practice for six years, Drake was recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business in 2015 as a “40 Under 40” recipient for helping the firm increase international business revenue by 400%. ==Culture==