Principals' Biographies

Edmund Starr (Skip) Coale, III, CPA

Skip brings more than 30 years of experience to his clients. His areas of concentration include federal and state taxes; issues of closely held businesses; computers and business accounting software; start-up assistance and consulting; financing and capital structure; and general business consulting.

A lifelong resident of Maryland, Skip grew up in the Rodgers Forge and Wiltondale areas of Baltimore County. He is a graduate of Calvert Hall College High School in the class of 1965. He went on to Catonsville Community College and then onto the University of Maryland, College Park campus. In 1969, Skip was drafted into the United States Army and served in South Vietnam. He was honorably discharged and returned to The University of Maryland to finish his studies.

Skip graduated from the University of Maryland College of Business and Management in 1973. He passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Exam on his first sitting in May of 1974. Prior to forming Coale, Pripstein and Associates, he served as a sole proprietor, as the manager of the small business department of C.J. Ecalano & Co., CPAs, and as a manager at Matthews, Carter and Boyce, CPAs in Washington, D.C.

Skip is an active member of the Maryland Association of CPAs. He has served on a number of committees for the association, including the Management of an Accounting Practice Committee, the Sole Practitioner Committee, and the Professional Ethics Committee of which he served as chairman.

In addition to his professional activities, Skip volunteered countless hours in the community. His current and past activities include:

• James Rouse Entrepreneurial Fund (JREF)- treasurer and member of the board of directors;



• Urban Rural Transportation Alliance, Inc. (URTA) - treasurer and member of the board of directors;



• Rotary Club of Columbia Patuxent - charter president, treasurer, sergeant at arms, and newsletter editor;



• Howard County Chamber of Commerce - treasurer and member of the board of directors;



• Columbia Jaycees - president and secretary;



• Careerscope, Inc. - president and member of the board of directors;



• American Heart Association, Howard County - member of the board of directors;



• YMCA - Howard County - member of the board of directors



• Industry Education Alliance of Howard County - member;



• Spending and Revenue Guidelines Advisory Committee, Howard County - committee member; and



• Small Business Administration SCORE/ACE Program - lecturer.

In addition, Skip is a 1991 graduate of Leadership Howard County and is a life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States of America. Skip was recognized as the 2001 Accountant Advocate of the Year for the State of Maryland by the U. S. Small Business Administration. The Baltimore SmartCEO magazine recognized Skip as one of Maryland's Smart CPA's in 2004 and again in 2005.

Eric Pripstein, CPA

Eric Pripstein has been in practice for over 25 years and specializes in business transactions and the accounting needs of the entrepreneur. Eric also has extensive expertise and experience serving the automotive industry and members of the performing arts.

Eric graduated Cum Laude from the University of Maryland College of Business and Management in 1980. Prior to partnering with Skip to form Coale, Pripstein and Associaties, Eric worked as a sole proprietor and as an associate at Berman Goldman & Ribakow, and Schiller, Holinsky and Company.

Eric's professional associations include the AICPA and the MACPA. Because so many of his clients are in the music business, Eric is also an associate member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.

Eric's volunteer activities are as diverse as his client base. They include:

• Young Audiences of Maryland - board member for 14 years, current president



• Maryland Lawyers for the Arts: Accounting and taxes for musicians - lecturer



• Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts: Estate and tax planning for artists - lecturer



• Tax and business workshop for Young Artists of the Kennedy Center - lecturer

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