Knowledge and Insights

The Mercadien Group is pleased to announce that Donald F. Conway, CPA, managing director, principal in Mercadien, P.C., CPAs, and a leader of the firm’s Forensic & Litigation Support Group, has been selected by National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) of Trenton as the 2015 Distinguished Individual Honoree, along with his wife, Eileen. The Conways will be honored at the 22nd Annual Gala to be held March 21, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Princeton. Johnson & Johnson and Ann Loprinzi also will be recognized, as the Outstanding Corporation and Capital Cup Honorees, respectively.

The NJTL is a nonprofit organization founded in 1969 by tennis great Arthur Ashe to benefit inner city youth. During the 1980s, the organization merged with the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), the executive director of which, Donald Conway, was instrumental – not only in leading the alliance process and lending financial support, but also in preserving NJTL’s mission and operations. Today, NJTL is comprised of more than 650 chapters successfully serving 350,000 individuals. The Trenton chapter, founded in 1975 and honored repeatedly over the years for its innovative and effective programs and growth, benefits more than 2,500 local children.

Conway’s involvement with the USTA and NJTL began when he was controller of the New York Mets baseball club and won a coveted contract to sell U.S. Open tickets using the Mets’ cost-effective sales method. Soon afterward, he was appointed by the USTA to serve as director of operations of its newly-constructed National Tennis Center, managing the first U.S. Open held at that stadium in 1978. In that role, he worked with the CIA, FBI and NYPD on security issues. He also served as a consultant to such dignitaries as President and Nancy Reagan and Eunice Shriver to initiate and support anti-drug and drug-testing programs and participation of the USTA in the Special Olympics. Conway also negotiated the terms between Ted Turner’s organization and the USSR for participation of the USTA in the first-ever Goodwill Games, held in the Soviet Union.

Upon leaving the USTA, Conway served as president of Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ, and then joined The Mercadien Group, here. His illustrious career has continued during 20 years as a partner, specializing in forensic accounting, bankruptcy and insolvency, securities fraud and commercial litigation. Most notably, Conway served as Chapter 11 operating trustee in the Robert E. Brennan and Golden Corral restaurant bankruptcies and as financial advisor to the trustee during the Crazy Eddie retail store bankruptcy cases.

The Mercadien Group is a family of companies created to serve the diverse and sophisticated needs of clients in a capacity greater than any single organization can offer. Comprised of six distinct entities and over 120 employees, the firm provides accounting, auditing, tax planning and compliance, management consulting, technology, wealth management, outsourcing, and investment banking services. A team of trusted advisors working together in one place, The Mercadien Group shares a broad knowledge base and creates seamless solutions that meet clients’ personal and business objectives.