Apex Advisors is a national tax credits and incentives advisory firm that has performed over 10,000 studies since 2001. They have offices in Los Angeles, San Jose, and Alabama. Apex Advisors specializes in researching and securing various tax credits and incentives at both the federal and state levels, including research and development tax credits, green building tax deductions, and new markets tax credits. They have a team of 50 professionals with expertise in accounting, auditing, law, and previous experience with the IRS.

1. Tax Credits &
Incentives
Leveraging the
Tax Code to
Generate Revenue

2. Tax Credits & Incentives
We are Apex Advisors
Apex Advisors is a national tax credits and incentives advisory firm. Since
2001, we have performed over ten thousand tax credit studies for
companies in more than 60 different industries, ranging from architecture
and engineering to software development and manufacturers of all kinds.
Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in San Jose and Auburn,
Alabama, we are a trusted and reliable resource for a wide variety of tax
credits and incentives at both the federal and state level.
The Apex Advantage
We have a unique combination of experience, size and efficiency that
enables us to deliver comprehensive, compliant and effective tax credit
solutions for businesses of any size. With an experienced staff of 50
professionals, we are known for our advanced accounting methodologies
and robust audit defense. In fact, we have one of the best track records in
the industry for mitigating audit challenges, largely due to our meticulous
documentation and a tax controversy team comprised of former IRS agents
and attorneys.
There are a myriad of tax credits and incentives available to businesses,
which can provide a significant boost to revenue. Leveraging these benefits,
however, requires expertise and resources that most businesses and their
financial advisors do not have. Apex Advisors is the perfect partner to help
you take advantage of tax credits and incentives. We have the experience
and size to deliver effective results, allowing you to lower tax liability and
enhance your financial success.
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ABOVE
80%
ABOVE
90%
ABOVE
95% NO CHANGE
Apex Advisors has a strong track
record of defending R&D tax
credit claims with the IRS.
Civil and Water/Wastewater
Treatment Engineering Firm:
Received tax credits for both
federal and California totaling
$2.4M over 4 years.
IRS and FTB audits resulted in no
change to tax credit claim.
Food Manufacturer:
Received tax credits for California
totaling $220,000 over 2 years.
California FTB audit resulted in no
change to tax credit claim.
RECENT AUDIT SUCCESS

3. Our Services
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Research & Development Tax Credits
The Research & Development (R&D) tax credit is designed to encourage businesses to
increase their competitiveness by providing a credit for activities that qualify as research
and development. This credit benefits a wide range of industries, including
biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, architecture & engineering, software
development and many other types of businesses.
Section 179D Green Building Tax Deduction
Section 179D allows businesses to deduct the costs of energy-efficient commerical
buildings. This incentive encourages greater energy efficiency in large-scale building
projects and is typically utilized by developers, architects, engineering and construction
firms.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is available to any business that hires
individuals from “employment challenged” targeted groups. These individuals include
U.S. veterans, recipients of certain forms of government assistance and individuals with
a previous felony conviction. The tax credit ranges from $1,200 to $9,600 per
individual, depending on the qualifications of the employee.
IC-DISC Exporter Tax Benefit
IC-DISC stands for Interest-Charge Domestic International Sales Corporation, a tax
benefit that is provided to businesses that produce US-based products for export to
foreign countries. The benefit provides a tax exemption on income earned from foreign
sales – ideal for manufacturers, architects and engineering firms that generate
significant income from international sales or projects.
Section 45L Energy Efficient Home Tax Credit
Owners of newly constructed or rehabilitated residential structures are eligible for tax
credits if they meet certain energy-saving standards. The credit is equal to $2,000 per
qualified unit, which is limited to any residential structure that is three stories or less.
New Markets Tax Credits
The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) is a highly specialized credit that provides a tax
benefit for financing economic development projects in low-income communities.
Investors who provide capital to a qualified Community Development Entity receive a 39
percent tax benefit.
Other Federal and State-Specific Tax Credits
Apex Advisors actively monitors the legal and policy landscape to make sure our clients
are up to date with all issues related to tax credits and incentives. We advise our clients
on a variety of federal, state and local tax credits including job tax credits, sales use tax
exemptions, employee training credits and a variety of other benefits.

4. Executive Team
Douglas Kim, CPA, MBT
Doug is a Principal at Apex Advisors. Doug split his 20 years of accounting
experience at Arthur Andersen and Deloitte & Touche, managing several
groups that provided services to Fortune 500 clients. Doug has extensive
knowledge of tax credits and tax principles. He utilizes his expertise to
advise clients on best practices and ensure compliance and quality control
of Apex Advisor services.
David Ahn, CPA, MBT
David is a Principal at Apex Advisors. David has more than 20 years of
accounting and financial auditing experience. He spent 11 years in a variety
of management positions at Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche,
becoming a key manager in their R&D tax credit division. David utilizes that
experience overseeing all R&D tax credit activities for Apex Advisors.
John Kim, JD, CPA
John is a Senior Tax Manager at Apex Advisors. He has over 10 years of
experience working as a financial auditor and tax attorney. His prior
experience at the IRS Examination Division and Office of Chief Counsel
provides our clients with invaluable insight and guidance. His law experience
is utilized to ensure legal compliance of all tax credit projects at Apex
Advisors.
Annika Vanghagen, JD, LL.M
Annika is the Director of Tax Controversy at Apex Advisors and specializes in
analyzing a company’s qualifying R&D expenditures to develop effective tax
credit strategies and solutions. With over 10 years of experience, Annika
spent several years as an in-house lawyer for Qwest Communications,
working on cases that ranged from international telecom actions to patent
infringement.
Jessica Creevy, JD, LL.M
Jessica Creevy is a Senior Project Manager at Apex Advisors and specializes
in tax principles and tax controversy matters. She has represented a number
of mid to large size businesses during their examinations and appeals with
the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authority. Prior to joining Apex,
Jessica was an attorney with the Internal Revenue Service.
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5. Research and Development
Tax Credits
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The Research & Development Tax Credit is one of the oldest and most
successful business tax benefits available. More than $10 billion in tax
credits were issued by the IRS in 2012, providing US-based businesses with
an opportunity to innovate and grow. In addition to the federal R&D tax
credit, a majority of states offer their own R&D tax credit.
20122007200219971992
$10B
$8B
$6B
$4B
$2B
Since R&D tax credits are provided on a
dollar-for-dollar basis, the true value of these credits is
essentially three times a standard deduction.
The number and types of businesses that qualify for
R&D Tax Credits is surprising. Engineering firms,
pharmaceuticals, electronics and software developers
are obvious choices for R&D, but you might not realize
that many types of manufacturers – medical devices,
packaging, plastics, even apparel – also qualify for
R&D activities.
Qualified Research Expenses (QRE) are the
key unit used to determine R&D tax credit
values. QREs are comprised primarily of
wages that must meet the guidelines
for a qualified activity. Apex Advisors
has the expertise to accurately identify
and quantify QREs in as many areas
as possible, ensuring the highest
possible value of R&D tax credits.
However, we take great lengths to ensure
our claims fully comply with IRS and state tax
board rules. Audit defense is always included with
our service and we have a very high rate of
The size of the R&D tax credit varies greatly because it depends on the
amount of R&D activity that can be quantified. An analysis of our client
base shows that the average size of the federal R&D tax credit in one year
is approximately 1% of a company’s annual revenues. However, federal
R&D tax credits can be claimed retroactively for up to three years and 33
states provide an additional R&D credit, resulting in a much larger benefit.
contractor costs
supplies &
materials
salaries & wages
QUALIFIEDRESEARCHEXPENSES
Source: Statistics of Income Division: 2001 - 2012
Corporate Returns Data
Equipment &
Component
Manufacturing
Chemicals &
Pharmaceuticals
Computer
Systems
Design
Computer &
Electronics
Manufacturing
Other Non-
Manufacturing
Other
Manufacturing
Scientific
R&D

6. WWW.APEXADVISORSUS.COM | (213) 487-3333 | APEX ADVISORS
R&D tax credits in architecture
& engineering
Many financial advisors do not realize that in 2001, the IRS eliminated
the “Discovery Rule,” which immediately made the R&D credit available
to many architecture and engineering firms. The following is a list of
Apex Advisors’ architecture and engineering clients and the R&D tax
credits earned by these firms.
Apex Client Revenues Credit
Architect A $19 million $340,000**
Architect B $14 million $278,000**
Architect C $7 million $87,000*
Engineering Firm A $217 million $762,000**
Engineering Firm B $54 million $420,000**
Engineering Firm C $16 million $301,000**
R&D tax credits in manufacturing
R&D tax credits in software
A significant portion of R&D tax credits is given to the manufacturing
industry, but the diversity of manufacturing segments makes it difficult
to determine whether R&D tax credits are applicable. All manufacturers
should discuss their business with an R&D tax specialist such as Apex
Advisors.
*Federal Credits only / **Federal and State Credits
*Federal Credits only / **Federal and State Credits
*Federal Credits only / **Federal and State Credits
Apex Client Revenues Credit
Food Processor $63 million $1,100,000**
Tool, Die & Mold $20 million $1,100,000*
Golf Equipment $77 million $740,000**
Auto Parts $42 million $410,000*
Electronics $25 million $280,000*
Plastic Injection Molds $9 million $250,000*
Software companies have a tremendous amount of R&D activities and
qualify for a large amount of tax credits relative to their company size.
Software programmers, software analysts, QA testers and support
team members all qualify for R&D activities.
Apex Client Revenues Credit
Software Company A $53.0 million $1,985,000*
Software Company B $9.5 million $720,000**
Software Company C $8.0 million $410,000*

7. WWW.APEXADVISORSUS.COM | (213) 487-3333 | APEX ADVISORS
179D Green Building Tax
Deduction
The Section 179D tax deduction provides a benefit up to $1.80 per
square foot for commerical structures that are deemed energy
efficient. It measures interior lighting, HVAC systems and building
envelope for energy efficiency gains.
Although many building owners typically take this deduction on private
construction or rehabilitation projects, designers of public and
government buildings can receive allocations to receive 179D
deductions in lieu of the agencies they represent. This includes
architects, engineers and construction companies.
The energy efficiency requirements are based on the
ASHRAE (American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers)
2001 standard. Due to the advancement in
energy efficient materials and raised building
code standards in most states, many
financial service providers do not realize that
recently constructed building already qualify
for the 179D deduction.
179D certification must be performed by an
independent third party such as ourselves. We
have certified engineers and contractors who
will come on-site to conduct energy audits of
buildings, utilizing qualified software and a
comprehensive, hands-on approach.
BUILDING
ENVELOPE
60¢/ft²
HVAC
60¢/ft² LIGHTING
60¢/ft²
500,000 ft² courthouse construction
$900,000 deduction
250,000 ft² high school construction
$450,000 deduction
117,000 ft² municipal building
$210,600 deduction

8. A trusted partner.
Apex Advisors understands that tax-related issues are sensitive for
businesses, so we’re diligent about compliance and vigorously defend
any audits with the IRS and state tax boards. Our goal is to make you
feel comfortable with the tax credit process and deliver solutions that are
thorough, effective and trusted.
We’re in it for the long haul.
Apex Advisors strives to build long term relationships with its clients.
We’ve built a large following of companies that rely on our expertise to
deliver solid financial benefits year in and year out. We invite you to learn
more about Apex Advisors and find out why hundreds of companies
across the country consider us the only option for tax credits and
incentives.
A better option.
If your firm is already working with a tax credit provider, we commend
you and we want to prove we’re a better choice. We believe our sole
specialization in tax credits and incentives leads to closer client support,
increased cost efficiency and more effective results. We have plenty of
references, so feel free to ask about our history. The bottom line is that
we’ll do whatever it takes to convince you that Apex Advisors is a better
option.
WWW.APEXADVISORSUS.COM | (213) 487-3333 | APEX ADVISORS
(213) 487-3333
3460 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900
Los Angeles, California 90010
www.apexadvisorsus.com
info@apexadvisorsus.com