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Brian Hedges, CPA
President and Chief Executive Officer
bhedges@paragoncompliancellc.com | Phone: 585-348-5019 | LinkedIn
Brian Hedges is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Paragon Compliance, LLC, a Pittsford, NY based HR Compliance business (“Paragon”). Mr. Hedges joined Paragon during September 2021.
Before joining Paragon, Mr. Hedges was a partner at a regional medium-sized accounting firm in Upstate New York, heading up the firm’s Investigative and Dispute Resolution Services and Business Valuation departments. Before relocating to his childhood home in Upstate New York to raise a family, Mr. Hedges spent eight years at two large professional service firms in Chicago, IL.
He has unique skills of reviewing large data sets and presenting his data analysis in concise charts, tables, graphs, and reports. Mr. Hedges has presented his findings to the Internal Revenue Service, internal and external counsel, and independent Board, Oversight, and Audit Committees. Additionally, he has defended his reports in New York State Courts, Federal Court, at Arbitration, and with the Internal Revenue Service. His forensic accounting expertise and experience is useful with prospective clients of Paragon, who are burdened with prospective penalties and assessments associated with the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) from a previous service provider. Mr. Hedges enjoys demonstrating the superior service, deep expertise, and results-based culture to new prospective clients to Paragon.
Mr. Hedges oversees all of Paragon’s business development and sales, finances, and company administration. He additionally acts as an expert for clients responding to the Internal Revenue Service relating to penalties pursuant to IRC Section 6721 and 6722 and assessments pursuant to IRC Section 4980H(a) and 4980H(b). He is also a frequent speaker and educator of professionals on many facets of the Affordable Care Act and the importance of proactive ACA compliance.
Mr. Hedges is a Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) in New York State, and he previously maintained active Certified Fraud Examiner (“CFE”) and Certified Valuation Analyst (“CVA”) credentials. He resides in Pittsford, NY with his wife, three very active young boys, and their family chocolate lab.
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) from the University of Notre Dame.
Keith Rachunok
Chief Technology Officer
krachunok@paragoncompliancellc.com| Phone: 585-348-5012
Keith Rachunok is the Chief Technology Officer of Paragon Compliance, LLC, a Pittsford, NY based HR Compliance business (“Paragon”). Mr. Rachunok joined Paragon full time in January 2018, he has been working with the ACA since 2015, including three years at the law firm in which Paragon’s ACA software was developed.
Prior to joining Paragon, Mr. Rachunok had consulted on infrastructure and software architecture for companies in industries including manufacturing, retail, and communications. His work has always had a focus on regulation and compliance, with reporting to various governmental agencies.
Mr. Rachunok’ s experience from software development to executive leader has given him a unique perspective of how and why things work and is always conscious of the impact on client’s business. He can translate business into “geek speak” by working with various stakeholders to deliver solutions.
He oversees all of Paragon’s IT systems, security, and software development, including the mentoring of his colleagues on the data team. Mr. Rachunok serves as software architect and as a data expert for clients during onboarding and filing with the IRS. He coordinated a significant Automated Programming Interface (“API”) engagement into Kronos Workforce for a significant Paragon client, including the architecture and development. Mr. Rachunok serves passionately in local university’s technology co-op programs and is active in the open-source software community. He resides in Rochester, NY with his wife and daughter.
Education
Master of Business Administration at the University of Rochester Simon Business School Bachelor of Arts Applied Physics, Bachelor of Science Computer Science at the State University Of New York At Geneseo
Yana Lender
Senior Account Manager
ylender@paragoncompliancellc.com| Phone: 585-348-5021 | LinkedIn
Yana Lender is a Senior Account Manager at Paragon Compliance, LLC, a Pittsford, NY bas