Ryan Hires Ken Shaw as Principal to Support Growth of Canadian Property Tax Practice.

DALLAS, Aug. 3 /CNW/ -- Ryan, the leading tax services firm in North America, with the largest transaction tax practice in the United States and Canada, today announced that Mr. Ken Shaw has joined the Firm as a Principal to support the continued growth of the Canadian Property Tax practice. Mr. Shaw will be located in the Firm's rapidly expanding Calgary, Alberta office.

Mr. Shaw specializes in property tax consulting for major industrial resource-based manufacturing facilities, processing facilities, and centrally assessed properties. Over the past 25 years, he has been recognized as a leader in the assessment of machinery and equipment intensive properties in western Canada with specific expertise in the province of Alberta. Over the past decade, Mr. Shaw has focused on the valuation of multi-billion dollar oil sands facilities located in northern Alberta, representing many of Canada's largest producers. He has also been involved in numerous property tax appeals as both an advocate and expert witness.

Prior to joining Ryan, Mr. Shaw served as the Director of Major Industrial Assessments for the province of Alberta and held a number of senior level executive positions with several major tax consulting firms in western Canada. Mr. Shaw is an Accredited Municipal Assessor of Alberta (AMAA) and a member of the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) as well as the Canadian Property Tax Association (CPTA). He was Chairman of the Alberta Assessors' Association Discipline Committee and has served on multiple professional associations and industry and government committees, including the CPTA Government Liaison Committee and the Oil Sands RIWG Property Taxation Committee.

"I am excited to join Ryan's team of premier tax professionals who are recognized industry-wide for their world-class client service and technical acumen," said Mr. Shaw. "I look forward to leveraging my specialized expertise to support Ryan's portfolio of premier clients while contributing to the continued growth of our Canadian Property Tax practice."

"Our clients will benefit tremendously from Ken's in-depth property tax experience and our growing presence across Canada," said Brendan F. Moore, CEO and Managing Principal of Ryan Property Tax Services ULC. "I'm excited to have his steady leadership helping drive the aggressive growth of our Canadian Property Tax practice, as well as our continued geographic expansion across Canada."

About Ryan

Ryan is the leading tax services firm in North America, with the largest transaction tax practice in the United States and Canada. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides a comprehensive range of state, local, federal, and international tax advisory and consulting services on a multi-jurisdictional basis, including audit defense, tax recovery, credits and incentives, tax process improvement and automation, tax appeals, and strategic planning. With a multi-disciplinary team of more than 850 professionals and associates, Ryan serves many of the world's most prominent Fortune 1000 companies.

For further information: Brendan F. Moore, CEO and Managing Principal of Ryan Property Tax Services ULC, [phone], [e-mail]