A commitment to supporting its international client base has been a hallmark of the Atlanta-based accounting and business consulting firm Williams Benator & Libby LLP since the firm was started 25 years ago, according to partner Steven G. Horn.

Williams Benator & Libby, which has just renewed its sponsorship of the GlobalAtlanta news service, celebrates its silver anniversary in 2007 committed to expanding its international initiatives by making full use of its membership to the London-based Russell Bedford International network of independent CPA firms, Mr. Horn said in an interview.

He also said that the firm’s alliance with Trans Atlantic Consulting LLC, an international business consulting firm and referral source for European-based services, as well as its involvement with bi-national chambers of commerce in Atlanta have benefited its international outreach.

Mr. Horn traced Williams Benator & Libby’s international practice to when the founders moved from several of the larger CPA firms to form their own company.

He added that they have been credited with assisting some of the first European companies to establish U.S. subsidiaries in Atlanta such as Krupp AG and Hoesch AG, which eventually merged, and Deutz AG, among others.

Today, however, Williams Benator & Libby’s international reach goes far beyond Europe alone with clients from Asia, South America and elsewhere, he said, citing one of its Indian clients, Prabhat Industries LLC.

Prabhat manufactures rubber products serving a diverse clientele in the United States ranging from pipe manufacturers to the sprinkler and automotive industries. It uses facilities in Duluth to warehouse its products that are shipped throughout North and South America.

Mr. Horn also referred to the importance of the Internet in developing the firm’s international business, prompting it to be translated in Dutch, French, German and Spanish.

“No business tool contributed to our ability to service those international clients more than the Internet,” he said. “Some countries were slower to adopt its benefits than others, but since the 1990s, the Internet has brought us closer to our clients by opening up communication channels and expediting interaction between us.”

Mr. Horn also extolled Atlanta as a location for working with international firms praising its cost of living, climate, hospitality, educated workforce and green space to attract companies.

“And tax and business incentives for relocation to Georgia have improved,” he added. “Large multinational companies headquartered in the Southeast have also attracted small vendors who are perfect clients for Williams Benator & Libby.”

“We even get opportunities to do special projects such as tax accrual reviews, due diligence and tax returns for some of the large multinationals, working side-by-side with Big 4 firms, so we are well-positioned right here in our home state,” he added.