MarksNelson Names Two New Partners

Overland Park, Kansas (Feb. 17, 2026) — MarksNelson, a Springline company, announced two of its tenured employees – Scott Bruce and Steve Etcher – have been named as the firm’s newest partners.

Joining the company in 2014, Scott Bruce has been promoted to partner in the Tax department, where he will continue supporting the growth of MarksNelson’s construction niche, along with supporting department leadership and developing team members. As partner, he said he’ll have a greater voice in strategic decisions, team building, and project evaluation, and he’s looking forward to growing his leadership role.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to expand my relationships not only within MarksNelson but across the other Springline offices,” Bruce said. “There is tremendous opportunity to leverage the knowledge and expertise of others in order to build efficiencies and deliver even better service to our clients.”

As an experienced leader, Bruce has spent a considerable amount of his career developing others, and he has a passion for client service and creating opportunities for the next generation. He said the firm’s supportive culture has prepared him well for this new role.

“I appreciate the camaraderie, relationships, and trust that individuals across the firm have for one another,” he said. “The partners truly care about the development and success of others. I value the investment the partners before me have put into my personal growth, and I intend to pay it forward.”

Etcher also brings extensive experience to his new role as partner in the Location Strategies department, with more than 37 years in community and economic development and more than a decade with MarksNelson. His new role will allow him to engage in leadership of the combined efforts of the Location Strategies team and the State and Local Tax (SALT) practice to provide comprehensive services – including site selection, economic development, credits, and incentives – to clients across the nation as one unified team.

Under Etcher’s leadership, the practice has experienced significant growth, which presents an opportunity to align his team’s expertise with other specialties within MarksNelson and with other Springline offices, delivering an even higher level of service as they grow the practice nationally.

“The alignment with Springline will provide great opportunities for our practice to be exposed to new regions, new clients, and new practice areas that will enable us to provide advisory services on a much larger scale,” Etcher said.

He said he’s appreciative of the opportunity he’s found at MarksNelson and looks forward to growing the practice while developing younger team members to continue the legacy.

“Everyone is challenged to grow, pursue their passions, become part of something bigger than themselves,” he said. “The MarksNelson family has been incredibly welcoming since I joined and always eager to understand what our practice is working on and to explore ways to support our efforts.”

Managing Partner Josh Beck said he’s enthusiastic about the caliber of talent and experience both Etcher and Bruce bring to the partner group:

“Both Scott and Steve have been invaluable contributors to our significant growth in recent years, and their new positions give us further potential to serve even more clients in more profound ways,” he said. “They’re both incredibly deserving of this, and I’m excited to watch them embrace these new roles.”

About MarksNelson Advisory, a Springline Company

With more than 120 team members and over 20 partners, MarksNelson Advisory is an accounting and advisory industry leader based in the Kansas City region with extensive experience in the insurance, real estate, manufacturing and distribution, and construction industries throughout the U.S. MarksNelson Advisory is part of Springline Advisory, joining forces with other premier, regional mid-market firms focused on transforming the middle market accounting and advisory industry. Learn more at mnadvisors.com.