Click here for Part I & Part II

Establishing a collaborative, inclusive standard for corporate tax guidance

Jeff Westphal is currently the CEO of Vertex. Founded in 1978, Vertex is a leading provider of corporate tax software and tax services. The company is known for its unique organizational philosophy, which prizes integrity, diversity, excellence, and personal growth. With offices located around the world, Vertex currently employs over 850 professionals and serves over 10,000 clients, including global industry leaders such as Starbucks, Honda Motor Company, SAP, and Verizon Wireless. Jeff has been with the company since 1988. In 2001, the same year he was named CEO, Vertex was named "The Best Place to Work in Pennsylvania.” In addition to his work at Vertex, Jeff serves on the boards of multiple area nonprofits. He and his wife are also the founders of Kyle's Treehouse, a web-based resource for families raising children with autism spectrum disorder.

EDWIN WARFIELD: Can you tell us about some of the nonprofit organizations you work with? What about the YPO?

JEFF WESTPHAL: YPO—the Young Presidents’ Organization—is the world’s leading association of young business leaders. Of course, when I joined 15 years ago I was a young president—I was 40 years old. Now I’m no longer young, so we have a new division called YPO Gold—which of course, my kids are like, “Why not just call it ‘YPO Old,’ Dad?”

In any event, it’s 20,000 entrepreneurs of mid-sized corporations who come together to advance our leadership capability and to network with each other, to support, you know, our effectiveness as leaders. And that’s not just to make more money—it’s to help us grow as people and in service to the organizations that we lead, the people that we lead, the economies, and the clients that we serve. There are members from every corner of the world. I’ve met CEOs who operate within dictatorships, I’ve met CEOs who operate within kingdoms, I’ve met CEOs who operate within every kind of governmental structure you could imagine. People who are involved with the food chain, people who are involved with defense contracting, people who are involved with fashion—you name it: it’s across industry and it’s typically highly innovative risk takers who are filling gaps that the big corporations can’t fill on their own.

It’s a fascinating group of people, it’s a diverse group of people, and it’s a passionate group of people. These are people who are on the frontlines, a lot of self-made people, or, like myself, second-generation family business leaders who feel an enormous obligation because of our good fortune to do the right thing by the employee, by the client, and by our families. It’s an enormous resource for its members because it’s lonely in the sea and it’s really great to have a group of friends who know what it’s like and who can rely on each other.

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn

ABOUT OFFIT KURMAN

Offit Kurman is one of the fastest-growing, full-service law firms in the Mid-Atlantic region. With over 120 attorneys offering a comprehensive range of services in virtually every legal category, the firm is well positioned to meet the needs of dynamic businesses and the people who own and operate them. Our eight offices serve individual and corporate clients in the Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Northern Virginia markets, as well as the Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City metropolitan areas. At Offit Kurman, we are our clients’ most trusted legal advisors, professionals who help maximize and protect business value and personal wealth. In every interaction, we consistently maintain our clients’ confidence by remaining focused on furthering their objectives and achieving their goals in an efficient manner. Trust, knowledge, confidence—in a partner, that’s perfect.

You can connect with Offit Kurman via our Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn pages. You can also sign up to receive Law Matters, Offit Kurman’s monthly newsletter covering a diverse selection of legal and corporate thought leadership content.

MARYLAND | PENNSYLVANIA | VIRGINIA | NEW JERSEY | NEW YORK | DELAWARE | WASHINGTON, DC

Edwin Warfield, CEO of citybizlist, conducts the CEO Interviews.

If you're interested in reaching CEOs, please contact edwin.warfield@citybuzz.co

Connect on LinkedIn