Vertex History

From our humble beginnings supplying tax reference manuals in 1978 to our latest web-based innovations with Vertex® O Series® for indirect tax and Vertex® Provision Global Tax Office™ (GTO) for direct tax, Vertex has spent 30 years evolving tax process automation.

1978	Ray Westphal purchases Vertex, a rate directory business, from Sorbus. Vertex opens shop in rented space in the ANRO building in Wayne, Pennsylvania - just outside of Philadelphia. Antoinette Westphal joins Vertex as its first employee.
1982	Products include Sales Tax Magnetic Tape Service Rate Directory, Rate File, Reporter Programs, National Property Tax manuals, and the GeoCode list.
1987	Vertex rolls out its National Sales Tax manuals, which include all general jurisdiction and products rules and regulations. Vertex moves into Cassford Corporate Center in Berwyn.
1988	Three Westphal children – Stefanie, Jeff, and Amanda join the business. Vertex employs 20 people.
1989	PC-based returns preparation systems, Sales Tax PC Returns and Sales Tax Exemption manager, are introduced; core tax areas in place. Vertex changes its name to Vertex Inc.
1990	Vertex shifts to partnering relationships with Big 6 consulting and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) companies. Companies begin to change the way they buy and use software, modifying it to interact with specific information systems, hosted on a mainframe or mini-computer. All three Westphal children are now on the Board of Directors.
1995	Microsoft Windows interface begins to dominate. Vertex introduces Quantum Sales and Use Tax family of products – Quantum for Sales and Use Tax, Quantum Returns, Quantum for Property Tax, and Quantum for Payroll Tax.
1996	Jeff Westphal succeeds his father Ray as President of Vertex Inc. and utilizes the Corporate Leadership Team, his executive management group, for business growth, customer intimacy, and operational excellence initiatives.
1999	Opportunity to provide standard interface between Vertex products and ERP systems is realized with the emergence of packaged ERP software systems; 70% of all new sales revenue result of ERP-interface channels.
2000	Vertex begins to offer customers the opportunity to download monthly data files from its web site vertexinc.com. Business Case for O Series, a web-based product, introduced.
2001	After 23 years of service, Ray and Antoinette Westphal retire. Jeff Westphal becomes President and CEO of Vertex Inc.
2001	Vertex named as Best Place to Work in Pennsylvania in the large-sized company category.
2003	Vertex purchases Andersen Income Tax Software Group - the Arthur Andersen Tax Technology Enterprise; 197 new employees are offered employment contracts. Vertex undergoes major rebranding effort and tagline becomes, "Welcome to a world where taxation meets innovation." O Series unveiled at Vertex Exchange represents a dramatic new architecture that provides tax and IT professionals unprecedented flexibility, automation and efficiency for processing sales, consumer use and value added tax (VAT). VOS (Vertex Operating System), integrating culture, business processes, information management, structures and roles, introduced as the way work will be accomplished at Vertex.
2004	Oracle application project goes live at Vertex, upgrading and unifying Vertex systems. Advent of Sarbanes-Oxley creates significant changes in tax industry.
2005	O Series begins to gain traction in the market and by year's end, 100 customers are in various stages of implementation.
2006	U.S. Companies with assets of $50 million or more that file 250 or more tax returns, are required to file tax returns electronically – Sarasota implements e-file - Income Tax – Domestic and Income Tax – International.
2007	Vertex opens first International office in London, United Kingdom to augment sales, consulting services and product support of Vertex® Value Added Tax O Series® for international customers. The office operates under the name Vertex Global Tax Solutions Ltd. and functions as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vertex Inc. The opening of Vertex’s European headquarters is concurrent with the launch of Vertex® Value Added Tax O Series® in Europe. Aimed at tax professionals in multinational organizations, the web services architecture solution enables centralized tax management and significantly reduces the complexity and cost of VAT record-keeping and compliance.
2008	Vertex acquires Levyti Consulting LLC's Global Tax Office (GTO) tax accounting system. Returns Processing Center opens in Chicago. First Exchange Europe held in Brussels, Belgium and over 50 global indirect taxation clients and partners attend.
2010	Vertex establishes Brazilian operations, Vertex Global Solutions Brasil Ltda.