Kennesaw, August 1, 2015 ― VJI President and CEO Valerie Jordan attended the 39th Annual IPT (Institute for Professionals in Taxation) Conference held on June 29 through July 1 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel. IPT is an educational association of corporations, firms, and taxpayers in the U.S. and Canada that educates, certifies, and establishes codes of conduct for state and local income, property, and sales and use tax professionals.

“The IPT conferences that I attend every year give me the opportunity to make new contacts, see old friends, and get inside tax strategies from some of the best professionals in the tax industry,” says Jordan. “The conference in San Diego once again delivered a great program that was inspirational and informative.”

The conference keynote speaker on June 30 was Kyle Maynard — author, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and ESPY Award-winning mixed martial arts athlete. “Kyle’s book, No Excuses, was the theme of his keynote presentation,” says Jordan. “Born without full arms and legs, his life story from childhood to crawling to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, was both touching and inspiring.”

Taking advantage of a wealth of tax information offered at the conference, Jordan focused on those sessions that would most benefit VJI’s many clients. “I went to a session concerning manufacturing exemptions in California and another one about how to resolve state tax disputes,” Jordan explains. “A notable session I attended was a panel discussion about sales and use tax issues specific to manufacturers in an array of states that was co-led by Mark Olson, domestic transaction tax director at Tesla Motors. For the benefit of our clients with facilities in Canada, I also went to a session to hear the latest news about Canadian GST/HST,” she adds.

“I had a great time at the San Diego conference and want to thank IPT for providing this annual educational opportunity,” says Jordan. “I will be more than happy to share what I learned at the conference with anyone who has U.S. manufacturing facilities or U.S. companies that do business in Canada. For more information on these topics or for any sales and use tax assistance, I can be reached at 678-269-7413 x100.”