About Us: Who We Are.
We are a consulting firm specializing in sales and use taxes. Our clients represent a broad range of industries and span from Fortune 50 corporations to middle-market companies.
By limiting our firm's scope to sales and use tax consulting, we are allowed to focus our energies on our core skills, resulting in top flight services for you.
Our leadership team has significant "Big 4" experience and our technology lead worked with one of the primary tax software providers developing ERP to tax engine connectors. We have the expertise and experience to help your company navigate tax issues and plan for the future.
By limiting our firm's scope to sales and use tax consulting, we are allowed to focus our energies on our core skills, resulting in top flight services for you.
Our leadership team has significant "Big 4" experience and our technology lead worked with one of the primary tax software providers developing ERP to tax engine connectors. We have the expertise and experience to help your company navigate tax issues and plan for the future.
Scott Billadeau - Principal
Scott has been a Principal with DSTax for four years. Before joining Definitive Solutions, Scott gained valuable experience as a Senior Manager with a "Big Four" firm and as the Midwest Regional Sales & Use Tax Leader for a national accounting firm. His expertise for the past several years has been focused on project management of sales and use tax solutions for Fortune 500 companies.
Sales & Use Tax Automation Experience Scott has extensive knowledge and experience in implementing sales and use tax automation solutions such as Vertex and Sabrix. He has implemented these solutions for multiple ERP and legacy accounts payable systems.
His sales and use tax automation expertise includes:
Sales & Use Tax Controversy and Consulting Experience:
In his 13 years of sales and use tax consulting experience, Scott has performed the following services for his clients:
Representative Clients
Daimler, Chrysler, United Technologies Corporation, Ameriprise, Molex, Inc.Nestle, USAPNC, Archer Daniels Midland, Co.ARRIS, Inc.InfoPrint/IBM
Education
Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind
Professional Affiliations
Institute for Professionals in Taxation
Project Management Institute
Sales & Use Tax Automation Experience Scott has extensive knowledge and experience in implementing sales and use tax automation solutions such as Vertex and Sabrix. He has implemented these solutions for multiple ERP and legacy accounts payable systems.
His sales and use tax automation expertise includes:
- Conducting systems design, development oversight, and testing to ensure that the appropriate source system feeds and data elements are being captured to make the most accurate taxability decisions.
- Developing and conducting training, change management communications and steady-state support procedures in order for the client to efficiently and effectively maintain the final solution post-implementation.
- Scott has also developed an efficient approach to the researching and maintaining of the vast amount of sales and use tax rules that apply across different states while minimizing the ongoing maintenance requirements - without compromising the overall accuracy of the taxability decisions.
Sales & Use Tax Controversy and Consulting Experience:
In his 13 years of sales and use tax consulting experience, Scott has performed the following services for his clients:
- Conducting refund analysis projects resulting in material tax savings.
- Managing state Managed Compliance Agreement engagements and audit mitigation.
- Assist companies in tax restructuring strategies, such as a centralize Procurement Company.
- Negotiating voluntary disclosure agreements on behalf of clients to bring them up to compliance.
- Preparing tax decision matrices for clients to assist them in making the proper taxability determinations for both their sales and purchases.
Representative Clients
Daimler, Chrysler, United Technologies Corporation, Ameriprise, Molex, Inc.Nestle, USAPNC, Archer Daniels Midland, Co.ARRIS, Inc.InfoPrint/IBM
Education
Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind
Professional Affiliations
Institute for Professionals in Taxation
Project Management Institute
Chris Pounds - Principal
Chris' primary responsibilities consist of applying his sales and use tax expertise in the development of our clients' functional design, system configuration and user acceptance testing. Before joining DSTax, Chris gained valuable experience at a "Big Four" firm in both their Tax Management Solutions practice and as a manager in their State & Local Tax practice.
Sales & Use Tax Automation Experience:
As part of DSTax automation team, Chris has significant experience with:
As a member of a "Big Four" SALT team, Chris has performed the following services for his clients:
Chris has extensive knowledge and experience preparing sales and use tax returns across all U.S. taxing jurisdictions covering a wide range of industries. This experience has exposed Chris to the front line requirements that taxpayers face.
Representative Clients
United Technologies, ARRIS, Inc. Ameriprise, Archer Daniels Midland Co, CarMax, PNC, World's Finest Chocolate, LG USA, Molex, Zenith Electronics, Chrysler
Education and Affiliations
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Illinois
Professional Affiliations:
Institute for Professionals in Taxation
Sales & Use Tax Automation Experience:
As part of DSTax automation team, Chris has significant experience with:
- Working with operational and finance teams to understand his clients' business and unique requirements.
- Developing functional designs that address both his clients' stated requirements as well as needs that they had not previously identified.
- Creating user acceptance test cases that test every aspect of a configuration's functional design and working with his clients' personnel to successfully resolve each case.
As a member of a "Big Four" SALT team, Chris has performed the following services for his clients:
- Conducting refund analysis projects resulting in material tax savings.
- Representing clients in front of state sales and use tax auditors from multiple jurisdictions.
- Negotiating voluntary disclosure agreements on behalf of clients to bring them up to compliance.
- Preparing tax decision matrices for clients to assist them in making the proper taxability determinations for both their sales and purchases.
Chris has extensive knowledge and experience preparing sales and use tax returns across all U.S. taxing jurisdictions covering a wide range of industries. This experience has exposed Chris to the front line requirements that taxpayers face.
Representative Clients
United Technologies, ARRIS, Inc. Ameriprise, Archer Daniels Midland Co, CarMax, PNC, World's Finest Chocolate, LG USA, Molex, Zenith Electronics, Chrysler
Education and Affiliations
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Illinois
Professional Affiliations:
Institute for Professionals in Taxation
Bob Rogers - Tax Manager
Before joining DSTax, Bob was a Sales & Use Tax Manager at some of the country's largest corporations. He has experience dealing with manufacturing, retail and construction sales & use tax issues. His primary focus over the past several years has concentrated on audit defense.
Sales & Use Tax Experience: Bob has worked in the sales & use tax area for over sixteen years. While he spent most of his career as a Sales & Use Tax Manager at a Big Three automotive manufacturer, over the past couple of years he has gained valuable experience in the retail and home construction field. During his time spent with these companies, Bob has performed the following services:
As part of the DSTax automation team, Bob has experience in the following areas of automation:
Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Central Michigan University
Masters of Taxation from Walsh College
Sales & Use Tax Experience: Bob has worked in the sales & use tax area for over sixteen years. While he spent most of his career as a Sales & Use Tax Manager at a Big Three automotive manufacturer, over the past couple of years he has gained valuable experience in the retail and home construction field. During his time spent with these companies, Bob has performed the following services:
- Managed large complex sales & use tax audits.
- Performed refund analysis resulting in significant tax savings.
- Managed the sales & use tax compliance function for several legal entities that have multi-state filing responsibilities.
- Managed the re-engineering of the sales & use tax process of a Big Three automotive manufacturer.
- Assisted Purchasing and Accounts Payable departments with the development of procedures to help mitigate any sales & use tax risk and exposure.
As part of the DSTax automation team, Bob has experience in the following areas of automation:
- Assisting with the selection of the appropriate tax automation solution such as Taxware, Vertex and Sabrix based on the client's needs and expectations.
- Conducting reviews of client's systems to verify the solution is fed the correct source system's feeds, as well as, data elements in order to make a taxability decision.
- Assisting the client with the appropriate mapping of purchases to make sure the taxability decisions are correct.
- Developing test case scenarios that will verify the automation solution is set up properly and generating the expected taxability results.
Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Central Michigan University
Masters of Taxation from Walsh College
Forrest Guest - Technical Lead
Forrest's primary responsibilities are to support and extend our client's technical systems to incorporate the most recent advances in transaction tax automation. In addition, he is able to advise, design, and implement any sort of business process flow software to meet their needs. Mostly recently working for a financial consulting agency, he has experience in all aspects of the transaction tax automation field, from infrastructure planning, through implementation, configuration, and test of the tax engine, all the way to compliance and return filing.
Sales & Use Tax Automation Experience:
Forrest has helped build and implement transaction tax engines for over 10 years, notably working with and within the Taxware development team for the majority of that time. He has gained the insight and understanding to allow him to participate in any part of the implementation project, including:
Sales & Use Tax Compliance Experience
Forrest has implemented and supported many compliance and returns packages, from companies filing in a single state through clients with national and world-wide obligation. His understanding of the data flow and best practices allows him to streamline the configuration for any client.
Education and Affiliations
Bachelor of Science in Math and Computer Sciences from the Colorado School of Mines
Sales & Use Tax Automation Experience:
Forrest has helped build and implement transaction tax engines for over 10 years, notably working with and within the Taxware development team for the majority of that time. He has gained the insight and understanding to allow him to participate in any part of the implementation project, including:
- Working with operational and finance teams to understand his clients' business and unique requirements.
- Developing functional designs that address both his clients' stated requirements as well as needs that they had not previously identified.
- Discussing and advising on systems infrastructure to accomodate for any business' scale
- Customizing or configuring standard tax connectors or developing custom connectors
- Installing and configuring the tax engine to suit a client's business practices
- Creating user acceptance test cases that test every aspect of a configuration's functional design and working with his clients' personnel to successfully resolve each case.
- Go live and promotion support to assist with any issues during development, staging, or production rollovers
- Post go live support for any issues that may arise once the system is live
Sales & Use Tax Compliance Experience
Forrest has implemented and supported many compliance and returns packages, from companies filing in a single state through clients with national and world-wide obligation. His understanding of the data flow and best practices allows him to streamline the configuration for any client.
Education and Affiliations
Bachelor of Science in Math and Computer Sciences from the Colorado School of Mines
Company Highlights
2011-09-01 - DSTax spins off from Definitive Solutions to establish its own firm.
2011-10-01 - DSTax become a certified implementation partner for Thomson Reuters' Sabrix Solution.
2011-10-01 - DSTax becomes a certified implementation partner for Taxware's TWE Solution.
2011-12-01 - Bob Rogers joins DSTax, establishing a strong Detroit presence and bringing valuable automotive, construction and retail experience to the firm.
2012-01-01 - DSTax becomes a certified partner for Vertex's indirect tax engine solutions.
2013-02-01 - Forrest Guest joins DSTax, establishing a Silicon Valley presence and bringing strong technical expertise to the firm.
2011-10-01 - DSTax become a certified implementation partner for Thomson Reuters' Sabrix Solution.
2011-10-01 - DSTax becomes a certified implementation partner for Taxware's TWE Solution.
2011-12-01 - Bob Rogers joins DSTax, establishing a strong Detroit presence and bringing valuable automotive, construction and retail experience to the firm.
2012-01-01 - DSTax becomes a certified partner for Vertex's indirect tax engine solutions.
2013-02-01 - Forrest Guest joins DSTax, establishing a Silicon Valley presence and bringing strong technical expertise to the firm.