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Stefanie “Stevie” Westphal Lucas '85, her brother, Jeffrey Westphal, and sister, Amanda Radcliffe, have taken over the helm of Vertex, Inc., the business started by their parents in 1974. Vertex develops and markets software that allows businesses to automate state and local tax administration processes. She is board chairman, her brother is president and CEO, and her sister is a member of the board.
The company originally offered two products: a book of all sales tax rates in the country and a data file for mainframes with the same information. “In the 1990s, the emphasis was no longer on the sales tax information,” says Lucas. “Now our software takes care of everything companies need to do with the information.” More than 80 percent of the 2,000 largest companies in the United States use the software to ensure compliance with the tangle of state and local tax regulations. Lucas is proud of the family-friendly culture of Vertex, which encourages a healthy balance between work and family life. “We have a ton of married couples who flex their time so one parent can see the kids off to school, and the other can be with them later,” she says. The new Chester County, Pa., headquarters has a day care center.
Vertex recently took first place in the “Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania” large company category and was named “Best Company for Working Parents” in its size range by Delaware Valley Child Care Council.
Lucas, an A.B. engineering and economics graduate, is married to Tim Lucas '83.
Stefanie “Stevie” Westphal Lucas ’85