Avalara has scheduled a conference, its first-ever, for May 10 and 11 in New Orleans, La. Since this publication announced the show in early December, this is just for those who might have missed that news. Called Crush 2016, the conference features training session, educational programs and of course CPE will be available for said events. Material covered will include VAT (value added tax) and landed cost tariffs; fuel and other excise taxes; exemption certificate,1099, W-9, and other tax document management; and tax returns processing and remittance.

A quick sample of reseller sentiment about the exit of chief revenue officer Richard Spring from Sage after nine months was what I thought it might be: Spring won over resellers and they hope the improved status of VARs and better relationships with Sage is sustained. Clark Haley, CEO of BCS/ProSoft, had this to say: "I felt that he appreciated the value that the reseller community brings to Sage and rather than blaming us for their falling market share, he was working to put programs in place that would benefit us and help Sage.

Former Great Plains CEO Doug Burgum is seeking the Republican nomination to be governor of North Dakota. News wire stores say Burgum does not expect to win the endorsement from the party at the GOP convention, but will run in the Republican primary in June. New reports also say Burgum has criticized the state's GOP legislature on social issues. That includes its failure to pass legislation to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and that he has spoken about the importance of equal rights, inclusion and tolerance of others.