Michell Rodriguez.

• Position: Costco corporate tax director - Interview

For many people, Costco is their favorite store. For Michell Rodriguez, it's her favorite (and current) employer, and she appreciates working there as much as if not more than customers enjoy shopping there.

Here's how Rodriguez, director of corporate tax, describes working at Costco: "I work for and with really great people. My direct boss I have had for the fifteen years I have been here has been a mentor to me and taught me a lot. We have had spirited technical disagreements, and that is the enjoyable part--that we can disagree in a friendly way. I also have some pretty great staff, and it is fun to be more in the teaching role now."

In addition, Rodriguez notes, she has had the opportunity to work in all areas of income tax--starting in international tax and then moving to the domestic side and now having responsibility for all of income tax. "This includes compliance, audits, provision, planning. Really, all facets of income tax. This has allowed me to really get to know the company I work for and to keep me engaged and interested over the years. A couple of years ago I was also given responsibility for property tax and unclaimed property as well, so that keeps me learning," she explains.

While in college, Rodriguez decided that tax was a lot more interesting than accounting and began to focus on tax for her master's degree. She has never looked back.

Today, she is particularly interested in tax reform, as well as state and local tax issues. "State laws are continually changing, and no two states are alike, so it keeps me on my toes. It's complex and nuanced, and there are a lot of gray areas," she notes.

From a general perspective, she says, the issue of how states and their auditors interpret their respective state tax laws is problematic and often frustrating. "There are a few states, which I won't name, that interpret the law in the way that is most profitable to them," she explains.

The Repricing Issue

Rodriguez's greatest accomplishment: "About ten years ago Costco Wholesale had to reprice multiple years of stock option grants, because there was imprecision with the appropriate measurement dates for certain grants. Working with financial reporting I helped compute the correct amount per option and reviewed their calculations for reasonableness. This required many multiple iterations of calculations. There were many complex GAAP and tax issues with respect to repricing adjustments and calculating the correct 'payback' amount for...