A member of Xero's Advisory Council, Boomer said at the San Francisco event that he would do anything he could to help the company succeed in this country. In describing the Xero application, Boomer said, "This is something that is going to change the accounting profession in the United States."

The company has also been enlisting top firms, including Armanino. Another professional leader joining as a Xero partner is WithumSmith+Brown, represented by partner Jim Bourke.

Bourke's firm also carries Intacct, but he said that Xero represents a bigger potential market. His Red Bank, N.J.-based firm is working to persuade its QuickBooks clients to switch to Xero. Also present were David Cieslak and Bob Gaby, partners in the influential reselling firm, Arxis Technologies. Cieslak said his firm is considering Xero but has not made a decision.

Xero also selected Steve Chaney of Chaney & Associates of Roseville, Calif., as its Accounting Partner of the Year. Utah-based Lucid Books owned by Nicholas Bird, was chosen as Bookkeeping Partner of the Year.

Bob Scott

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Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards.  Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He  has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that.  A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind