Heartland Awards Partner of the Year to Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association

Heartland Payment Systems® Awards Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Inaugural “Partner of the Year” Distinction

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Heartland Payment Systems® (NYSE: HPY), one of the nation’s largest payments processors, has honored the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA) with its first-ever “Partner of the Year” award. Heartland initiated the award to recognize outstanding partnerships between Heartland and its more than 200 association partners.

“We look forward to our continued partnership with Heartland and its Florida team.”

“The FRLA is an exceptional partner and has been a critical component in helping our organization build longstanding relationships in the restaurant and lodging industries,” says Bob Carr, Heartland’s chairman and chief executive officer. “We are extremely grateful for our partnership and proud to serve FRLA members by advocating on their behalf, educating them about the costs and complexities of payments processing and providing best-in-class business tools and solutions.”

Jimmy Moore, Heartland’s Florida regional director, adds, “Relationship is the term I would use to describe our partnership with FRLA. We each take action toward the other’s collective successes and keep one another’s best interests in mind.”

Heartland has recruited over 750 members for the FRLA during the nine-year partnership. Likewise, the association has shared referrals and facilitated many events and networking opportunities to help Heartland deliver its full suite of business solutions — including card processing, gift marketing, payroll services and check management — to restaurants and lodging establishments across Florida.

Dan Murphy, vice president of corporate relations and membership at the FRLA, accepted the award and “Inspiration Point” — a Heartland-commissioned painting by artist Charles Pabst that was also presented to the New York Stock Exchange when Heartland went public in 2005.

“The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association is proud to accept the first-ever ‘Partner of the Year Award.’ FRLA’s joint venture with Heartland Payment Systems has proven to be a tremendous benefit to our hoteliers and restaurateurs in providing much needed business solutions in the competitive hospitality industry,” says Murphy. “We look forward to our continued partnership with Heartland and its Florida team.”

About Heartland Payment Systems

Heartland Payment Systems (NYSE: HPY), the 5th largest payments processor in the United States, delivers credit/debit/prepaid card processing, payroll, check management and payments solutions to more than 250,000 business locations nationwide. Heartland is the founding supporter of The Merchant Bill of Rights, a public advocacy initiative that educates merchants about fair credit and debit card processing practices. For more information, please visit HeartlandPaymentSystems.com, MerchantBillOfRights.org, CostOfABurger.com and E3secure.com.

About The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association

In existence since 1946, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association is Florida’s premier non-profit, hospitality industry trade association. FRLA safeguards the needs of the hospitality industry, improves the business climate, promotes the highest levels of quality and safety for our patrons, provides legislative advocacy, and eases navigation of government regulation. The Association represents and serves more than 10,000 independent and household name members, including theme parks and the largest casual theme restaurant company in the world. To learn more about the FRLA, visit FRLA.org or call 888.372.9119.