Thursday, May 13, 2010

Industry Vet Watts Joins National Payment Card Association

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. -- Alternative payments, ACH decoupled debit leader National Payment Card Association said that it has brought sales specialist Elliott Watts on board as its first petroleum products manager. In this capacity, Watts will focus on midmarket sized convenience and petroleum retailers encompassing chains with anywhere from approximately 10 to 150 stores.



Watts brings 20 years experience in the petroleum and convenience store industry to the National Payment Card Association team. He previously worked for Mannatec Inc., a division of Fleetcor, where he was a sales manager, responsible for proprietary fleet card sales at the midmarketer level. During his tenure at Mannatec, the company realized unprecedented growth and became the leader in the proprietary card field. Specifically, Watts helped increase the customer base from 60 marketers to 625 over an 18-year period when Mannatec went from a 3% market share to a 25% share. Watts was the top salesman for 13 out of his 18 years with the company.



"My years at Mannatec, and prior to that at Roadway Express, put me in a unique position to help National Payment Card Association grow its midrange business and that's exactly what I intend to do," said Watts. "I have been impressed with National Payment Card Association's ability to stand as an independent and penetrate the market, and I believe I am joining the company at a time when its business is poised to take off."



"We are excited to have Elliott joining our team as he brings experience and contacts that few in the industry possess," said National Payment Card Association president and CEO Joe Randazza. "His proven track record will help boost our penetration in the midmarketer arena and get us to where we want to be ahead of schedule. We are fortunate to have him on board as an integral part of the team."



National Payment Card Association has been a leader in the decoupled debit sector and is recognized as one of the most progressive players in the alternative payments category. The National Payment Card Association PIN-based payment system processes transactions through the Federal Reserve Automated Clearing House (ACH) resulting in lower merchant interchange fees and a self-funded loyalty program that provides immediate savings to consumers. The merchant can use some of the savings to change customers' payment behavior by passing some of that savings along to them as a reward against the purchase of gasoline.



Based in Coconut Creek, Fla., National Payment Card Association is a marketer of ACH decoupled card-based payment systems. The company's primary product is a retailer branded debit card that does not use the Visa/Mastercard rails that provides consumers access to funds in their checking accounts so they can pay for goods or services. The ACH Decoupled Debit Card is not a credit or debit card that is linked through the national banking networks, but rather utilizes a user ID for consumer authentication and is processed through the National Payment Card Association network.

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