Business & Professional

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"We're evolving
our role from
behind-the-scenes
processor to
direct-to-consumer
product developer,
merchant and
marketer."

- Marc Gardner

Redefining 'Pay' Phone

Local firm brings competition to mobile payment market.

Hope Brown
Special to the Jewish News

A

t their onset, mobile phones
were designed as simply that,
devices to make phone calls.
Over their rapid evolution, they've gained
the capability to facilitate text messages,
snap photographs and manage e-mails.
Recently, with the ubiquitous adoption
of smartphones, users essentially have an
entire PC right in their pockets. And now,
thanks to the innovations of companies like
Troy-based North American Bancard and its
founder and CEO Marc Gardner, your mobile
device just became a cash register, too.
In January, North American Bancard
— a credit card payment processor —
launched Pay Anywhere, a free iPhone
application and card reader accessory
that allows users to process credit cards
on their mobile devices. Gardner, 43, has
long been an expert in the business of
plastic commerce, but the development of
a smartphone application and hardware
were new territory for him and his team.
"Our business is helping other busi-
nesses — small, large and everything in
between — reap the benefits of accept-
ing credit cards:' said Gardner. "However,
micro merchants, sole proprietors and
businesses operating outside of traditional

brick-and-mortar locations were being left
out of the mix.
"Over the last year or so, we saw a solu-
tion emerging as other companies began
entering the mobile payment space, but
as we evaluated their offerings, we con-
tinually found shortcomings',' Gardner
said. "Some had great technology but no
reliable security on the back-end; others
offered more reliability but seemed cost-
prohibitive.
"If we were frustrated by the compro-
mises, we knew consumers must have
been too, so we seized the opportunity to
solve the problem by developing our own
product."

What Works
Pay Anywhere (PayAnywhere.com), which is
designed in both usability and price struc-
ture to allow essentially anyone to accept a
credit card on their mobile device, is backed
by North American Bancard's nearly 20
years of credit card processing experience.
Gardner founded the company in 1992.
Currently, NAB and its team of 400-plus
full-time associates process more than $10
billion in electronic transactions annually
for more than 100,000 merchants nation-
wide. Sales are supported by an additional
corps of more than 3,000 independent
agents across the United States, and

recently NAB increased its hiring of tal-
ented software developers. A privately held
company, NAB has doubled its revenue
since 2007 to almost $300 million.
"Launching Pay Anywhere has caused
us to really shift our thinking. We're
evolving our role from behind-the-scenes
processor to direct-to-consumer product
developer, merchant and marketer:' said
Gardner. "It's been challenging and excit-
ing and we've learned a lot along the way,
but we've never strayed from the values
that have made us the success we are
today — a diehard belief in the power of
American business and entrepreneurship,
and an unrelenting commitment to the
highest standards of customer service
One individual who appreciates the
implications of NAB's new direction is
Elliot Soloway, an Arthur F. Thurnau
Professor at the University of Michigan.
According to Soloway, "By using the latest
mobile technologies in a new way, North
American Bancard is revolutionizing and
democratizing the payment industry:'
In October, NAB partnered with Dr.
Soloway and U-M's computer science
engineering division to support the "48-
Hour Mobile Apps Hackathon." The event
was designed to challenge undergradu-
ate students to create an original mobile
application within a 48-hour timeframe.

Opportunity For All
Gardner, a University of Wisconsin grad
with a degree in economics, is passion-
ate about helping American businesses
prosper, especially since he has been so
fortunate in his own endeavors. Prior to
founding NAB, Gardner gained experience
in the bankcard business through a sum-
mer position at one of the country's first
independent sales organizations.
Years later, with the help of an industry
consultant, he ventured out on his own to
open the doors of NAB. In 2008, Ernst &
Young named Gardner Entrepreneur of the
Year for the Central Great Lakes Region.
Dr. Soloway said, "Marc is not only a con-
summate businessman, running a very suc-
cessful business, but he is also a visionary.
He creates tomorrow by his actions today:'
Gardner is equally committed to his
community. An avid supporter of the arts,
Gardner serves on the board of directors
at MOCAD (Museum of Contemporary
Art Detroit). He also provides philan-
thropic support to numerous organiza-
tions, including the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee, Friendship Circle,
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook, National
Centers for Missing and Exploited
Children, Detroit Public Television and the
Make-a-Wish Foundation.
"The success of NAB and our new
endeavor with Pay Anywhere are impor-
tant to me, of course said Gardner. "But
being able to translate that success into
opportunities for others is really the
reward:' Li

Hope Brown is a public relations specialist.

iN

March 10 • 2011

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