GS contributor Jeff Fortney joins TouchSuite

Jeff Fortney, a well respected payments industry veteran and longtime contributor to The Green Sheet, was appointed senior vice president of business development and partnerships for TouchSuite LLC. The Boca Raton, Fla.-based fintech company provides POS systems, payment processing, SEO solutions, working capital and marketing services to small and midsize businesses.

"Jeff's extensive experience across multiple payment verticals as well as his involvement with industry thought leaders will be key as we focus on broadening our ties with strategic partners," said Sam Zietz, founder and CEO of TouchSuite. Fortney brings over 35 years industry experience to his new role, where he will focus on strengthening and developing corporate partnerships, and evaluating new business to drive strategic growth.

For Fortney, a key component in his decision to join TouchSuite was its fintech friendly approach, established well before the marketplace widely embraced the concept. "TouchSuite has a strong fintech background, both in finance and acquisition as well as in partnering with various POS solutions," Fortney said. "I am looking forward to leveraging all of these going forward."

He added that with the entrepreneurial spirit, desire to stay on the cutting edge of the market, the financial strength to aid the growth of their agent and ISO partners, TouchSuite was a very good fit for his philosophy and approach to the business.

Prior to joining TouchSuite, Fortney served for 12 years as vice president of ISO channel management for Clearent, and served as vice president of the National Association of Payment Professionals. Fortney has extensive experience in direct sales, indirect sales and portfolio management.

Fortney's role as educator

A contributing writer to The Green Sheet for the past 12 years, Fortney has penned a substantial body of work. As the author of the Street Smarts^SM column from 2012 to 2013 (see issues 12:04:01 to 13:03:02), Fortney covered a number of relevant subjects geared for payment professionals, whether just starting out or more experienced, delivering sage advice on everything from how to make the first call to lessons for a lifetime.

An excellent story teller, Fortney continues to write from personal experience in a way that connects with readers. In more recent issues he has focused on such topics as how the essential purpose of the POS still endures today, how to adapt to changes in the market, and how learning from loss can lead to future success.

"As you have read my articles over the past year+, I have been emphasizing the need to gain knowledge about cloud-based solutions, standalone POS, mobile, etc. as our merchant market has begun skewing younger, and even into the millennial arena -- where a box just doing credit cards is something they don't want," Fortney said. "They are used to touching a screen."

To read his past columns, visit www.greensheet.com, click on the Search function, List Bylines, then click on his name. To learn more about TouchSuite, visit www.touchsuite.com .

Editorial Note:

Whether you want to upgrade your POS offerings, find a payment gateway partner, bone up on fintech regs or PCI requirements, find an upcoming trade show, read about faster payments, or discover the latest innovations in merchant acquiring, The Green Sheet is the resource for you. Since 1983, we've helped empower and connect payments professionals, starting with the merchant level salespeople who bring tailored payment acceptance and digital commerce tools, along with a host of other business services to merchants across the globe. The Green Sheet Inc. is also a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals.

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