The Green Sheet changes hands: COO & General Manager Kate Gillespie assumes ownership of industry-leading venue

Payments industry pioneer Paul H. Green has announced a change of ownership at The Green Sheet, the definitive source for information and inspiration in the merchant services arena. Effective July 1, 2014, Kate Gillespie, the company’s Chief Operating Officer and General Manager, will assume ownership and the titles of President and Chief Executive Officer of The Green Sheet Inc.

Green is largely regarded as the man who launched the first independent sales organization for credit card acquiring, when he started the company Unlimited Merchant Services Association (UMSA) in 1979, which eventually became American Marketing Corp. (AMCOR). He founded The Green Sheet in 1983 to help educate and inspire the “feet on the street” who sell credit card and other payment acquiring services to individual businesses. In the publication's earliest iterations, Green wrote and produced the newsletter himself. Today The Green Sheet is a multifaceted communications company, with a twice-monthly newsletter, special reports, provocative online discussion forums and an overall Web presence that attracts hundreds of thousands of unique visitors every year.

“My passion has always been to serve the professional and educational needs of ISOs and merchant level salespeople, the feet on the street who sell card acquiring and other payment services to merchants. That was why I started the newsletter,” Green said. “Merchant acquiring was a nascent industry at the time, but as it grew, both in size and importance, so did we. Today we are the most read publication in this industry. Due to Kate's efforts, it's hard to imagine a more important, relevant or newsier place to be for a magazine and digital news source than The Green Sheet."

Kate and Green have worked together for more than 16 years, through Cross Check Inc., ATM Safe LLC and then The Green Sheet. "Kate's low-key, yet highly effective management style has always impressed me," Green said. "Somehow she always seems to be able to keep her head when others, including myself were wringing their hands. She successfully navigated the company through one of the most tumultuous times in publishing history. Over the past several years, thousands of publications have been shuttered, while under Kate’s management The Green Sheet has continued to grow.”

“This is an exciting time to be in the merchant acquiring space, and I look forward to growing the company and our product set to meet the evolving needs of this important business sector,” Gillespie said. “Paul Green has been an inspiration to thousands of sales professionals, myself included. I’m honored and delighted to have this opportunity to assume ownership of this important industry resource that continues to bear his name.”

“Kate is an astute businessperson and well regarded by the folks in this business she interacts with on a daily basis. I have every confidence that The Green Sheet has a bright future under Kate’s continued direction,” Green said. The Green Sheet will continue to be headquartered at 5830 Commerce Blvd., Rohnert Park, CA 94928. Current staff will remain in place, ensuring a smooth transition to new ownership.

Editor's Note:

The Green Sheet Inc. is now a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals. Click here for more information.

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