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The very point of sale the recent FiServ-First Data and FIS-Worldpay
mergers, McHugh said he expects mergers
and acquisitions to continue, both internally
and industrywide. "TSYS has clear pillars in
mind for where we want to grow," he said.
"We want to be big and specialized, with great
Postcard from Transact 19 integration of legacy systems and fewer, better
gateways."

By Dale S. Laszig Great integrations
DSL Direct LLC One example of a legacy brand that keeps rein-
venting itself is NCR Corp. In 1884, the compa-
he Electronic Transactions Association's annual conference, ny introduced cash registers, which gradually
Transact 19, was a networking, deal-making show. Keynote evolved into high-end integrated POS systems.
moderator Dierdre Cohen, senior vice president and head Then it launched NCR Silver in 2017, a cloud-
T of acquisitions at Visa, interviewed TSYS executives Philip based solution designed to deliver a big-brand
McHugh and Henry Helgeson about the company's recent Cayan acqui- experience to small and midsize business
sition. They relived the fast-moving deal, illustrating that handshakes owners. The following year, NCR acquired Jet-
can happen anywhere, not just boardrooms, but also golf courses, res- Pay Corp. for $185 million, advancing its goal
taurants and bars. McHugh, TSYS senior vice president and president of creating an end-to-end POS ecosystem.
of merchant solutions, recalled writing numbers on a cocktail napkin
to close the deal. Helgeson, TSYS president of integrated solutions and On Transact's main stage, Brian Hurdis, NCR
former Cayan CEO, jokingly added, "We landed on a number that he general manager, payment services and Diane
had no authority to offer, and I had no authority to accept." Noting Faro, president, NCR payment services and
former JetPay CEO, discussed the transition
with moderator Chris Lee, CEO at BillingTree.
Faro stated that JetPay customers and the en-
tire payments value chain have much to gain
from the new partnership. Hurdis stressed
that NCR is focused on software, not just prod-
866.272.5247 | emsagent.com ucts. "What has been a surprise was figuring
out what payments means within NCR," he
said. "We understood what we had, and then
we needed to capitalize on what we bought."
Coolness factor

What I remember most about Transact 19 was
seeing so many of my favorite people. Indus-
try veterans who have known each other for
years almost speak in code. Remarkable occur-
rences from years past are reduced to one or
two words. It's like the old story of friends who
laugh at Number 42, without having to tell the
whole joke. A kind of joyful, unscripted chem-
istry rippled across exhibit hall stages, meet-
ing rooms, bars, restaurants and casino tables.
Beyond the presentations, exhibits and meet-
ings, the best part of the show was being to-
gether. As I made the rounds of meetings and
parties, I kept smiling at all the familiar faces.
Hopefully, business owners feel the same way
about merchant level salespeople: as cool, fun
friends who help them grow and scale.
866.272.5247 Dale S. Laszig, senior staff writer at The Green Sheet and

managing director at DSL Direct LLC, is a payments indus-
try journalist and content development specialist. She can
be reached at dale@dsldirectllc.com and on Twitter at
@DSLdirect.
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