believe it is all rooted in value, and I am a big believer in creating value. People will pay for that value in a fair and reasonable manner."

Roy Banks doesn't just talk that talk, he walks it. As General Manager and Executive Vice President of Authorize.Net, this industry veteran has built a remarkable career on giving both his customers and co-workers quality of service. "I believe I am responsible for managing my career, and it is not anyone else's responsibility," he says. "It's all about making an effort to create the best value in myself so people want to do business with me and trust me as an employee. I made choices to get a range of value. Every experience I had involved some application of value."

According to Banks, one of the best and most valuable experiences of his life was his time spent in the Navy. "I learned so much there," says Banks. "It was a huge maturing ground for me. I learned about patriotism, loyalty, trust and procedure."

Banks joined the Navy after receiving his bachelor's degree in marketing in 1987. Perhaps that decision was inspired by his family background. Banks was born overseas in Holland to an African-American dad and a German mom. Banks' father was a 20-year Air Force veteran, and when Banks was 4 the family came back to the United States.

Like any military family that follows marching orders, they moved from Ohio to Arkansas, a brief stint in the Philippines, then Colorado before finally settling in Great Falls, Mont. After finishing high school there, Banks headed out to Utah Valley State College and then heard the calling of the high seas.

Though he majored in marketing in college, Banks found new inspiration in computers during his five years in the Navy. He received intensive training and became an expert in computer technology while swabbing decks.

Upon his return to civilian life, Banks moved to Utah and went to work for the leading developer of word-processor technology at that time, WordPerfect. He stayed there for two years before WordPerfect was acquired by Novell. After a brief post-acquisition period, Novell spun off that division and sold it to Corel. A few years later, Banks moved on.

His next employer was Modus Media International, a software manufacturing company whose big client was Microsoft. A year and a half later, Banks accepted a position as Director of Market Development with Power Quest. He was responsible for identifying new market opportunities for the company. It was 1998, and Banks made a personal identification as well that year.

"Throughout my career up 'til this time, I was mostly involved in software marketing and engineering," says Banks. "The Internet was starting to take shape, and I felt I was on the sidelines of that opportunity. I wasn't involved in e-commerce. Being a technologist at heart, I felt it was something I needed to get involved with. I got the opportunity through Authorize.Net."

When Banks made the leap to Authorize.Net, it was the smallest company he had ever worked for - it had less than 20 employees. "It was really scary for me," says Banks. "There was no bureaucracy, no one telling you how to take it from week to week. But it was the best thing I ever did. I found my entrepreneurial spirit while working for great people."

Shortly after his arrival, Authorize.Net was acquired by Go2Net, an Internet portal whose future depended on purchasing a payment gateway for its merchants. With a healthy business model, Go2Net purchased Authorize.Net, and all continued to be profitable.

While operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Go2Net, Authorize.Net then found itself with a new parent company. In October 2000, InfoSpace acquired Go2Net. According to Banks, it was a great acquisitional opportunity for Authorize.Net.

"I think InfoSpace had more payment experience and a staff that understood the industry," says Banks. "They were dedicated to continual growth and investment in the payment initiative."

It also was a great time for Banks as well. Starting his tenure in business development, Banks quickly moved up to Executive Vice President and finally General Manager. As Banks says, "They were appreciative of my contributions and ability."

It all comes back to Banks' business philosophy, based on value and Authorize.Net recognizing that value in him.

"There is a partnership between customer and vendor because both recognize value in each other," says Banks. "The value is in an equal exchange and benefit. If it's unequal, there is a problem. If it's equal, there's a partnership that will last.

"We have merchants that are with us a long time because they recognize the value. Of course you want to make money, but that is a byproduct. It's hard to earn money if you are not creating value."

It's clear that Banks' value is also found in his leadership abilities. What makes a good leader? Banks' response: "A good leader is someone with integrity who does what he says and says what he does."

For Banks, it's also about empowerment. "I hire people and believe in a division of labor," he says. "I hire someone to do a specific job, a job that quite possibly I cannot do. By empowering them, I allow them to utilize their assets and get the job done. It makes them feel good about themselves and brings about trust. I have great people. I have a great team."

How does Banks routinely treat that team? "I treat them first with respect, but I also think people recognize I treat them as equals," says Banks, who is married and has five children. "I don't try to walk around with a sign that says I am the manager. I want them to feel comfortable about our relationship. They respect my position but also the environment we all work in. One thing I do very well is separate when I need to be a manager and when I need to be a friend. That makes my team feel comfortable about wanting to work here."

In an industry where accomplishments are usually measured in dollars and cents, Banks measures his success in the less obvious.

"I take the most pride in providing gainful employment to wonderful people," he says. "It sounds philanthropic, but I love to come every day to an organization that is full of people making value, people who love coming to work, people providing for their families and creating value. That's an awesome thing to see."

Banks continues, "I love to be a part of a profitable business at a time where a lot of businesses are failing - profitable not necessarily through my personal efforts but through a great business model. We are the custodians of this model, and it is a great accomplishment to keep it going."

What does Banks see as his biggest mistake? "Not getting into the Internet earlier on in its infancy," he says. "It's not necessarily because of the money but rather the opportunity. It opened up so many new doors for innovation, creativity and solution development. I am an entrepreneur but was forced to live an entrepreneur's life within the walls of a number of corporations. I wish I had jumped into the game earlier."

Like any smart entrepreneur, Banks took that lesson and turned it around to his advantage. "Now I look at all new technology in a different light," says Banks. "I try to be an early adopter to what's coming up and translate it into value."

The other invaluable lesson: his Navy career. "As draconian as this may sound, I wish military was compulsory for everyone getting out of school, and I'm a Democrat! I took the best the Navy had to offer," he says with a smile. Banks credits the Navy for helping him navigate his life toward productivity and maturity.

As for what he's navigating through today, Banks says the biggest challenge facing the industry is keeping up with technology.

"It is the pace of technology," says Banks. "Payment processing is ubiquitous. The ability to accept payment has transformed the industry from traditional devices to devices that historically never would have even been considered. Now even a watch can take a payment.

"It's the pace that we all are going to struggle with. And with all the new methods and devices being delivered, we're going to run into situations of standards issues and fraud issues. You can just see the tools and technology available are going to be hard to manage. We need to get on top of these before they get out from under us."

How will Banks stay on top of it? "The challenge for me is to keep up with the technology and learn it," says Banks. "I have to learn exactly what all the new operating systems are, new protocols, new devices. I have to understand all that, and it is a difficult thing. I have to know it well enough to know how it applies to my products, my business, my competitors and if they are using it as well. It's not just understanding the chain, it's understanding the points along that chain."

Banks' plans for his future involve the continued commitment to creating value in his chosen industry as well as his continued commitment to Authorize.Net ... with a vision in the distance.

"I am very happy at Authorize.Net," says Banks. "I love my job. I would like someday to take my entrepreneurial desires and create my own business value. When the time is right, Roy will go out and create value that people just can't refuse. I'll then be able to employ legions of people and give them gainful employment."