he pages of The Green Sheet have included several column series over the past 20-plus years. However, the most recognizable series to date has been "Street Smarts," hosted by Ed Freedman of Total Merchant Services.

During the Electronic Transactions Association's (ETA) 2003 Annual Meeting and Expo, Paul Green, Publisher of The Green Sheet, and I asked Ed to begin writing our newest column series titled "Street Smarts."

We envisioned that this new column would provide an ongoing dialog with merchant level salespeople (MLSs) about their day-to-day challenges and opportunities. We saw it as an opportunity to bridge the gap between our online and print readership by posting a specific conversation topic on GS Online's MLS Forum and then using the responses to build a column for the print magazine.

Ed has done a superlative job with this column during the past two years. He addressed an array of topics encompassing the breadth of this industry. And along the way, "Street Smarts" became the focal point of the Education section of The Green Sheet, an area of the publication where numerous industry experts contribute thousands of words.

We want to thank Ed for the tremendous amount of time and effort he dedicated to "Street Smarts." When he first agreed to write the column for every issue, we stressed that this would be an enormous undertaking.

Ed even called a few months after he began the column to say that he had greatly underestimated the amount of time and hard work required to write 1,600 words or more every two weeks. However, he agreed to stick with it, and we're very glad that he did.

As readers, your response to "Street Smarts" has been fabulous. Participants of the MLS Forum have shared their experiences and advice, humor and frustrations, and Ed has shaped these into 45 engaging and educational articles.

Since the inception of The Green Sheet, we have taken stands on issues confronting our industry, and Paul encouraged Ed to state his opinion on the issues that he discussed. In his columns, Ed gave advice based on personal experiences from selling on the street and managing a very successful ISO.

The Green Sheet thanks Ed for being willing to stick his neck out and state his opinions. His enthusiasm, dedication and talent have given "Street Smarts" the high-energy sizzle for which he is so well known, and he infused this column with his drive and humor.

Ed has done a terrific job and has created a solid foundation upon which the next hosts will build.

During his term hosting "Street Smarts," we think Ed accomplished all that we asked of him and more. However, it's time to pass this specific soap box on to another host.

Beginning in the April 11, 2005 issue of The Green Sheet, members of the National Association of Payment Professionals' (NAOPP) Board of Directors will sponsor the "Street Smarts" series.

The formula for "Street Smarts" will remain the same. Each NAOPP author will have a byline and will identify a specific topic of interest for MLSs. The topics will be posted to the MLS Forum for comment.

As always, we are interested in your opinion of The Green Sheet. We want to know what we can do better to make our publications more powerful, more useful to your business and more relevant to your career.

What topics would you like covered in "Street Smarts"? Send your comments, suggestions and questions to julie@greensheet.com .