CEO/PRESIDENT: MICHAEL COLLESTER

• A graduate of Pennsylvania State University, Mr. Collester has over 20 years of experience in the Merchant Services Industry, 18 of which have been dedicated to the Agent/Referral bank niche.

• In 1989, Mr. Collester founded ACI Merchant Services, Inc., a merchant service provider dedicated exclusively to serving financial institutions. Under Mr. Collester’s leadership, ACI developed a proprietary bank reporting system and implemented a successful bank management and customer service model that enabled ACI to become recognized as the premier Agent/Referral Bank processing company in the United States.

• In 2000, ACI merged with Fifth Third Bank.  Mr. Collester served as Vice President of Fifth Third Merchant Solutions.  While at Fifth Third, he successfully launched and expanded the Agent/Referral Bank program nationally.

• Mr. Collester left Fifth Third Bank in late 2003 and formed ACI Merchant Systems, LLC in early 2004.  Bringing together all of the key personnel that made ACI Merchant Services a success previously, ACI Merchant Systems has the experience, knowledge and product set to empower its Agent/Referral Bank customers to succeed.  

COO/VP: CATHY SMITH

• Ms. Smith has over 21 years of experience in the Merchant Services Industry, 18 of which have been dedicated to the Agent/Referral Bank niche.

• As Vice-President of ACI Merchant Services, Inc from 1989 through 2000, Ms. Smith managed the Relationship Management, Data Entry and Customer Service operations for the Agent/Referral Bank product line.  

• Ms. Smith joined Fifth Third Bank in 2000, where she successfully implemented ACI’s unique Customer Service and Relationship Management philosophy on a national scale.

• In early 2004, Ms. Smith left Fifth Third Bank to rejoin Mr.Collester in the formation of ACI Merchant Systems, LLC.  

CIO/VP: JOSEPH ROSSI

• Mr. Rossi is a 1986 summa cum laude graduate of Drexel University in Computer Science.  From 1982 through 1988, Mr. Rossi worked for RCA Corporation in the GCS (Government Communication Systems) division.  Due to the nature of Mr. Rossi’s work, he obtained a federal security clearance and quickly advanced from an Associate Member of the Engineering Staff to a Member of the Engineering Staff (MES), and then to a Responsible Engineer (RE).

• In 1988, Mr. Rossi left RCA to form Eastec Software Systems.  As President, he successfully grew the corporation by developing software applications to meet the business needs of small to mid-size companies. Additionally, Eastec partnered with ACI Merchant Systems to provide computer based point of sale systems and to help develop and implement a successful Agent/Referral Bank database and reporting system.

• Eastec was acquired in 1998, after which Mr. Rossi began Abacus Software Systems, where his responsibilities included software development and management of the company’s operations.

• After a long and successful relationship with ACI Merchant Services, and then ACI Merchant Systems, Mr. Rossi joined ACI in 2006 where he is now responsible for software development and IT operations.