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CoverStory

Tod Kellen financing options along with access
Riverside Payments to multiple providers. This has been
my primary focus and a key driver
1. I had the not-so-enjoyable process of transitioning jobs in 2020 right as CO- for the owner of Riverside.
VID-19 was really starting up. It was a difficult journey, as many employers/
businesses didn't know what 2020 was going to look like and started drawing 4. 2021 will be about working with the
back. I found that perseverance was a key component to continuing to move right partners. Merchants, and there-
forward. fore the payments space, have had to
adjust throughout 2020. Partners that
After signing on with Riverside, perseverance continued to drive my journey have been able to adjust accordingly
in 2020. We were bringing up a new program and trying to put all the key will be key for professionals in this
components together. Navigating things like on-site travel to the office in Van- space. Being able to provide multiple
couver from Omaha during a pandemic was just one of the things we needed payment and delivery alternatives,
to work around in order to have the in-person meetings necessary. So far, we being able to have access to capital
have been able to build all of the groundwork needed to really jump into the that was not there in the past—these
sub-ISO market in 2021. are the keys to being able to recover
and then thrive in 2021. The pay-
2. I feel like, as many others in the payment space may have, that I was fo- ments space is poised for a rebound,
cused on the wrong things initially in 2020. I didn't see the impact this pan- then a breakout as we are able to get
demic would have initially. I also felt, personally, that maybe 2020 was time for control of the pandemic and reopen
a change in what I was doing. I found that I needed to rely on my strengths to the economy. The ability to adapt to
get through 2020 and build on the relationships already in place. the new faces of payments and mer-
chant needs will drive a surge in our
3. For 2021, Riverside is ready to go all-in to the sub-ISO market. We have ag- space.
gressive marketing plans and will offer a best-in-class program. We have built
out our service and operations teams to be able to provide for all the new cli- Jeff Shavitz
ents we bring on and have spent the last five months taking the program on a Toolbox Payment
test drive. We have built some strong partnerships that will provide alternate
I am excited on all fronts to move
into 2021—both personally and pro-
fessionally. We learn, reflect, and
grow from the challenges faced in
2020. Thinking back to mid-March,
I remember preparing to present a
formal credit card presentation to
a $100,000 million business to earn
their processing account—and, it was
called off that morning due to the vi-
rus and employees being nervous to
gather together in a boardroom.

I vividly remember thinking to my-
self, "No meeting because of the vi-
rus?" I was still at the infancy of un-
derstanding the significant ramifica-
tions of the pandemic. Here is how
things have changed since March and
some reflections that come to mind
(in no order of importance):

1. Working virtually from your
home office: For the past 30 years, I
have gone to my physical office and
really enjoyed the change of atmo-
sphere from my house to my work en-
vironment. I never thought working
from home could work for me, our
employees and our agents. However,
it has worked, as we have all adapted
to the new normal. Now, with a vac-
cine on the horizon, who knows what

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