Farewell to one of our own

Alan Gitles, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Landmark Merchant Solutions and a long-time payments industry veteran, passed away in December 2008 at the age of 52. He will be remembered fondly by the many people who had the pleasure of knowing him.

"With the passing of Alan Gitles, the industry has lost another of its innovators," said Paul H. Green, President and CEO of The Green Sheet Inc. "Alan came to the industry with a banking and legal background; he also created one of the first stand-alone ISO organizations in the industry.

"Alan's vision to build a business that could support both ISOs and employees and approve its own credit and handle everything internally, from underwriting to settlement, set the pattern for many others to follow. Alan was dry, but witty, very much his own person, and a loyal friend to those he respected. He will be greatly missed by me, and many in the industry who knew and understood him."

Travis Powers, Vice President of Partner and ISO Relations for CrossCheck Inc., noted that Alan was serious when it came to business, but he always made time to connect on a personal level. "He cared about the people he did business with," Powers said. "His first question was never, How's business? It was always a question about you and your family. Alan always knew how old my son was, and whenever I was in Chicago, he always had time for dinner."

Powers said one of Gitles' greatest strengths was his passion and advocacy for the payments industry. He spoke at several Midwest Acquirers Association conferences and always generously shared knowledge he gained from his professional experiences.

"As a business partner, Alan always challenged me to find new ways of doing business," Powers said. "He was intuitive, always asking, What's the next step? He was always trying to find new ways to make himself - and others - more successful."