In addition, Smith will launch Pipeline Data Processing, the company's new Independent Sales Organization (ISO) division and will serve as its president. Smith's primary objective will be to aggressively grow the number of merchant accounts serviced. The division will target the wholesale processing industry on a greatly expanded scale by leveraging its operating efficiencies to reduce underlying costs and increase profit margins.

During his four year tenure at Concord EFS (recently acquired by First Data Corp.(NYSE:FDC)), Smith was responsible for the wholesale credit card processing division, which included both operations and sales. In that capacity, he brought net pretax revenues from $18 million to $30 million in a 24-month period. He also increased new monthly merchant application count from 1800 to 3750, and managed the portfolio from 75,000 to 115,000 merchant accounts.

MacAllister Smith, Pipeline's CEO, stated "We are very excited to welcome Kevin Smith to the Pipeline team. Smith's addition substantially expands the depth of management, and greatly enhances our operational capabilities. His arrival is a significant event in Pipeline Data's emergence as a leader in merchant payment processing."