Meet Jordan Stewart, OrbitalPay’s vice president of sales.
Steve Bryson, OrbitalPay’s founder and president, promoted Stewart this past February to expand and restructure the company's sales and marketing team. Stewart previously helmed the role of assistant vice president of sales at parent company Global Electronic Technology Inc.
Success is a great feeling, but having success when you know how many other companies are out there working hard competing for that same success is an even better feeling.
Upon his promotion, Bryson called Stewart a “solid leader as well as a great guy.” He also gave the proverbial company keys to Stewart, and told him he was “being put in the driver’s seat” to navigate OrbitalPay to new horizons.
So far, so good. OrbitalPay is flying high and is looking to build on what it anticipates a great start to 2016.
XBIZ World recently sat down with Stewart to find out more about him and one of the leading processors serving the online adult space.
XBIZ: You’ve moved up the escalator at a brisk pace at OrbitalPay. Earlier this year you were elevated to the position of vice president. How did you get the gig?
Stewart: First of all, thank you so much for having me. XBIZ World’s Executive Seat feature has been graced by some incredible people in our industry, and it’s a privilege to be asked to participate.
I have moved up the ladder pretty quickly, it’s been an exciting few years for me. I actually started working for OrbitalPay’s parent company, Global Electronic Technology Inc., back in 2012 in a project management-type capacity. Being in that role allowed me to learn the payment processing industry from multiple vantage points, and I believe that really gave me an advantage when I moved in to sales full time. Before OrbitalPay CEO Steve Bryson rewarded me with the vice president opportunity I spent time working as a sales rep and assisting the VP before me. It’s a great feeling knowing that your hard work and dedication is being recognized and mine certainly was.
XBIZ: Adult processing is a space with a lot of competition. What are some of the things that make OrbitalPay stand out in such a competitive field?
Stewart: Billing is an extremely competitive field; you only have to look at the tradeshow sponsorship banners to see just how many players there are out there. What sets OrbitalPay aside is our direct banking relationship, it’s massive for us. It is what allows us to remove the middleman that so many of our competitors are forced to work with, it’s great financially and increases efficiency. Experience and reliability are huge in our space too. At the end of the day we are involved with people’s money and that requires merchants to put a lot of trust in their selected payment processor. OrbitalPay has been around for many years, and in that time has watched numerous payment processing companies come and go. Our experienced in-house staff ensure that our merchants are satisfied and that they know their processor supports them. I believe these things in conjunction with our maintaining a leading-edge mentality in the technology space have allowed OrbitalPay to continue successfully transitioning over the years.
XBIZ: What are some of the most valuable lessons you have learned about adult billing so far?
Stewart: You have to stay current and be aware of any incoming rules, regulations and industry changes. Being knowledgeable keeps you competitive and also instills confidence in your merchants that they’ve selected a processor that knows what they’re doing.
XBIZ: What are some of the things that make the adult billing field exciting for you?
Stewart: The porn! Just kidding. I think the competition is fun, as we discussed earlier there are a lot of folks out there in our space. Success is a great feeling, but having success when you know how many other companies are out there working hard competing for that same success is an even better feeling. I also really appreciate and respect the longevity that many people, including some of our competitors, have had in our field, it’s really quite amazing.
Working at OrbitalPay alongside Steve Bryson and Karen Campbell every day is a privilege. They’ve both been around for a very long time and are extremely well respected in our industry. They have both been instrumental in getting me to where I am today, and I’m fortunate to have the assistance of two of the industry’s most-recognized people.
XBIZ: What are some of the biggest challenges that you face in a typical week?
Stewart: I think I come across as a laid-back guy, but as I mentioned previously I am very competitive and always aim to be the best at whatever it is I am doing. As a result, I can be very demanding of myself and those around me. It certainly causes me to work with a feeling of added pressure but it has worked for me to this point — so I won’t be changing anything soon.
XBIZ: What’s coming up for OrbitalPay in 2016?
Stewart: 2016 is going to be a great year for OrbitalPay. We’re starting the year off right as the registration sponsor at the 2016 XBIZ Show and we plan on continuing to be a major presence at trade shows throughout the year. We’ll definitely be looking to build on what we anticipate will be a great start to 2016 by continuing to strengthen the great relationships we already have and of course adding new ones.
XBIZ: What’s a typical work day like?
Stewart: Busy, but I always try and have fun. In my role as vice president of sales, I oversee both the retail and the high-risk sides of our business. On a daily basis I interact with both sides of our sales team, our independent agents, our marketing department, our underwriters, risk analysts, accountants, IT staff, etc. I haven’t had a productive day if I haven’t ruffled somebody’s feathers! I believe that in my role it is equally as important for me to maintain the happiness of our current merchants, agents and employees as it is for me to find new ones.
XBIZ: In your time away from work, what do you like to do?
Stewart: When I’m not working I’m with my amazing wife and two beautiful kids. My daughter Riley is five going on 17, she is so smart and beautiful it’s scary. My son Connor just turned six months a few days before Christmas. He weighs a ton and looks just like me! It’s really cool having one of each and being able to experience being a parent from both sides. I’m having a blast.
Being from England it’s mandatory that I drink ridiculous amounts of tea and be a huge football (soccer) fan. I was born and raised in Liverpool so football is in my blood; I still wake up in the early hours on the weekend to watch the games. I guess that ties back in to me being dedicated!
I am also a huge boxing fan, my grand dad was a big fan and I spent a lot of time with him as a child, so I must have picked it up from him. I used to go to a lot of the Floyd Mayweather fights in Vegas but with him now retired and me having these kids to pay for that hasn’t happened for a little while.
