Vero's Bluedog merges with Fortis

The combined company will expand integrated commerce throughout North America

VERO BEACH — Bluedog Business Services LLC of Vero Beach and Fortis Payment Systems of Novi, Mich., both providers of payments technology and merchant services, have announced the two companies are merging.

The business will expand rapidly, leveraging Zeamster, FortisPay’s proprietary commerce platform, which creates integrated experiences for software and ERP providers, and BLUEDOG’s technology and scalable business development machine. With the support of Lovell Minnick Partners, which made a significant investment in FortisPay in late 2019, the newly combined company will further accelerate its growth in technology-led payment solutions.

Ron Dichter, founder and CEO of Bluedog, will join the board of managers and will help lead the overall direction of the combined company. “It is a thrilling next chapter for the BLUEDOG team,’’ Dichter said. "With a long career in the payments industry, I am excited to be aligned with a solution like Zeamster and the talented FortisPay team. I look forward to being a part of this market-leading enterprise.''

Dichter said Bluedog, which currently employs 42 people in Vero Beach, will expand its labor force on the Treasure Coast under the merger. "This merger is going to help us accelerate our growth and we plan to double our staff in Vero Beach by the end of 2021,’’ he said.

Jimmy Nafso, FortisPay CEO and co-founder, added, “We couldn’t be more excited to have Ron and his team from BLUEDOG join our mission. Ron brings years of experience creating vertical solutions that will help us continue to execute on our ISV value strategy.”

FortisPay and Bluedog serve over 13,000 businesses throughout North America. Both entities have technology solutions and proprietary distribution that will continue to drive market-leading organic and acquisitive growth.

Preston Todd Advisors, a specialist in fintech and payments advisory, represented Bluedog as a strategic advisor in the transaction.

About BLUEDOG
Bluedog has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as being one of the fastest-growing companies in America 4 years in a row, provides business and payment processing solutions to enterprises of all sizes through their proprietary acquisition channels leveraging innovative technology. Founded in 2013 with the idea that Merchant Service Providers can do better, BLUEDOG’s mission is clear: be the Best Friend to Your Business. For more information on BLUEDOG, visit: www.yourbluedog.com.

About FortisPay
FortisPay provides payments technology and merchant solutions to businesses and software developers nationwide. FortisPay has a focus on technology-enabled solutions through a White-Glove service approach and a mission to help small and mid-sized businesses scale through innovation. FortisPay’s technology platform, Zeamster, provides state-of-the-art connectivity solutions for hundreds of software developers and channel partners. FortisPay provides payments and financial technology solutions to thousands of businesses, processing billions of dollars annually. For more information, visit: www.fortispay.com.

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