FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Matthew Haller, 202-662-0770

Jenna Weisbord, 202-662-0766

mhaller@franchise.org

jweisbord@franchise.org

@franchising411

IFA NAMES TRANSFIRST® AS THE ASSOCIATION’S PREFERRED VENDOR FOR MERCHANT SERVICES

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2015 – The International Franchise Association announced that it has selected TransFirst® as its preferred vendor for merchant services. TransFirst’s ultimate commitment to excellence in customer care, operations and end-to-end program management, along with its broad scope of payment solutions and standard one-call resolution were determining factors in its selection by the IFA.

“IFA is extremely pleased to partner with TransFirst to help our members take their payment processing to the next level to help grow their businesses,” said IFA President & CEO Steve Caldeira, CFE. “TransFirst’s abilities to build and support customized payment solution programs will be helpful to our members.” “We are happy that IFA has chosen TransFirst as the association’s preferred vendor for merchant services,” said President & Chief Executive Officer, John Shlonsky. “TransFirst, as a full service payment processor, is committed to meeting the needs of IFA members with the best possible rates, customer service and payment processing tools.”

In addition to being chosen as the preferred vendor for merchant services of the IFA, Pak Mail Centers of America, Inc. is excited to become the first franchise system to partner with TransFirst; introducing its payment processor services at all of the Pak Mail Center franchise locations across the country. “We are excited to be the first franchise to partner with TransFirst,” said Alex Zai, Pak Mail’s president & CEO. “Our new partnership with TransFirst will benefit not only our franchisees, but our customers as well.”

IFA selected TransFirst after completing a request for proposal (RFP) process in January. Companies were evaluated on 25 specific requirements. As a full service merchant services provider, TransFirst programs are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of all franchise systems. They offer expert sales and product training, processing rates specifically tailored to your system, accept Visa®, MasterCard®, Discover®, American Express® and PayPal™ at the point of sale, provide per location financial support for data breaches, assist with PCI compliance and EMV capabilities and offer multiple processing capabilities – POS, mobile and online, or any combination. For more information on how TransFirst can help your franchise, please visit http://www.transfirst.com/lp/IFA/.

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About the International Franchise Association

Celebrating 55 years of excellence, education and advocacy, the International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the more than 780,000 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.9 million direct jobs, $890 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy and 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology and business development.

About Pak Mail

For 30 years, Pak Mail has been the world’s premier franchisor for packing, shipping, crating and freight services for both commercial and residential customers. With more than 300 stores worldwide, Pak Mail is a one-stop source for domestic, international and freight shipping, including services for furniture, art and antiques. Pak Mail partners with FedEx, UPS, DHL, The U.S. Postal Service and other trusted freight carriers for worry-free delivery. Pak Mail finds the most cost-effective and safest ways to pack and ship items worldwide by air, ocean, or ground. For further information, please visit http://www.pakmail.com.

About TransFirst (www.TransFirst.com):

A leading provider of secure transaction processing services and payment enabling technologies, TransFirst offers innovative products and services designed with financial institution, independent sales organization, healthcare, e-commerce, integrated partners, government and merchant customers’ unique needs in mind. By collaborating with our customers and utilizing strong industry knowledge, we can help them grow their businesses. Founded in 1995, TransFirst continues to attain significant market share and world-class expertise in growing and profitable industry segments. Built on a platform of personal service, customer commitment and flexible pricing, TransFirst is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York, and has operations facilities in Aurora, Colorado; Broomfield, Colorado; Franklin, Tennessee; and Cypress, California.

TransFirst is a registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.; Walnut Creek, CA; Synovus Bank, Columbus, GA; and Duetsche Bank, New York, NY, for Visa and MasterCard transactions only.