Christian Koza loves what he does.
As VP of Operations at ATM Wholesaler and Elite Merchant Services, he’s picked up the baton from his father and CEO, Norman Koza, who passed it to him after founding this successful company over 25 years ago.
A native of Michigan, Christian began managing the ATM and point-of-sale (POS) divisions while in college at San Diego State University, then returned to his home state to keep revving up revenue. In talking to him, his excitement was infectious, making me more interested than I’d ever been in an industry that’s often hiding in plain sight.
A basic service for your special business
“We’re an ATM provider and a payment processing provider,” says Christian. “So we provide the POS systems for any sort of business, whether they’re a restaurant, liquor store, coffee shop, online e-commerce, specialty shop, and so much more. We accept payments, and we can also put ATMs in gas stations, liquor stores, or any business that would need an ATM.”
I realized I’d never thought much about companies like this. If we were fish, they would be just part of the water we swam in. I looked up the history of ATMs and found a fascinating evolution that began in England and then the US in the 1960s. By the time I came of age in the 1990s, ATMs were everywhere, possibly in their heyday, before the now-ubiquitous POS terminals—both in-person and online—had fully taken hold. Back then, we couldn’t imagine that one day you’d pay for most things through a small portable phone-computer that eats up many of society’s functions.
ATM Wholesaler saw this change coming a long time ago and diversified its business. They made sure they were available anywhere in the US and could adapt to any market. “We’re a nationwide company; we don’t need to be physically there, per se. We have installers for the cash side and the payment processing side with better rates, lower fees, and amazing customer service.”
More money from customers, less spent on processing fees.
When I see an ATM or a POS terminal, I’ve never imagined the company behind it or what makes it unique. Christian explained how their business distinguishes itself.
“Our end goal is to help the business owner save money any way possible,” says Christian. “Whether it’s on the ATM side or the payment processing side. Most of these businesses accept credit cards—there are few businesses that are strictly cash. Every business has a credit card machine there. And they’re all paying a processing fee. It’s the same on the ATM side. Our goal is to take a look at their statement and see what they’re paying with their current provider. Then we figure out how much money we can save them on their processing fees, and give them a solution that can better streamline their business to bring more customers in the door and save them more money.”
When I asked him about the nuts and bolts of his business, he described an elaborate onboarding operation designed to keep his customers’ businesses running smoothly and affordably.
“We do everything. We get all the processing documents, get everything filled out, and get whatever we need from their end. If it’s for an ATM, we’ll have our ATM department handle all that. We have multiple ATMs in our office that are refurbished or brand new, and we’ll send them out wherever they are, whether it’s Michigan or any other state. We have tech support teams and technicians that can be on-site; just call us, and we can solve anything right away.”
I wasn’t aware that there were options for ATMs. Christian explained, “Brand new ATMs cost a few hundred dollars more than refurbished ones, but their capabilities and function are the same.”
Christian continued, elaborating on the benefits of their POS service. “Our payment processing side is important. We have great programs, like our $5,000 sign-up bonus for restaurants if they process over $30,000 in volume. We provide integrations with DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and more. We have POS systems with dual-facing screens that do on-the-spot BOGO promotions, and another that tracks inventory for the store owners and verifies IDs to make sure they are above the age of 21. These are just some great systems we offer!”
Specific ways you can save
Maybe I’m just late to the party, but it was enlightening to learn about how businesses choose to pass on or eat their credit card fees, and how Elite Merchant Services gives its customers options.
“When it comes to payment processing solutions, all these businesses need a POS or credit card machine. We’re a one-stop shop for any of these businesses, and we have different pricing programs. If they don’t want to pay credit card processing fees, they can decide if they want to pass the fees onto the customer. It’s called cash-discounting. If something is $100, it’s, say, $104 on the card, but it’ll stay at $100 for that item if they pay cash. It’s great when the business owner wants to eliminate all of their business processing fees. They love it; they’re saving their business a ton of money. We do it on that end as well.”
Their satisfaction is our satisfaction
What drives Christian to grow his business? His love of people. The experience of knowing he’s helped so many succeed. It’s heartening to know there’s a special spirit behind such a common service. Before Christian had to go, he left me with this sentiment.
“What excites me is seeing business owners’ faces or reactions or hearing them on the phone, finding out how good we can take care of them on the savings side and the support side. When I’m taking care of someone, it puts a smile on my face, and it shows that we’re doing a good job. That’s why I’m here every day—to take care of clients.”
