Payline Data’s Co-Founder and CEO, Jeff Shea, has been honored with a Young Entrepreneur of the year in conjunction with the Daily Herald Business Ledger’s 2011 Entrepreneurial Excellence Award ceremony. Jeff was recognized at an awards dinner sponsored by the Daily Herald on September 22 at Danada House in Wheaton, Illinois.
Jeff Shea, Payline CEO
After graduating from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, where he managed to obtain a senior leadership role in a major contracting firm. After college Mr. Shea took on the role of Director of Services for New Image Painting. There, he established and maintained installation programs for a major home retailer in 2000 locations in the United States and over 200 locations in Canada.
In 2009, Mr. Shea Co-Founded Payline Data, LLC. Payline Data is a registered ISO in the Merchant Services Industry.
“Our vision is to help deserving Charitable Organizations create change to enrich our work with support from partnerships with our merchants. As we grow we are continuing to expand our impact on charities world-wide. The real difference is our one-of-a-kind profit sharing program for Non-Profits.”
Shea also states, “Our Mission is to provide cost effective high-quality business services; and, at the same time, build goodwill in local communities by donating a portion of our proceeds to deserving Non-Profit Organizations.”
Starting a new company on a bootstrapped budget is no easy task, especially in the middle of a recession. However, Shea points out Payline’s ability to provide innovation to keep pace with changes in technology, focus on customer service and a revolution in the donation methodology that have all led to explosive growth. Since the company started, it has seen great success.
In the last 3 months, the company’s customer base has grown over 300%, with a pace to nearly double again before the end of 2011. Not to mention employing over 25 people in Chicago, St. Louis and New York.At the same time, Jeff has found the time to not only make a difference with Payline Giving, but he also serves on the American Lung Association in Greater Chicago’s Auxiliary Board (ALAAB). Payline Data has donated thousands of dollars to numerous charitable organizations since it started including An Orphan’s Prayer, St. Jude’s Hospital, Figg Tree Foundation, Bin Donated, Kids Heroes, Liberty Road Foundation and many others.
The Daily Herald, based in Arlington Heights, is the third-largest paper in Illinois in circulation and focuses on news throughout the Chicago suburbs. Mr. Shea is one of 22 elite entrepreneurs in the Chicagoland area who will be honored with the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award for their contributions to their respective communities, outstanding business growth and innovations in their industry.
“I am very grateful to the Daily Herald Business Ledger for the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award,” commented Shea.
“We have been truly blessed to find success in business and be able to give back so much. It surprises me at times how many different people we talk to, how many causes we are a part of, businesses that we are able to impact; and you can truly see, we are changing lives.”
