The energy on the Southeast Acquirers Association (SEAA) 2026 convention floor was electric. To deliver the ultimate recap from the field, this comprehensive guide combines key interviews highlighting artificial intelligence, technology evolution, open collaboration, and portfolio strategies from industry leaders Carlos Nieto, Clint Maynard, Rod Katzfey, Scott Morley, and Robert Livingstone.
1. Ground Floor Wisdom & The AI Frontier (Carlos Nieto & Scott Morley)
Carlos Nieto shared his primary goal for the conference: cultivating transparent, meaningful human connections across the industry. He emphasized that regional events offer a prime opportunity to move past digital screens and connect face-to-face with peers and mentors. Nieto also advocated for greater diversity and a broader range of active voices taking up space on the convention floor.
Scott Morley of Linked2pay joined the conversation to discuss the real-world integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the payment space. Morley noted that while AI remains a massive talking point, its true value lies in optimizing the sales pipeline and boosting day-to-day agent efficiency.
Reflecting on a 25-year technological shift, Morley and Nieto looked back at the early days of trade shows:
- Early compliance and hardware demonstrations required dedicated, physical telephone lines hardwired next to every single terminal just to process a basic transaction.
- In contrast, today’s advanced processing devices operate completely wirelessly on battery power over standard Wi-Fi.
- This massive technological expansion actually strengthens the independent agent’s role, as modern merchants rely more heavily than ever on trusted consultants to safely navigate these backend systems.
2. 25 Years of Grit & Agent-First Portfolios (Clint Maynard & Rod Katzfey)
Clint Maynard shared powerful insights from his 25-year tenure in the payments arena, having launched his career in November 2001. He recalled the logistical hurdles of the early 2000s, working with golf-cart-sized dial-up terminals like the Trans 320. In those days, a minor instance of static on a phone line could disrupt a 25-minute software download, forcing agents to start the tedious process from scratch. Today, smart terminals like Clover handle those same complex downloads seamlessly in a matter of seconds.
Maynard’s number-one piece of advice for incoming sales professionals is to remain entirely persistent. He noted that while agents will inevitably face highly chaotic days where technical and compliance issues mount simultaneously, the long-term residual income potential makes it an unmatched career choice.
Rod Katzfey, representing Pay Compass, expanded on this operational mindset by championing an “agent-first” business model.
- Pay Compass actively funds the registration and attendance costs for its agents to participate in major regional trade shows.
- Katzfey directly addressed the reality of multi-acquirer relationships, stating that independent agents frequently maintain multiple processing outlets.
- Rather than restricting agents through forced exclusivity agreements, Katzfey argued that processors should focus on providing superior tools and transparent support to earn an agent’s portfolio organically.
3. Legal Tech, Open Collaboration, and Breaking Anonymity (Robert Livingstone)
Robert Livingstone brought a distinct perspective from his 17 years operating NoRate.com, a company specializing strictly in the legal payment infrastructure space, including law firms, LawPay, and Clio integrations.
Livingstone and Nieto dove into a critical discussion regarding the widespread use of anonymity in payments forums and industry chat groups.
- Livingstone explained that sales reps frequently post under anonymous aliases out of a deep-seated fear that credit card processors might arbitrarily cut off their hard-earned residuals if they ask direct, disruptive questions online.
- Both leaders encouraged professionals to step out from behind anonymous handles, build transparent public reputations, and collaborate openly.
- Livingstone highlighted the strategic value of open white-label partnerships, pointing to direct API and ACH integrations with gateways like Hyphen to streamline custom merchant routing.
To close out his session, Livingstone stepped up to the plate for a live round of “Sell Me This Duck”. He leaned into his sales roots, creatively pitching the orange-beaked rubber duck as a high-visibility, essential marine flotation safety device.
The Takeaway
Whether it is Clint Maynard’s historical perspective on terminal downloads, Rod Katzfey’s agent-first transparency, or Robert Livingstone’s push for breaking down industry anonymity, the consensus from the floor is clear: the tech is moving fast, but open communication and human trust remain the real engines driving the space forward.
This is just the beginning of our multi-part coverage! We gathered an extensive library of exclusive insights on the convention floor, so make sure to check back over the next few weeks as we roll out the rest of our SEAA 2026 interview series.
Connect with the Show: Missed any of our live event broadcasts? Check out the full catalog of episodes on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, and stay tuned for our upcoming payment education series in Spanish starring Carlos Nieto!