If your going to be in a niche, why not a big one? FleetCor, based in Atlanta, is a worldwide leader in fuel card processing. Processing fuel cards both domestically and internationally, FleetCor provides card solutions to both fleet operators and fuel marketers. The company thereby processes the purchase of over 4 billion gallons of fuel annually, saving their clients millions of dollars in the process.

What is it like working with a company so successful that it was recently able to easily obtain a $350 million credit facility from JP Morgan Chase?

FleetCor CIO, Van Huff, a veteran of the processing industry from First Data, says that it is the same, yet different. The transaction space is still a punishing environment. As with most payment processing companies, technology is at the heart of their client offering. In contrast to many transaction systems, however, FleetCor is based on a contemporary, relational architecture. "This environment has provided several advantages," says Huff, "it allows us to respond quickly to opportunities. It has also provided the means to offer our clients critical functionality; from "real time" transaction processing to enhanced purchase controls." Their technology environment has translated into a relatively light cost structure and minimal overhead, he said.

These days, one cannot think about fuel without thinking about price. How does this affect FleetCor? "First, let me say that we serve over 500,000 clients across a very large spectrum of business models," said Huff, "from "mom and pop" fleets to major oil companies." and overall, he continues, "this is a great class of client to serve." And rising prices? "For FleetCor, rising prices are an opportunity to reduce the impact of a very real problem for our clients." FleetCor cannot control any of the factors causing fuel prices to rise - such as supply, demand, and politics - and neither can their clients. However, through its technology and business rules, "FleetCor does provide our small and medium business clients with a means to optimize how and where their fuel dollars are spent," says Huff. "We help our clients deal with this significant business cost by providing all of the traditional electronic transaction advantages of cash replacement, customized spending rules, and improved management information."

Like other card processing companies, FleetCor is going international. Despite encountering the traditional challenges of reconciling culture, language, and differing business practices on the whole the company has seen more opportunities than issues. Says Huff, "this is an excellent time to take what has made FleetCor successful in the U.S., combine those practices with the competitive practices of our international associates, and provide something fresh to the UK and Europe." He also speculates on why this has been, and will continue, to be successful. "On the IT side, we are using an Enterprise IT model. This approach offers two clear advantages. First, we have centralized our IT infrastructure decisions to provide immediate cost management and operational consistency. Second, we are able to apply a global IT perspective to any opportunity or challenge that we run into. In the mid to long term, this model will pay dividends to our business and to our clients."

As the CIO of FleetCor who possesses vast transaction processing experience, Huff's leadership style is eminently practical. "This is payment processing," said Huff, "one misstep can lead to a significant loss of money and most importantly, the erosion of client trust. Because of this, my management team must be pragmatic, and they have to focus on delivering continuously reliable service. You "re-earn" trust every day in a transaction world." Beyond that, he says, his group is there to deliver business outcomes, both in a tactical and strategic sense. He concludes, "the combination of a "don't miss" environment and a "business results" focus tends to create a no-frills, business centered IT group."