PCATS Membership Approves NACS Integration

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The integration of the Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technology Standards (PCATS) with NACS cleared its last hurdle, as the association’s Class A member companies voted to ratify the May 4 decision by the PCATS board of directors to integrate PCATS with NACS.

“Our industry is highly fragmented, comprised mostly of entrepreneurial retailers who must compete with internal, as well as adjacent, retail segments,” stated NACS President and CEO Hank Armour, one of the founding retailers of PCATS. “Technical standards and early knowledge of enabling technologies empower our membership to quickly and efficiently create systems that allow the smallest operator to compete effectively in today’s retail landscape. PCATS will continue to fulfill this need.”

For more than a decade, NACS has been involved in technology. In the mid-1990s, the association created the Technology Standards Project. Eventually, this work was spun off and in 2004 became PCATS. Since then, PCATS has grown its membership to more than 170 companies, representing more than 22,000 stores and virtually all technology and services vendors selling to the industry.

“Increased emphasis on systems interoperability with better data security is our future. Payment card data security is one example where technology mandates are requiring significant investments by our membership,” Pat Lewis, PCATS chairman and NACS vice chairman of technology, said in a released statement. “The combination of both organizations’ competencies will ensure the industry has the best knowledge and advocacy.”

PCATS Executive Director Gray Taylor, who also is a payment consultant to NACS, added: “This is a clear win-win for both organizations’ memberships. PCATS will re-double its focus on standards, while assuming technical work previously done by NACS. Meanwhile, NACS brings its broad industry reach, advocacy and world-class administration to augment the PCATS agenda.”

Under the integration, PCATS will maintain its own board of advisors, comprised of the pre-integration Board of Directors, and elect three PCATS Class A members to sit on the newly formed board of directors. The nomination and election process of the three board of directors seats will begin in early August, with the announcement of the directors to be made in September. The integration of PCATS with NACS is expected to be completed in October.