Kahuna ATM Solutions has made a large donation to the U.S. ATM Defense Fund, and Bryan Bauer (pictured), the company's president, issued a challenge to other ATM deployers and operators to contribute to the fund to fight for their livelihood.
The ATM Industry Association (ATMIA), which administers the fund, said Kahuna’s contribution signals independent ATM deployers (IADs) are becoming more unified in opposing legislation and anti-competitive practices that threaten their industry.
Management and employees of the Bloomington, Ill.-based IAD donated $5,505 to the fund, which is also called the U.S. Industry Defense Fund.
"The donation was submitted on behalf of the company and their affiliate clients. Additionally, the donation consisted of personal contributions from Kahuna ATM Solutions’ employees," Bauer said. "The company donated the funds to support legislative efforts that protect the future of the ATM industry." He added that he was proud that all Kahuna employees participated in the donation.
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"Each of these individuals earns their living from the ATM industry," he said. "We are all concerned about legislators and regulators, who don't understand our industry, yet make decisions that affect how we earn a living and provide for our families." The business plans to raise additional funds through its channel partners and clients.
Kahuna's donation is part of a nationwide effort by ATMIA to raise $380,000 toward enacting legislation to help protect and ensure the future health of the nation’s ATM industry.
At ATMIA's conference last February in Doral, Fla., officials announced that they would work through Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLC, a Los Angeles-based law firm with a Washington, D.C., office, to monitor proposed legislation that could affect the ATM industry through regular contacts with congressmen, senators and congressional staffers. ATMIA said it would have to raise $300,000 to $400,000 to pay legal fees.
The industry was jolted into action, following an unsuccessful attempt last year by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D., Iowa) to pass legislation that would have significantly cut ATM surcharge fees, a key source of revenue for IADs.
Some of the issues the money will go to support include regulatory monitoring, interchange preservation, removal of anti-competitive practices by ATM networks, ongoing support for surcharging and elimination of surcharge caps, said Kahuna officials. The industry also is campaigning against ATM surcharge stickers and frivolous Regulation E lawsuits.
Mike Lee, CEO of ATMIA, said Kahuna’s contribution helps build ATMIA’s war chest.
"This donation from Kahuna has huge significance because it signals a growing unity in defending together the historic independent ATM sector in the USA against interchange erosion and other pressures," Lee said. "Kahuna is a major player in this space and we welcome their generous contribution to our defense fund.”
Lee added, “2011 is a critical year for the U.S. industry, and we are looking for meaningful breakthroughs. We need a war chest to make that happen."
In addition to being an IAD, Kahuna is a business development catalyst for IADs, and Kahuna's network of affiliates process more than 36 million ATM transactions annually.
“I challenge every U.S. ATM deployer and operator to become an active part of the solution by donating to the fund,” Bauer said. “We can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines watching others make decisions about the future of our industry. We need to join forces and fight for our future.”
