HOUSTON– Dolphin Debit is marking the 10th anniversary of the placement of its first ATM for a credit union at Community Resource Credit Union in Baytown, Texas. Dolphin Debit said that today it has grown into the leading full-service ATM management company for financial institutions, with scores of clients across the country.
Dolphin Debit said it is marking its first decade of operation by reflecting on the key elements of its success in carving out a niche that from the start has focused on helping credit unions and banks get the most out of their ATM operations.
Founders Gary Walston and Ben Allen said Dolphin Debit's relationship with Murphy USA, which began right as Dolphin Debit started, was a key factor in its initial success. Dolphin Debit has an exclusive relationship with Murphy USA in 12 states to locate ATMs for clients at the fuel stations adjacent to Walmart stores.
"Murphy USA had agreements with multiple ATM vendors, but took a chance on a little startup like us,” Walston recalled.
Murphy USA offered Dolphin Debit a few Texas and Louisiana locations initially, and ongoing success kept that relationship expanding since 2005. Today, Murphy USA has narrowed its program down to just Dolphin Debit and one other ATM vendor.
The ATM that Dolphin Debit installed 10 years ago today for Community Resource Credit Union is still operating reliably for the credit union, after several software upgrades and even a recent conversion to EMV chip card operation.
"We are very happy with our decision to go with Dolphin Debit in 2005," said David Frazier, President and CEO of Community Resource Credit Union. "The fact that we still have the relationship and it has grown to all 19 of our ATMs today proves that. The service they provide stands out, as well as the relief they give to our back office to allow for more efficient operations."
Dolphin Debit has now grown from the two founders to 20 employees. It has more than 200 credit union and bank clients in 21 states from coast to coast, operating machines on their behalf ranging from simple cash dispensers at employer facilities to image deposit ATMs at branches. It is the largest company that focuses exclusively on ATM outsourcing and management for financial institutions.
The business model and the timing may have been right, but Walston and Allen have known from the start that to really succeed they need to please their clients.
"We do the right thing. We treat people well, and we have great people working for us who care, and that makes all the difference," Walston said in a statement. "We have clients, such as Community Resource Credit Union, who have been with us a long time and trust us. They know we do all we can to take care of them."