About Us
Our Mission
Beyond strives to simplify operations, reduce costs and streamline payments for owners of small and mid-size businesses across the country. Every customer is provided with the reliable, flexible, and secure business solutions they need, in a clear, transparent manner they can trust. We are committed to the highest levels of technological innovation, contract terms and customer service—earning our customers’ business every day. Every employee is provided with the vital tools, resources and compensation needed to achieve success.
We will deliver results, tell the truth, and make a difference through our determination to transform the business world. Good enough is not nearly enough. We go beyond.
Our Story
Beyond was created in 2017 by Robert O. Carr, a prominent businessman and philanthropist whose track record of success reflects his deep belief that “doing the right thing” for customers and employees ultimately produces the best bottom-line results. Carr has brought on a team of experts in the industry to build a world-class company.
Our commitment to transparent, customer-first service is spelled out in the Beyond Promises: 10 principles setting out the company’s commitment to fair treatment, plain language and full disclosure, with no hidden fees and no unexpected surcharges or arbitrary pricing changes.
Beyond designated the non-profit Give Something Back (Give Back) a founding partner and beneficiary. Established by Carr in 2003, Give Back provides college scholarships and mentoring to students who have faced economic hardship and other challenges such as foster care or the incarceration of a parent. So far, Give Back has prepaid over 1,500 scholarships for students at partner colleges and universities across the country—an upfront investment of more than $36 million.
By investing in the minds and futures of smart, capable young people, Beyond is building a well-prepared workforce and contributing to a growing economy – which creates greater opportunities for our customers and for our company.
The Board
Robert O. Carr
CEO and Founder
Blaine Burn
Chief Sales Officer
Chad Carr
Executive Director of Dealer Management Services
Rivka Tadjer
Chief of Staff
Bryan Thompson
Chief Technology Officer
Joe White
Chief Financial Officer
Robert O. Carr is a prominent businessman and philanthropist whose long track record of success reflects both his market acumen and his deep belief that “doing the right thing” for customers and employees ultimately produces the best bottom-line results.
In 1997, Carr founded Heartland Payment Systems – a venture that grew into a Fortune 1000 company valued at $4.3 billion, with more than 4,65200 employees. Under Carr’s guidance, Heartland set the industry standard for openness and transparency in pricing, billing and customer service.
Carr’s emphasis on full disclosure was tested in 2008, when Heartland was hit with one of the largest, most devastating data breaches in history. In response, Carr defied the conventional wisdom and insisted on going public about the cyberattack (a decision that has been credited with saving the company from dissolution.) He then led Heartland in developing an industry-leading end-to-end encryption system, revolutionizing credit card security.
He also is the founder of the Give Something Back, a philanthropic effort that supports college-bound students from low-income families by providing scholarships and mentoring programs – helping them to graduate in four years, debt-free. Give Something Back has provided more than $35 million in scholarships for hundreds of scholars at partner schools and universities across the country.
Carr has been honored with numerous business and civic awards and was twice named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young. He has served as a Presidential appointee to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council since 2016.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and his master’s degree in computer science at the University of Illinois. Carr is the author of two books – Through the Fires: An American Story of Turbulence, Business Triumph and Giving Back and Working Class to College: The Promise and Peril Facing Blue-Collar America; both books are distributedpublished by the University of Illinois Press and available on Amazon and at www.robertocarr.com.
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Books by Robert O. Carr
Through the Fires
This is a triumphant story of comeback in life and business. Robert Carr experienced decades of struggle that took him to the brink of home foreclosure at age 50. He would later make a fortune in the card payments industry, only to lose almost everything in 2009, after one of the most devastating data breaches ever.
"A book that defines what it means to overcome adversity in business and life."
—Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Working Class to College
Working Class to College addresses the struggles and valiant efforts of students to overcome financial adversity and other hardships. Drawing on the research and experience of Give Something Back, a scholarship program for working-class students, this book outlines strategies to chart a successful and affordable college career.
“All kids need is a little help, a little hope and someone who believes in them. Working Class to College shows how hardship can translate to scholarship.
—Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, NBA Hall of Famer and advocate for underserved urban communities
