Going Small, With Big Results

Massachusetts-Based ConnectPay Has Over 10,000 Clients, All With One Thing in Common

In the payroll industry, ConnectPay occupies unique territory. While the major players go after the largest corporations and other competitors roll out DIY software, ConnectPay stakes its claim right in the middle of Main Street.

As CEO Michael Young puts it, “We live and breathe American small business and the communities they serve.”

ConnectPay, headquartered in Foxboro, MA was founded in 2008 by Michael Young and his thirty-eight year business partner, Paul Altavena, with the goal of focusing on the underserved market of small businesses. And by small, they don’t mean a couple hundred employees. At ConnectPay, the average customer protects employers with as few as one employee, with most averaging 10-25 employed individuals. Until a business can afford an HR leader at around 100 employees, ConnectPay coordinates the mission critical components of payroll, HR, and compliance.

That’s why everything they do– from their software to their service teams– is designed specifically to help businesses like auto repair shops, landscapers, and dentists pay their employees on time and accurately.

In the words of Young, their typical customer is “chasing their passion.” But he adds, “the minute they decide to chase that passion, create a name and logo, they immediately inherit enormous amounts of government compliance. And if they don’t do it correctly, there are real financial consequences.” It’s the reason their software is backed up by a team of trained professionals.

For ConnectPay’s customers, HR departments are either non-existent, fall to the least busy person on the team, or are the responsibility of the owner themselves. This is just one of the reasons ConnectPay stresses service. “People love our software, but when a financial compliance transaction the size of payroll turns into a question, people want to pick up the phone, get an answer, and know they are protected,” says Young.

A Commitment Passed Down

Given the background of its CEO, it’s no surprise that caring for customers is paramount to ConnectPay. In the late 1970s, Young’s mother became the first woman to start and operate a State Farm Insurance Agency. Michael vividly remembers his mother embracing state of the art technologies the day she started, and gaining an advantage for her clients. His mother’s work ethic and resulting success was a huge influence on Michael.

Decades before that, Young’s maternal grandfather, in his early twenties, became the youngest person at the time to be awarded a General Motors dealership. In the days when even new cars weren’t the most reliable, Young says his grandfather made sure no customer ever got stuck with a lemon, and that he often took back unreliable cars at a loss to keep his customers happy. On the importance of embracing technical advantage and service, Young sums it up, “My mom learned it from her dad, and I learned it from both of them.”

Finding a Trusted Partner

For any payroll company, their payroll processor, or the bank they’ve trusted to handle the huge volume of automated clearing house payments each pay period, is crucial to making sure the employee’s paycheck arrives on time.

After working with other processors, ConnectPay decided to partner with SouthState. According to Young, “One of the differentiators is the ability to pick up the phone, to talk through what you’re working on, to know people are there, to know they care. I go home at night knowing that if there is a challenge, people at SouthState will not leave until that money goes out the door and my customers have what they need financially.” As Young puts it, ConnectPay and SouthState have the same focus, “Technology backed up by real people!”

Speaking to that commitment, Donyale Getz, SVP at SouthState says, “When it comes to payroll, you need to be perfect. We pay millions of people each week and everyone involved understands the importance. Whether it’s software, compliance or regulatory, the SouthState team is ‘all in’ with our payroll clients.”

Another key role that SouthState plays is handling change in compliance. According to Young, “This industry is all about compliance and changing compliance— such as payroll taxes, paid family medical leave, mandatory retirement savings in some states— and I think SouthState always adjusts quickly and safely.”

Beyond the Paycheck

In America, small businesses have a huge impact on job creation and individual prosperity, hiring and training more workers annually than all of the Fortune 2,000 companies combined. The employees at ConnectPay know the important role they play in the economy and in the lives of business owners. “When a small business launches their company and becomes successful, it often becomes a family’s largest asset, and we want to help protect that asset,” says Young.

Together with SouthState they’re delivering on that promise, every single pay period.

For more information about Payroll Processing Services with SouthState Bank, contact Donyale Getz, SVP, Head of Corporate Product Development, at 404-995-6259. You can reach Michael Young, ConnectPay CEO at [email protected] or 978-450-2900.