Marc Gardner
Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Marc Gardner is the founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of North. Gardner first established the company in Troy, Michigan, in 1992 as its sole employee. Now, as the nation's sixth-largest independent acquirer, North processes more than $100 billion in transactions for hundreds of thousands of satisfied merchants.
Under Gardner's leadership, North employs more than 1,300 people, and today, the company continues to expand both organically and through strategic acquisitions.
Over the years, Gardner has been recognized for his success as an entrepreneur and for his contributions in helping to grow the economies of metro Detroit and Michigan. Ernst & Young recognized him as the 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year for the Central Great Lakes region. Gardner was a special guest speaker at the 2009 Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island. In 2015, he received the prestigious Best of MichBusiness' CEO of CEOs Award, from the Michigan Business and Professional Organization (MBPA). NAB was even named the ISO of the Year at the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) Star Awards in both 2014 and 2022.
An active philanthropist and avid supporter of the arts, Gardner serves on the Board of Directors at MOCAD (Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit) and provides philanthropic support to numerous organizations, including: AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Friendship Circle, Detroit Public Television, Cranbrook, and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Gardner earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin.