Zoot Enterprises Celebrates 20 Years of Service to the Financial Industry

Company expands from one-man shop to vital industry leader

September 15, 2010

Zoot, a leading provider of advanced instant credit decisioning and loan origination announced today 20 years of service to the financial industry. The company, founded in 1990 by Chris Nelson, has grown into a successful multi-million dollar company that has introduced numerous industry-changing innovations to the market and received several industry awards.

Zoot innovations include the first PC-based credit retrieval, first automated instant prescreen and the first graphical user interface for business rules. Zoot technology today enables the company’s solutions to evolve with its clients when their business strategies, compliance requirements or consumer expectations change. “We wouldn’t have gone very far in this industry if our products were shrink-wrapped and put in a box, because all of the clients that we deal with have their own unique way of doing business. We’ve based our whole individuality in the marketplace on services that are configured by tools that create the solutions that our clients use,” said Chris Nelson, founder and CEO of Zoot Enterprises.

“I remember vividly my first meeting with Chris Nelson. It was in 1992 when I was the credit card credit policy and credit delivery manager for Bank of America. Prior to the meeting I had some trepidation about a relatively new company located in Montana filling a niche for the largest retail bank in America. What struck me at the time was Nelson’s level of intensity and near insatiable ability to listen to a high degree of specificity from a prospective client. I left convinced that he could deliver and he's never given me any reason to think otherwise in all the years since,” said Terry Potter, now an independent consultant for Strategic Software Systems. “Zoot is a company that works collaboratively with its clients and is always thinking beyond next year’s customer needs. Zoot is a testament to the integrity and commitment of its owner and the people he so carefully selected over the ensuing years. It’s the rarest of companies I have dealt with in 35 years of banking.”

“I’ve been banking Zoot for the past 12 years and counting. Once we heard and understood Nelson’s vision and what made the company’s approach unique, we were confident in financing their new facility. It’s wonderful to see a Montana grown business become such a success. I have great respect for Chris Nelson and nothing but accolades for this company. I’ve watched Zoot expand over the years and am proud to have been a part of the company’s growth,” said Wayne Nelson, president of Stockman Bank Billings (no relation to Chris Nelson).            

Accolades include being named a 2010 Innovator by Bank Technology News for the company’s zOptimize℠ multichannel cross-sell solution, a hot banking technology company to watch in 2009 by Forrester Research, Inc., the 2008 business of the year by Prospera Business Network for outstanding service and positive impact on the economic development of the community and the number one technology company to watch in 2007 by Bank Technology News. In addition, Zoot was honored by a client as one of three finalists receiving Wachovia Card Services’ 2006 BIG 3 Award in the external partner category.

“Many entrepreneurs are often quoted saying they could not have imagined their basement idea would be such a success. From the beginning Chris always had a much broader view of what the company would become, long before those surrounding him fully realized that vision,” said Warren Bauder, vice president of enterprise architecture and Zoot’s first hired employee.

For more information about Zoot’s history, solutions and thought leadership visit the company’s website.        

       
About Zoot
Bozeman, Mont.-based Zoot provides comprehensive credit decisioning, loan origination and credit risk management solutions to enable clients’ unique business objectives, leading to long-term relationships with top U.S. banks. Zoot’s rapid, high-volume processing environment has the capacity to process billions of transactions per year. Visit http://www.zootweb.com or call 406.556.7555 for more information.

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