Faces of balance: Jeff Maine

This Bluffton man’s business makes it easier than ever for business owners to give back. 

B2B and B2C are common buzzwords in the corporate world, but Jeff Maine’s payment processing company, Pay Proudly, is about much more than business-to-business or business-to-customer transactions. The Bluffton-based electronic payment-processing company allows business owners in all industries to give back to causes that are important to them at no additional cost to their businesses. 

Maine launched Pay Proudly in 2019, but the business’s altruistic mission began much earlier. Growing up, Maine’s father encouraged him to strive to pursue excellence and follow his dreams. From an early age he learned about the importance of perseverance while using his skills to better the lives of others. 

After studying finance at St. Louis University and gaining over 25 years of experience in the payment processing industry, Maine founded Pay Proudly with the idea of bringing respectability back to a literally money-driven industry. Each quarter, Pay Proudly gives a percentage of its merchant fees to charities and non-profits that represent its clients’ philanthropic interests. To date, Pay Proudly has donated over $35,000 on behalf of its merchants. 

“I truly believe that the more you give, the more you get and that we’re all here to serve,” Maine said. “I hope our business inspires everyone to support the people and causes that make the world a better place.” 

Pay Proudly’s service model also extends to its customers, as Maine’s primary business was to provide a level of one-on-one customer service support that didn’t exist within the industry.

Maine prioritizes getting to know his clients personally, something he feels is especially important in an era of remote work. He is known for hosting in-person meetings with prospective clients not to sell them on Pay Proudly’s services but to learn more about them, their businesses and the causes they support.  

Giving back is especially important to Maine and his team around the holidays. Pay Proudly’s 2021 “12 Days of Christmas” campaign donated to a different charity or non-profit every day for 12 days in December – a tradition Maine hopes to continue. 

While the company currently donates to a wide variety of charities and non-profits – including the Palmetto Animal League, Bluffton Self Help, Library for Kids, and the Coastal Conservation League – Maine was personally named as “Man of the Year” by The Leukemia Foundation in 2020 for his outstanding generosity. Maine’s father, who believed in him so much, died from the condition almost a decade ago, making Leukemia research and awareness a cause close to Maine’s heart. 

Maine balances his business ventures, being president of the local BNI chapter and serving on the board of Hilton Head Christian Academy with intentional family time.

Maine and his wife, Renae, host regular family dinners with their three children, Mason, Molly, and Maggie, where phones aren’t allowed at the table. The family enjoys spending time outside in the Lowcountry, but Maine says he has a habit of researching the latest financial trends even when he’s off the clock. 

“I want to provide the best payment-processing service possible to Pay Proudly business partners,” Maine said. “The best part of my job is playing a part in helping others find success.”

Key takeaways

1. There are creative ways to pour into your community and ‘give back’ without necessarily writing a check. It’s a reciprocal relationship… the more you give the more you get back for generations.

2. In an era of remote (both virtual and “distanced”), the value of spending time with people in your community shoulder to shoulder has never been greater. The impact is systemic across your wellbeing, your community, your business, your family. 

3. In building healthy, successful businesses and communities, the most important thing is to prioritize balance in your own life. Cant build healthy communities with unhealthy members.