Deluxe (NYSE: DLX) has appointed Kevin Jones as President of its Merchant Services division, according to a press release from the Minneapolis-based payments company.

Jones founded Celero Commerce in 2018, building it to process more than $28 billion annually across 175 banking partners and 55,000 small business customers. Deluxe acquired Celero earlier this month, a move the company says positions its Merchant Services division as a top-10 non-bank merchant acquirer, based on Nilson reporting.

Before founding Celero, Jones led the strategic partner channel at First American Payment Systems and later founded Anovia Payments, which he said delivered an 8.5x investment return. Deluxe acquired First American in 2021, and the company now describes it as the backbone of its Merchant Services division.

Barry McCarthy, President and CEO of Deluxe, commented on the appointment: "Kevin brings the experience and leadership to expand our merchant business, and I am excited to welcome him as part of the Deluxe leadership team."

Jones said in the statement: "The strength, scale, and scope of the combined entity position us to win and grow faster than either organization could alone."