Credit card readers for unattended vending applications.

Company Background

In 1992, the first vending machine using the Forward Pay Systems technology began operating at the Minneapolis / Saint Paul Airport.  This first application was for a luggage cart rental system.  Since then, this technology has been used in several other low-sale-price systems such as car washes, public massage chairs, public locker rentals, truck weigh scales, and cell phone charging stations.

The core technology for the unattended credit card reader technology was developed during the early 1990's at CommStar, Inc.  In 2005, CommStar was split into two companies with Positive Access, Inc. acquiring the driver’s license reading technology and Forward Research, Inc. acquiring the unattended credit card reader technology.

The Forward Research name was changed to Forward Pay Systems, Inc. in 2008.

Verne Severson

Verne founded Forward Research as an electronic engineering consulting company in 1985. Previously, Verne was employed at Data 100, Astrocom, and Wordtronix. Verne has over 25 years of electronic hardware design and project management experience.

In 1994, Verne was one of several successful consultants profiled in a book about consulting as a career:
 

“... one of Verne's greatest strengths as an electrical engineer is to see the concept through the customer's eyes and bridge the gulf between marketing (what the customer needs) and engineering (what's technically feasible). ... He makes himself a member of the customer's team by helping brainstorm, shape ideas, and define the opportunity.”
“Verne sees himself as his client's partner.”

- Peter C. Brown, Jumping the Job Track (New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1994), pp 116, 123.
 

John Hardy, Jr.

John joined Forward Research in 1989. Previously John worked in both the manufacturing and engineering departments at Lee Data Corporation. John has been a key part of the business at Forward Research, designing controller hardware, writing controller firmware, and providing manufacturing documentation services.