Justin Milmeister, 38 President/CEO, Elite Merchant Solutions Justin Milmeister saw a hole in the burgeoning payment industry and left his real estate roots to start Van Nuys-based Elite Merchant Solutions, an electronic payment processing company, in 2002. Milmeister, 38, stays ahead of competitors by being on the forefront of technological advances. “I bring a vision of what’s on the horizon and always try to be a step or two ahead of the competition,” he said. Elite has made Inc. magazine’s list of 5,000 of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies four years in a row. It has been recognized as a top 100 payment processor for the last five years and has experienced a 558 percent growth in the last three years, according to Inc. Elite has offices in Michigan and Kansas along with other satellite offices around the country. But Milmeister says it’s not enough to be doing well. “You can never be complacent, you must always be looking to stay ahead of the curve and have the ability to turn on a dime and make appropriate adjustments,” he said.
