Bob Carr, chairman and chief executive officer of Heartland Payment Systems (NYSE: HPY), one of the nation's largest payments processors and a leading provider of merchant business solutions, has been named the 2013 Innovator of the Year by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. Carr will be formally recognized at the Annual Business Leader Awards presentation and gala at the Tournament Players Club Jasna Polana on December 4, 2013.

Carr was the driving force in helping Princeton merchants launch the OnePrinceton program last month. OnePrinceton is a secure payments system that allows merchants to easily donate one percent of each OnePrinceton purchase to the buyer's participating nonprofit organization in the Princeton area when shopping at merchants that participate in the program. Consumers can participate in the OnePrinceton program by directly linking their checking or savings account through either a OnePrinceton card or a smartphone QR code, both of which require PINs for added security.

Carr explained, "Community involvement has always been hugely important to me, as well as to Heartland, which takes its commitment to helping improve the communities where our employees live and work very seriously. OnePrinceton is just one example of how we have been able to leverage our innovative business technologies to benefit merchants and nonprofits in our own backyard, and I am truly honored to be recognized for this groundbreaking 'Live Local. Give Local' initiative."

Under Carr's direction, Heartland has grown from 25 to 3,000 employees, and now serves 275,000 business locations. Carr is credited with spearheading the Merchant Bill of Rights, a public advocacy initiative to promote fair card processing practices on behalf of small and mid-sized business owners. He has also been a catalyst in enhancing payment card security to thwart cyberthieves through the development of Heartland's E3 TM end-to-end encryption technology that is designed to protect cardholder data at rest and in motion throughout the lifecycle of card transactions, as well as strengthening industry collaboration through the founding of the Payments Processor Information Sharing Council.

About Heartland Payment Systems

Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. (NYSE: HPY), the fifth largest payments processor in the United States, delivers credit/debit/prepaid card processing, mobile commerce, e-commerce, marketing solutions, security technology, payroll solutions, and related business solutions and services to more than 275,000 business and educational locations nationwide. A FORTUNE 1000 company, Heartland is the founding supporter of The Merchant Bill of Rights, a public advocacy initiative that educates merchants about fair credit and debit card processing practices. Heartland also established The Sales Professional Bill of Rights to advocate for the rights of sales professionals everywhere. More detailed information can be found at HeartlandPaymentSystems.com, HeartlandPaymentSystems.com/Careers, HeartlandPaymentSystems.com/Blog or following the company on Twitter @HeartlandHPY and Facebook at facebook.com/HeartlandHPY.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature which represent our management's beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are based on information currently available to us. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements due to many factors, including risks and additional factors that are described in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

Vault Communications
Leanne Scott Brown, 610-455-2742
LBrown@Vaultcommunications.com