For over 25 years, John Pallas, CEO of National Foods Packaging, has built his Cleveland-based business into a leading manufacturer of bulk food products, including bakery mixes, dressings, and cereals. While John’s passion for engineering and problem-solving drove his success, managing financial workflows became increasingly time-consuming—especially as the business scaled.

Outgrowing the Small Business Accounting Software

For over two decades, National Foods Packaging relied on an accounting software designed to suit the needs of small businesses to manage its finances. While it served the company well in its early days, it became difficult to handle the growing volume of transactions as the business expanded. “As the company scaled, it hit the limitations of what [our accounting software] could handle,” John explains. National Foods Packaging’s rapid growth introduced new layers of financial complexity—from managing larger payments to coordinating with more vendors and maintaining tighter financial oversight. What once felt manageable quickly became a bottleneck, with manual processes slowing down operations and increasing the risk of errors.

As the business continued to evolve, a shift in company structure resulted in John temporarily taking over financial operations. What initially began as a temporary measure quickly turned into a long-term reality, as John realized that his understanding of the business allowed him to manage financial tasks just as productively—if not more.

But even with everything running smoothly, “it was taking up too much of my time,” John shares. At this point, National Foods Packaging was facing several inefficiencies, such as:

• Manual Check Payments: The process of printing, signing, stuffing envelopes, and mailing checks was a labor-intensive process, especially as the volume of payments grew each week. 
• Time-Consuming Reconciliation: Reconciling accounts involved hours of manual effort—uploading and downloading transaction data, matching transactions, and resolving discrepancies—creating significant operational bottlenecks. 
• Inefficient ACH Payments: Processing automated clearing house (ACH) payments required logging into the bank’s website, manually entering payment details, and double-checking transitions, leading to unnecessary delays and potential errors.

The Search for a Scalable Financial System

As National Foods Packaging continued to grow, John saw that the company’s existing financial workflows could be more expedient. One of the company’s policies was to immediately pay invoices less than $1,000 to keep the financial system clean. While this strategy was effective, it also meant that John had to spend a significant amount of time each week sorting through payments, organizing data, and executing manual processes.

“The problem wasn’t just making the payments—it was organizing everything to figure out which invoices qualified and which ones offered discounts,” John says, reflecting on his frustrations with the manual process. “Once the data was organized, I had to do the same process 3 to 4 times. I’d print out a stack of checks, sign them, and go through the whole routine. I did this every Monday, and by the end of the day, I’d have to do it all over again because more bills would come in.”

John knew that if he wanted to continue growing National Foods Packaging without being bogged down by time-consuming manual tasks, he needed a system that could evolve alongside the company’s expanding operations. That’s when John decided to transition to Oracle NetSuite, a more robust enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform. During this process, KeyBank introduced him to the KeyBank ERP Plug-In, powered by FISPAN, which could streamline all the financial workflows John was struggling with.

Optimization gains from the KeyBank ERP Plug-In, powered by FISPAN

Once the KeyBank ERP Plug-In, powered by FISPAN, was implemented, National Foods Packaging saw immediate results in efficiency. The plug-in integrated seamlessly with NetSuite, automating many manual financial tasks. With the plug-in, National Foods Packaging no longer had to worry about manual check payments, reconciliation delays, or the inefficiencies of ACH processing.

• Simplified Payments: The KeyBank ERP Plug-In allowed John to save vendor profiles, set payment preferences (e.g., check or ACH), and automate payment processes. This meant that instead of spending hours every week printing and signing checks, he could pay vendors in just a few clicks, saving valuable time.
• Efficient Reconciliation: The KeyBank ERP Plug-In also brought a new level of automation to the bank reconciliation process, significantly reducing the time spent manually uploading and matching transactions. Now, National Foods Packaging receives daily updates and notifications, with 99% of transactions automatically matched, saving hours of work each month.
• Streamlined ACH Payments: The KeyBank ERP Plug-In allowed National Foods Packaging to streamline ACH payments by eliminating the need to log into the bank’s website and re-enter payment details. This reduced the potential for errors and sped up the payment process, allowing John to approve payments from anywhere.

“The KeyBank ERP Plug-In was simple and intuitive—it’s as easy as ordering on Amazon. I’m surprised more businesses aren’t leveraging this solution.” — John Pallas

 

“I went from paying once a week to almost every day,” John says. “I can now pay 5 bills a day instead of 50 at the end of the week. And I don’t even need to be in the office to do it—I can manage everything from my laptop, even while I’m in Greece for six weeks every summer.”

The automation offered a seamless way to manage payments, reconcile accounts, and integrate with Oracle NetSuite, allowing John to focus on higher-level operations instead of spending hours on manual tasks. This was a turning point for National Foods Packaging, and John knew that embracing this solution would be key to scaling the business effectively.

For John, the KeyBank ERP Plug-In, powered by FISPAN, has become indispensable. “When evaluating potential banks, my first question is always, ‘Do you have FISPAN?’ If the answer is no, I don’t consider them further,” he says. “I don’t want to return to the time-consuming, manual processes that FISPAN has helped eliminate.”

FISPAN & KeyBank’s Role in Empowering ERP Banking Solutions 

FISPAN and KeyBank have teamed up to provide embedded banking solutions for businesses looking to streamline their financial operations and improve efficiency. By integrating banking services directly into ERP and accounting systems, the KeyBank ERP Plug-In, powered by FISPAN, eliminates the need for manual processes and enhances financial workflows.

FISPAN is a leading fintech company that seamlessly integrates banks with their clients’ ERP and accounting systems. Founded in 2016, FISPAN provides ERP banking solutions that eliminate the complexities and frustrations of traditional banking services. By embedding banking services directly into ERP and accounting software, FISPAN streamlines financial workflows, reduces errors, and enhances efficiency for businesses.

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