Leticia Barwick
Leticia Barwick, with an illustrious 35-year career in the industry, is the owner of Meritum, a credit card processing company. Proud to be a local and family-owned business, Meritum stands as a testament to her commitment to her community. Beyond her professional success, Leticia's heart belongs to travel, her creative passion for scrapbooking, cherishing precious moments with loved ones, and her unwavering love for the Dodgers. She also has a passion for cigars, which she enjoys in her leisure time. She's a distinguished member of the Gilbert Leadership Class 23. Leticia's six-year tenure on the Gilbert Leadership Board underscores her commitment to fostering growth and unity within her community.
Episode Transcription
Guiding Growth. Conversations with Community Leaders. In this podcast, we'll explore the human journey of leaders. There are stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks, and lessons learned, come join us as we journey together and uncover the questions you've always wanted to know. This podcast is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, providing resources, connections and belonging for business professionals and modern moments, an event and meeting venue in the heart of Gilbert. OK. Here we go. Some days you're gifted with a really great blessing of a day and this would be one of them.
This is one of those days. Why? Well, we have a very special guest. She grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and she's one of seven. At the age of 27, she moved to Mexico City to immerse herself in the Spanish language. Then returned home where she entered the merchant processing industry. Years later, she launched her own business and got married in the same week today. She is known for her entrepreneurialism, her support of small businesses, women and veterans and her love for the Dodgers. Please welcome Gilbert Leadership graduate and owner of maritime credit card processing Leticia Barwick, welcome.
Thank you. I need to carry you in my back pocket and just let you do an intro. Everywhere I go you go. Fun places. So I'll go in your back pocket. That is one of Sarah's hidden talents is this word thing. It's pretty good. It's really good. Thank you. You made me sound very i it came from you. Let's start with what we call rapid fire. All right, Sarah, Would you rather find your dream job or win the lottery, win the lottery? Good choice. What is your guilty pleasure?
Would you rather host a party for all of your friends or enjoy a dinner for two, a party with all my friends? What's on your nightstand? A charger? A charger. Last TV. Show you binge watched? Oh, this is embarrassing. I binge watched all 23 seasons of Beverly Hills. 22, why is that? Because by season six I was done. But I had to, because I wanted to see how it ended. Ok. So I know I just started watching the first episode of folding laundry this weekend. So she's got a, yeah, it's a lot of wasted hours fill in the blank.
Success is honestly the first thing that came to mind was I thought beautiful. And I know this sounds horrible. But what song Makes You smile? Anything by Tom Petty? Are you more cautious or bold? Combination of both? Depends on what it is right in the middle. Ok. What is your favorite rainy day activity? Staying home, watching a movie. Last question. What is one thing? Only one thing you were grateful for my life? Yeah, absolutely. That's a great thing to be grateful for. This podcast is brought to you by Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, recognized as one of the top 211 best hospitals by health grades.
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center is a full service acute care not for profit community Hospital, providing exceptional health care to the East Valley with a staff of 227 employees and 400 volunteers. Patients can expect the expertise of more than 900 physicians representing all major specialties. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center is proud to be part of the local community and an award winning employer, learn more at dignity health dot org forward slash Arizona. So let's go back a few years, just a few. And let's talk about the beginnings of your childhood and talk about your family.
Like, what was that like where you grew up and tell us a little story about that, would you? So I grew up in a small city, Pick Rivera, which is about 20 minutes from downtown Los Angeles. And actually life was great there. You know, growing up your friends, you go out and play very much like all all those little things you read on Facebook where they're talking about how you grew up when the lights came on, you had to go home that's, that's the way I grew up and it was really nice.
It was a first generation Hispanics that live there mostly. And I, every time I go back there I, I smile, I, I had a great life growing up. Unfortunately, you know, parents get divorced. I was 11. But I'm grateful we got to stay in the house and we still live there and lived there till I was 30. That's awesome. When you go back now, do you see similar or has it changed completely? It's so funny because I drove by the house about maybe a year ago and it looks so different.
It just looks so different. I wanted to knock on the door and I thought they're gonna think I'm a weirdo, but I still have a really good, my best, best friend. I mean, I still go see her all the time. We go to Dodger Games. She comes out here. So I go back home quite often. And you were, you have two older siblings, one older sibling. I have an older brother and then I'm the second child and then my youngest one was Victor and then my dad remarried and then he had four additional Children.
So school, let's talk about that a little bit. Like, did you go to school in L A then as well or did you, were you? Well, interestingly enough. And I get asked this question about where did you go to college? I didn't go to college. I'm basically, life has taught me everything I know and going out there. And, um, I was, I did graduate from school, obviously from high school there in Rancho High School. And then I moved to Mexico City for a year and then I came back and I was like, what do I do now?
I didn't want to do anything. Well, let's talk about what makes you want to move to Mexico City. I know you want to learn the language. But I mean, I'm sure there is books, probably not apps, but you probably didn't have to go to Mexico City. So I spoke Span, obviously I grew up speaking Spanish and I had family. I have family there. I had an aunt that I was very close to and it just see like something fun to do and to do it. Well, I think about it now and I meet 18 year olds and I think what is that?
Like that was? How did I think I could do that? But I went there and here's the funny thing and this is a true story. I go there. I'm hanging out for like a month or two and then I'm bored. So like, I gotta get to get a job. So I'm like, ok, my uncle's like, you can't get a job, you need to have a permit. And I really said this, you guys go over there and get jobs. Why can't I come here and get a job.
What was his reaction to that? He laughed and he said, he laughed and he said, ok, so I went out and I saw in the newspaper that they wanted someone that spoke English. So I showed up and keep in mind at this point, it's been two or three months and I had not spoken and being in English. So when they asked me a question, I just, and they just said, oh, yeah, she speaks English and I got to go and stay there for another 113 months and then it was time to come home.
I said I'd go for a year and I went for a year and came back. So it was great when you think back before you did the Mexico thing, people that inspired you that, that kind of guided you mentored you who comes to mind. You know, I always think about um growing up, both my father and my uncle were both entrepreneurs, families always owned. Um, there was a restaurant, my uncle owned a dairy, um they owned apartment buildings and they just were always doing little adventures. And I found that very inspiring.
It taught me to want to work for myself. And then I had a lot of cousins that started their own businesses and I was kind of watching and seeing how that was going. I thought, you know, I, I was born to do this, that inspired me. Family inspired me. All right. So now we're going to talk about after you got back. Was it, what did you do? Then I went into the travel industry for a couple of years and then I met someone that, a boy that could sell anything and he got into the credit card industry and then I started working with him, started a company with him.
And then eventually when I turned, like, I think it was like 31 or 32. I decided that I wanted to venture on my own. I put in a lot of time, uh worked a lot of hours, did a lot of stuff and I learned what I wanted to do and not do. And so I ventured on my own and you both know David and he's my business partner and ex-husband. But the great thing is that I love telling the story because I was, he, he pushed me and really said, come on, you need to do this on your own, get started.
So I did everything to start the business. And at that time, we used to do mailers and my first mailer was going to go out on Friday. And that Tuesday before 10 o'clock in the morning, he proposed and at 10 o'clock at night, we were in Las Vegas getting married. That's crazy. So we started the business and marriage at the same time. That's kind of easy to keep the anniversaries equal. You know, look back at that time in your life now time has passed. What are some of the lessons learned?
What do you look back on and you think I learned so much from that time? Well, the funny thing is I remember always telling David, remember this, remember how we're living right now. Remember this? Because there's gonna come a time where we're going to take our success for granted and we're not going to remember what we, what we struggled through. And that's kind of like what I always pause and think back as like, OK, remember how it was before? Remember the struggles? Remember everyone that said you couldn't and you can.
And so those are the kind of things I think about mostly when I think back at that time, it's more of a, I'm grateful, I'm grateful and I try not to forget the struggles because they make me who I am today. Yeah, absolutely. And you said now ex-husband, but still a business partner, which is something I've admired as you've walked through this journey as well. So David is very much part of my life and will be forever. And I, we kind of joke around and say that we should be like the poster to post your kids for separation because we are really good friends.
Um He's currently traveling, he's in Thailand and he called me a couple of nights ago. We did facetime and we, you know, he told me all about his adventures and what was going on and talked to business and what needed to be done. And I'm very grateful to have met Dave to have had him in my life and one of us is going to bury the other one. Well, I love it. What, why cigars? Where did that come from? And so I was introduced to cigars, um, by David when he and I first started dating and then I really didn't pick it up.
And then, like, right before COVID, I got invited to go to Fox Cigar Lounge. And I was like, oh, let's go. So I went, and I said, oh, all right, let me try a cigar and then I kind of enjoyed it and then it just went from there. Ok. So, and, um, I've, I've had a lot of fun and so, so when Steve and I travel, we try to stop at a cigar lounge everywhere we go and just to see something different. So it's, it's, I've met a lot of fun people and it's been very interesting to see how much business is done at a cigar lounge.
I would not disagree with that a lot. It's not just golf. So, who's Steve? Steve? You travel with Steve? Who's that? So, Steve is my significant other. And, um, we, we met at Fox Cigar. So, yeah, so we enjoy cigars and traveling and life is good. Life is really good. And he's friends with Dave. That's the question. I get to honestly, like, really he helped Dave move. I think that says a lot about my relationship with Dave and that Dave, you know, and it's, it's not easy.
I mean, you, I think you work at it, you work at it. But I really believe and I always told David this God forbid that if we ever separated, you will always be my friend unless you choose not to be because I kind of feel like you, you get married, you're so in love, right? Everything is great and then, yeah, things happen, you go your own way, whatever happens. But that doesn't mean that love just disappears. I mean, it shouldn't become hatred or anger. I understand when things happen that are awful and I understand all that stuff but it wasn't like that with me and Dave and I just, there's no anger or hate so I'm good for you. Yeah.
So, Steve has been very positive in my life. He's a good guy. So if you guys ever want to have a cigar, we know who to call. Yeah. Yeah. Plus, you know, we're starting a women's cigar thing. There you go. Well, we'll see if it hits. It would be great. I just, we just figured it would be something different, something fun, you know, couple of passions business and cigars. What could go wrong? I can't think of a thing. Right? Ben is gonna want to know if he can come to women only right now, why are we?
We should be inclusive, right. We, we just having that conversation now. I am sure eventually, um, it'll open up, I think right now we're just trying to, I want to encourage women to come out because people think men want to come to cigars. That's awesome. I remember when you guys were first starting and you moved to Gilbert. That's when we first met. Then you're the first person I met on the chamber. I think that's right. Yeah. Yeah, I think so. And we got to help. We're blessed to be able to help you guys with little things here and there for your businesses.
And so it's been a fun journey to watch for sure. As you guys have grown up, the first one, you me and you joined anyway, I stayed, she joined, she stayed that at uh one of the events that with the multi chamber. Yeah. Yeah. Ok. So why Gilbert? Like why move to Gilbert? I'm going to tell you the story. OK. So David and I decided that we wanted to move out of Los Angeles and we said crazy idea. Let's go to every state and see which one we like.
So one day I'm on the internet messing around and I see this beautiful house in Anthem North and I said, let's go check it out. Let's just go. So we flew out here, had a real city. Did you meet us? And I hated it. I mean, like we were going to houses and like, you know, I just, we were, we were both just do not like this. She said, well, I think you should go check out Gilbert and Chandler. They're really building out in the East Valley and I see a lot of young families going out there.
You should check it out. So, the next morning we got up and I said, Dave, my favorite show at the time was Friends and Chandler is my favorite character. I said I can't be somewhere where there's a Chandler and let's not go there. So we have to go. It's calling you. So we did, we came, you know, started driving around and seeing and kind of fell into Gilbert and we liked it. We went back home and then everything there was just so expensive for real estate and people were fighting for houses.
And I said, you know what I really liked Gilbert and something says that's home and we can pick our house, have it built the way we want, why not? And that's what brought us back and then we had no idea what Gilbert was going to be or anything. We just picked Gilbert, we just liked it and then come to find out that it was the fastest growing city and just went from there was there a close second. Had you not come to Gilbert? Where were you going to go there?
At all, at all. This is home. This is definitely home. Everything that we've done and life that's been created here is beautiful. I can't, I think that was a struggle that Dave and I had in conversations where he would say like, where do you want to retire? What do you mean where you found your place? Right. So now I see him going to Thailand and I'm like, well, I guess he really wanted to leave. So you came here and who I mean, we know the story that you met me of course, and that's how you got started and all the things with Rosie.
But as you were growing your business, tell me about the people that were influencing you along that way that helped guide you guys in this beautiful town that we live in. Other than be, here's the thing I've never told you this, but you are a big impact and I know that you're saying other than Ben. But I always tell people when we talk about Ben, I always say, you know what? He's the first person I met and he has no idea how much he did for my business.
He, you introduced me to a lot of people that help grow my business and it taught me so much. So I am forever grateful to you that I've never told you that I always thought it was the kids you liked. I didn't realize it was actually me. That's pretty cool. Now, it was, you were a big impact in my life of business wise here in Gilbert. And I appreciate that. And I always, I always say that I always give you credit, but it's the first time I've ever been able to tell you and now you do that for other people.
I don't know. I hope so. I try, I try. And of course, Sarah, then I met you. That's ok. Ben can have this one. I helped you. Not in business, in friendship. You've been a good friend? Yeah. Ok. Well, so going past me then let's talk about the other folks that helped you out because there are more, well, maybe not that one I have to think about because I, I'm being like, not trying to butter your toast. I always think of you. And I really mean that, um, no, I've actually, I've had a lot of great friendships and a lot of, I, I seem to pull myself towards ladies, but I have three girlfriends that I get together with pretty regularly.
Business women and they're really good friends, they're strong business women. And I have learned a lot from them. They guide me. That's kind of what I was wondering because I know 20 plus years of business you've run through a lot of challenges and a lot of hurdles and so maybe there's some nuggets of wisdom there that you can share. Yeah. So whenever I run into anything business wise where I'm really stuck. Or as business owners, sometimes we don't like to reach out and ask for help of other business owners because sometimes we get a little embarrassed and we think like, oh, maybe it's just me. Right.
Maybe it's just me and that, but that's what's really good about. And I highly encourage anybody to associate yourself with people, business people that can, you can learn from because you can lean on them. So I always go to Amy Naor Adrianne Lynch and Holly Petrosky. Those three ladies have been fundamental in mentoring me, pushing me. And when I'm stuck, they show up and here's the beauty of that. None of them come are in an industry that even remotely relate to what you do, right? And yet that's the whole beauty of building a network and building relationship or even Ben.
I mean, when you first met Ben, I'm sure that you had to initially work to find like, what is it that we might have in common? And then all of a sudden just through conversation, you grow and you learn and you facilitate each others. I was prepared for a zinger there. It didn't happen. That's good. Um Now they've been, they've been fundamental in my life and I appreciate those friendships very much. You know, they're the ones that without you realizing that you need someone to show up at your door and come get you.
Those are the friends you want surround yourself with positive people. I like that. All right. So now let's take a little ahead. Where are we headed with the business? Where are you headed with life right now? What's, what's on the horizon that you can see or visualize? Well, I'm 55. I've been doing this for 35 years and I've been thinking seriously thinking that maybe I have maybe another 55 to 7 years and then I want to retire. Yeah, I, I kind of starting to see that. I want to just do things.
What does retirement look like? Travel, just travel. You go chase. Yeah, I'll say, I'll say, hey, where did you go? What didn't you like? Where should I stay away from? You? Give me your itinerary man. I need to know, you know, my dream thing if I won the lottery and I could do anything I want, I would do the cruise around the world. And that takes, I think I've been told 1 to 2 years and I would be gone. And I mean, I check in with people, but that would, that is my dream.
That is my biggest bucket list. That's an amazing dream. So I gotta win the lottery. So then you're probably thinking now about like, what does it take to sell the business or something like that? Or I won't sell the business? Yeah, because the business will run by itself. We can hand it off to the bank. And stuff to do customer service and everything would be fine. I mean, we could, I could still handle a lot of customer service, even retired and it's, my business is a residual business.
That's amazing. That's great. What else you got, Sarah? I got a lot of things. I want to ask why the Dodgers. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but I been going to the Dodger Games since I was, who are you going to the Dodgers game with my dad and my brothers and my cousins? You know, so that was a big thing growing up Dodger games. I do like that on social every once in a while. I see you and all the Dodgers, you know, paraphernalia you wear at the, at the stadium and I'm like, well, that's kind of normal around here.
Well, here's the thing and I get picked on because I, I always say the Dodger game, it's a Diamondback game when they're playing the Dodgers. It's a Dodger game. Yeah, except for this year. They actually pretty good. Yeah, but there's a lot of, there's a lot of season left and, uh, listen, I, I always root for the Diamondbacks just not when it's against the Dodgers. So. Well, that's fair. We all have our teams for sure. What's your team? Oh, I don't have, I don't have a team but everybody else does, but I'm gonna go to Boston to Fenway to see the Dodgers play.
In three weeks. Ok. That's awesome. Big bucket list item there too. Yeah. Chase them around the country as well. Yeah, that's been a thought. Yeah, I think that would be fun to do too. One of the fun things I think. Yeah, I would love that. Well, I'm going to tell you, I am grateful for knowing you and for the contributions that you provide to the community and to the chamber. You do great things and you set a great example of leadership in the business community. Thank you.
Thank you. It's very kind. Well, thank you for sharing your story and for being with us today. This has been a good conversation and I love to. Yes, it has. It has. I've learned quite a bit. II, I got a lot of kudos. This is pretty good for me. Actually, I'll, I'll be starring this 11 every 27 episodes, but that's fine. You can take what you get right. So if you've enjoyed this show, which I know you did because this has been a great one for me, join our tribe, subscribe and get all these emails when we send out the notifications of the next episode.
Thanks for being here, guiding growth, conversations with community leaders. Ben, let me ask you a question. How do you see other community members being involved in this podcast? This is going to be a great opportunity for so many people in the community to have a chance to be heard if they want to tell their story or if they just want to be part of this journey with us and help sponsor it in a way that helps bring more people to the table with us. So I think there's many opportunities at hand whether you want to again be on the show, reach out to us, let us know what your story is and how you think you could be part of it.
We'd love to hear from you. Reach out, let us know and we'll see if we can make that connection.
