Abacoa & Alton Neighbors - January 2026

COVER FEATURE A t just 26 years old, Blake Perez speaks about leadership, business ethics, and personal growth with the calm certainty of someone twice his age. A Partner Sales Manager at Jupiter Payments, Perez has quickly become one of the company’s most visible and trusted advocates, embodying the culture of discipline, transparency, and merchant- first service that has defined the payment processing firm since its creation. “Leaders show up every single day, whether they want to or not, and they give it 110 percent,” Blake said. “It’s not about the tangibles, it’s who you are as a person and why people gravitate to you.” To understand Perez’s leadership style, it helps to understand Jupiter Payments, because the company’s values are central to his own. The business was founded by industry veterans Colton and Vickie Partlow, who spent close to 15 years with Heartland Payments, one of the largest players in the payment processing space. “Bob Carr (the previous CEO of Heartland Payments) paved the industry and taught agents the philosophy of advocating for merchants—being transparent, providing no contracts, no cancellation fees, guaranteeing rates for life,” Perez explained. “The big thing was protecting a merchant, providing them a long-term home.” Blake Perez PARTNER SALES MANAGER - JUPITER PAYMENTS – By Dan Hauser – – Photos by Neil Cohen Photography – PROFILES OF LEADERSHIP 8 A B A C O A & A LT O N N E I G H B O R S | J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6