It all started with an idea and a handful of employees in 2002. Now, Mercury Payment Systems employs more than 400 people and will process $18 billion in credit-card transactions for retailers and companies around the nation this year.

“We will be ranked among the top 20 companies in the U.S. that do this,” said Matt Taylor, chief executive officer.

The best part, Taylor said, “We generate revenue from all over the country and bring it to Durango.”

The company saw triple-digit growth rates during it’s first four years in business, and through the recession it has grown 30 percent to 40 percent each year. The 2010-2011 fiscal year is expected to yield similar results, Taylor said.

It’s the kind of business that could’ve been built anywhere, Taylor said. But the company’s founders, Jeff and Mark Katz, picked Durango for the quality of life they could get here while building the business.

And as it turned out, the men discovered that Durango is a “great place to build a business” thanks to the “very talented and accomplished work force” the area offers, Taylor said.

That’s because Durango’s lifestyle attracts “extremely passionate people” who want to call its mountains and valleys home. Passionate people tend to accomplish great things, and Mercury Payment Systems has seen great success by “tapping into that high quality labor pool,” Taylor said.

Mercury Payment Systems expects to hire an additional 50 employees next year.