TomCarter’s story:


“We had a small garage owner thatwe couldn’t turn. Theywouldn’t buy our tickets.Our sales manager visited themregularly, but to no avail. When he retired, Iwent there and pulled into the garage, parked andwent to the office. The owner smiled andwe talked. Iwalked outwith an order. She later toldme that the previous salesman had always parked on the street. She didn’twant to do businesswith someonewho didn’t do businesswith her. All that and she validatedmy ticket, too.”


Roy Carter’s story:


“Tomand Iwere staying at a resort hotel in Col- orado.We spoke to themanager and found that they reprinted their roomcards four times a year (tomake the graphics seasonal). Their cur- rent vendor required that they order 5,000 (cards). They threwmost of themaway.We asked howmany they actually used. They told us, andwe had a newcustomer.”


comes from the fact that the original Grant’s father served under and had great admiration for Ulysses S. Grant.” AfterWorldWar II, the use of the automobile took off, and


the need for more formal parking arrangements skyrocketed. “Operators opened up parking lots and they needed tickets,” Roy said. “We were there to provide them.” “It’s a specialtymarketwithmany variables, and the supplier


must be able to react quickly to its needs.” “It would be almost impossible for a company to break into


the parking ticket printing business today,” Roy said. “The three major suppliers in the U.S. – Digital, Southland and Toledo – have excellent reputations and provide good service and quality products. “We three also have good working relationships,” he said.


Other companies would have a very difficult time, indeed.” “The NPA (National ParkingAssociation) has always been


close to our hearts,” Roy said. “We are its biggest commercial sponsor and spend quite a lot of time being involved in its activi- ties, traveling toWashington,DC, for boardmeetings, the nation- al conventions, and the winter boardmeetings.” “The key to sales in a commodity business is relationships,”


he said. “We don’t just put our toes in thewater but jump in com- pletely. Price, quality and delivery are important, butmany of our customers have become our friends. Look in our booth at the NPA or IPI (shows), you will see people who come by and just hang out.” “Sponsorships are important to us,” Tom Carter said. “We


just finished helping with the NationalValet ParkingAssocia- tion’s Valet Olympics, and we are involved in many parking organizations across the country.”


TomCarter, Toledo Ticket VP standing, and Roy Carter, President. “Parking is by far our largest business,” Tom said, “but we


also print coupon books (for toll bridges and roads), tickets for sporting events, coupons for raffles for churches and fire depart- ments.We print a large number ofmagnetic cards for hotels.” “We produce tickets by the millions,” Tom said, “but we are


also a customhouse.” Customers want printing to be unique to their business. Pro-


motion and advertising on tickets has to be current.The company that reacts to the needs of themarket will do well. “Ticket counterfeiting became a new struggle as entertain-


ment prices became more expensive, making precise house counts necessary,”Tomsaid. “We installed a newpresswith com- puter capabilities to remember the venue size and accommoda- tions tomeet that need.” As of 1977,ToledoTicketwas one of only a handful of firms


in the United States that printed nothing but tickets. In 1999, parking garages, bridges, subways and carnivals were still the “ticket” to success forToledo, despitemore competition. The five-generation family company was by then printing


tickets internationally inmore than 30 countries. It expanded and now has three pressrooms and runs two shifts. Presently, the company has 100-plus employees, partners


and reps; fourmanufacturing facilities; and 18 sales offices.Tole- do Ticket has more than 6,500 parking customers and 2,000 sports and entertainment clients. “We are proud of our reputation and our history,” Roy Carter said. “And we hope to continue it for another 100 years.”


PT JANUARY 2010 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com 31


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