Curtis Hennigar

Key Considerations When Applying for a Small Business Award

Curtis Hennigar studied business at Broward community college and has served as owner of CAH Palm Beach since 1982. Under the direction of Curtis Hennigar, CAH Palm Beach provides valet parking services in multiple locations across the USA and was the recipient of a Small Business of the Year award in 1998.

With many small business awards available, it can be difficult to choose which opportunities to apply for. However, business owners should avoid applying for every award and instead, focus on awards that will most positively impact their business if won.

Owners should determine how much exposure will be gained from winning a particular award and what the level of competition for winning it is to help them decide whether to apply for either a local, regional, or national award. Business owners are also wise to consider applying for an award that the competition has previously won, since winning the same award can provide an instant boost in their company’s credibility.

An ideal place to search for available business awards to apply for is within the same industry since industry organizations typically offer awards at regional and national levels in areas such as customer service and achievement. Other award opportunities may also be available through organizations including the local chamber of commerce and U.S. Small Business Administration. For more detailed information on small business awards available to apply for, owners may wish to consult the list published by Fundera.

Automated Valet Parking and its Benefits

An experienced business professional, Curtis Hennigar owns and operates Boca Raton, Florida-based CAH Palm Beach, a valet parking company in business since 1982. Under the direction of Curtis Hennigar, CAH Palm Beach provides valet parking services in several locations across the USA, such as Palm Beach, FL, Minneapolis, MN, St. Louis, MO, and Burlington, VT.

Like many industries, the valet parking industry has been impacted as a result of new technological developments, such as valet parking automation. A disruptive innovation, valet parking automation aims to simplify conventional parking without the need for a human driver to park a car in a specific space.

Automated valet parking uses a driver-less system to locate and park a vehicle and only requires a vehicle that utilizes the technology and a phone app to do so. This novel automated parking system resolves problems apparent in the conventional valet parking system by saving space, reducing vehicle damage incidence due to improper parking, and preventing theft by dishonest valet employees.

Tips for Small Business Owners

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A longtime entrepreneur based in southern Florida, Curtis Hennigar holds a business degree from Broward College. Since 1982, Curtis Hennigar has owned and operated CAH Palm Beach, a valet parking company with headquarters in Palm Beach and additional locations in Vermont, Missouri, and Minnesota. In 1998, the company earned recognition as a Small Business of the Year.

Being your own boss can be as stressful as it is rewarding. To minimize stress as a small business owner, consider the following tips:

1. Be specific. Clarify your focus, and stick to that. An overly broad or complicated business prospect can be confusing for your potential clients.

2. Calculate carefully. Be conservative as you estimate costs such as rent, materials, marketing, and supplies, and build in a significant cushion for unexpected expenses. Most small businesses take several years to begin making a profit.

3. Find support. Work with a business mentor or tap into a network of local business owners. Learning from people who are already running their own companies can go a long way in helping you prevent costly mistakes.

Small-Town Living in Lighthouse Point, Florida

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A business owner with more than three decades of experience in his South Florida community, Curtis Hennigar owns and manages CAH Palm Beach, a valet parking company. When he is not busy running the company, Curtis Hennigar enjoys boating and playing golf near his residence in the small community of Lighthouse Point.

Incorporated in 1956, the community of Lighthouse Point boasts a laid-back coastal lifestyle and a small-town feel. The community sits on land that was originally mangrove swamps and fertile farmland and now comprises quiet, tree-shaded neighborhoods. Approximately 80 percent of the residences are single-family homes, many of which face the waterfront.

Lighthouse Point has 18 miles of waterways, 13 miles of sidewalks and bike paths, and numerous cul-de-sacs that encourage pedestrian traffic and community living. The community is home to around 20 acres of parks and mini-parks. At the east of the city is the Intracoastal Waterway and the Hillsboro Lighthouse, while the western edge is marked by Federal Highway, which provides convenient access to popular restaurants and shopping centers.

How Valet Parking Firms Can Market Their Services

A longtime South Florida entrepreneur, Curtis Hennigar guides CAH Palm Beach, a valet parking service company that operates in Boca Raton and Palm Beach, Florida as well as St. Louis, Missouri, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Burlington, Vermont. For more than three decades, he has successfully directed operations across multiple locations building a robust business with emphasis on customer satisfaction. Over the years, Curtis Hennigar has consistently engineered the growth of the valet parking company.

For any valet parking company to achieve growth, a business should implement a robust business marketing plan to reach out to more customers, venture into new markets, as well as gain a competitive advantage in a market segment. To succeed, valet brands should use a multichannel marketing strategy to gain a noticeable presence in the marketplace. An effective strategy should ideally consist of both offline and online marketing initiatives.

To improve their presence and reach more customers, valet parking companies can add extra services that will help clients enjoy their parking experience. Some of the extra offerings can include VIP services, fluid topping, membership reward scheme, vacuuming, highlight security of parking locations as well as the inclusion of flowers and chocolate in the service. The goal should be to make the services as attractive as possible and if customers enjoy the new services, some of them can be included in the standard fee.

Mobile advertising is also a powerful tool valet companies can utilize to reach out to potential customers. Location-based advertising platforms, such as Google Nearby and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), can target locals who are looking for parking services. For instance, using Google Nearby, a business can craft a message advertising its parking services that will appear on customer’s mobile devices via a Google Nearby alert. BLE, on the other hand, taps into phones in which GPS is on and Bluetooth is enabled. Advertisers can include a ‘free valet’ option to attract nearby clients who’re looking for parking services.

Basic Tips for Aspiring Small Business Owners

Curtis Hennigar is the owner of CAH Palm Beach in Boca Raton, Florida, a valet parking company he established in 1977. The business has thrived over the last 43 years, expanding to multiple cities throughout the United States. In 1998, Curtis Hennigar received the Small Business of the Year award.

Starting a small business is a huge undertaking that requires numerous steps, considerable dedication, and a significant amount of time. Furthermore, the industry and the type of business will dictate further challenges and goals.

Many small businesses are launched based on an idea or product. While a quality product and a team passionate about that product are very important, many small business owners fail to put as much research into market conditions as they do the product. Not only is comprehensive market knowledge paramount to the success of a small business, but it can also reveal that, despite how interesting or useful a product is, there is no market for the service at all.

Another key consideration must be made in regards to a small business owner’s support team. While certain products and services can be largely maintained by a single person, it is typically unrealistic to assume that a person can successfully conceptualize, establish, and launch a new business all on their own. Support teams should offer both professional support and emotional assistance in times of need.

Finally, a small business owner must, unsurprisingly, work out a sound business model. Again, an individual may have a great product and an understanding of all relevant markets, but without a concise business plan, taking a product to market will be a disaster at best and, more likely, an impossibility.

Strategies for Increasing the Business of Your Valet Service

Man’s hand is cleaning and waxing the car

Drawing on over 30 years of industry experience, Chris Hennigar owns and operates valet parking companies in three states. Chris Hennigar started his first business in 1982, and it went on to receive a Small Business of the Year Award in 1998.

Like any business, valet parking companies can employ certain strategies to become more competitive. One of the major selling points for a valet company is offering customers extra car services along with parking. Amenities like washing and detailing, vacuuming, and rewards programs can help set your business apart from competitors.

Another is partnering with local noncompeting businesses. Offering promotional items or deals from businesses in the area creates value for customers and helps the partnering businesses while creating relationships in the community.

Also advisable is creating a system by which you receive client feedback, such as through short surveys. Providing strong service is a matter of meeting client expectations, and you can’t do that unless you know what those expectations are.

How Small Business Awards Can Benefit Your Business

South Florida entrepreneur Curtis Hennigar owns and operates CAH Palm Beach, which provides customers with a range of valet parking services. Since its founding in 1982, CAH Palm Beach has continued to offer exceptional service to clients, and was recognized as the Small Business of the Year in 1998, an honor it achieved in part due to the oversight of owner and operator Curtis Hennigar.

For many small businesses, it might seem like too much extra work to apply for small business awards. After all, small business owners are usually quite busy owning and operating their businesses. But the truth is that your company can benefit from these awards in a number of important ways:

1. Press recognition – Winning an award means that your business is going to get more attention in the press. Many winners receive press opportunities, including a mention in local or national news, which can bring your company to the attention of customers it might not have reached otherwise.

2. Bragging rights – Awards are a great way to attract the attention of new customers who will be impressed by the accolade next to the name of your business. Today, more customers than ever make decisions about companies before they ever leave their houses, by searching for businesses on sites like Google and looking for reviews. When an award pops up next to a business, they might be even more likely to seek you out.

3. Financial opportunities – Many small business awards come with financial awards of some kind, whether in the form of a grant, cash prize, or other award. You may also have a chance to receive some industry perks, such as free hotel stays or admission to a conference (since many awards are sponsored by other organizations). This can be a great benefit for your business as well.

Motivating Employees to Succeed

Curtis Hennigar is the owner of CAH Palm Beach, a valet parking company based in Florida. In this capacity, Curtis Hennigar oversees employees and management teams at all locations.

An essential part of being a business owner is motivating employees to succeed in their projects and tasks. This often goes beyond hiring top talent and paying them competitive salaries.

Here are several things business owners can do to help employees feel motivated:

– Create a welcoming workplace.

When employees go to a boring workplace every day, they experience a drop in motivation. For this reason, business owners should create spaces that allow employees to relax and socialize with colleagues. Although creating a place for employees to de-stress may seem counterproductive, this balance in the work environment helps employees stay engaged and productive.

– Recognize employee accomplishments.

Employees who do well often do not get the attention of their boss or manager. This lack of recognition does not motivate employees to continue working hard for a company. Business owners should recognize employee accomplishments and appreciate the role those accomplishments play in helping a company grow and succeed.

– Give employees room to grow.

Doing the same task day in and day out stifles employee motivation by creating boredom and making employees feel uninspired. However, employees should have the room to grow along with a company. This means giving employees more responsibility to keep them engaged and demonstrate that their expertise is trusted. It may also involve advanced training so employees can expand their skills.

Tipping Etiquette for Valet Parking

Boca Raton, Florida resident Curtis Hennigar is an avid traveler and successful entrepreneur. Curtis Hennigar is the owner of the valet parking company, CAH Palm Beach, which he founded in 1982.

Valet parking broadly refers to any service that provides parking for clients, rather than self-parking. Valet services, which are often found at upscale restaurants and hotels among other businesses, sometimes requires customers to pay a fee. In other cases, valet parking is provided by an establishment to customers free of charge.

In either case, it is considered common courtesy to tip valet drivers for the service they provide. The amount of the tip itself varies widely, anywhere between $2 and $10. However, the tip should reflect the quality of the service and the vehicle itself. For example, parking a luxury vehicle may return a higher tip compared to an economy car. In addition, tips may be provided to the valet who parks the vehicle as well as the valet who brings the vehicle back if they are different people. In the case of bad service, a lower tip is called for but no tip at all is very uncommon.