With its airport lockers still mostly shut down, White-Bear Lake-based Smarte Carte has got rolling on new business opportunities, including airport charging stations for cell phones.
And CEO Ed Rudis expects Smarte Carte's new owner, Macquarie Bank Ltd. of Australia, will foster the company's growth plans.
"It's committed to allowing us to follow our growth strategy, expand in our core markets and introduce new products and services,'' he said.
Macquarie said Sunday that it is buying the company from Black Diamond Capital Management in a $270 million deal. Black Diamond acquired Smarte Carte last fall in a prepackaged bankruptcy in which Smarte Carte shed some $160 million in debt.
Smarte Carte provides baggage cart, locker and stroller services at more than 1,000 airports, train stations, bus terminals, shopping centers and entertainment facilities around the world.
The firm's rentable strollers, which debuted last year, are now in about 280 U.S. malls.
At airports, Smarte Carte is deploying self-service kiosks to help travelers who find they're packing items they can't take through airport security checks. At "Mail Safe Express" kiosks, now available at about two-dozen airports, they can mail such items to themselves.
And the company is introducing self-service kiosks that allow road warriors to charge up their cell phones, Blackberries and PDAs, at $3 a shot. "Smarte Charge" kiosks are now in the Seattle and Akron, Ohio, airports.
Meanwhile, growth opportunities for its cart business are strong, especially internationally, said Rudis.
"We continue to do well with the carts,'' he said. "The business tends to follow (air passenger) traffic and it was up in 2005."
Privately held Smarte Carte does not disclose its revenue or earnings. It employs about 1,300 people including 81 in White Bear Lake.
The September 2001 terrorist attacks devastated its airport locker business. Before the attacks, Smarte Carte had some 3,300 coin-operated lockers at about 50 airports. Security officials closed the lockers, fearing they could be used in attacks. That cost the company about $400,000 a month and pushed it toward an eventual bankruptcy.
Smarte Carte has reopened lockers at just three airports, including Minneapolis-St. Paul. Atlanta will open soon, said Rudis.
Meanwhile, its locker business at ski resorts, amusement parks and other venues remains strong, he said.
Martin J. Moylan can be reached at 651-228-5479 or [email protected].
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