The Original Nine - Southland Printing

June, 2021

Parking Today sat with Southland Printing’s Jay Manno. Southland was PT’s first advertiser. Here’s what he said:

It’s about Covid – we have, like virtually all businesses round the country, seen a decrease over the past year. We have had to watch our spending, but frankly in the past few weeks, we have seen an increase in business. We have seen a lot of turnaround. We have a new direction, but we aren’t forgetting where we came from. It’s a company that my grandfather started, and we are honoring those values and that history. 

But times are changing, and we have to be super aggressive out there. 

We have a competitive product at a competitive price. We feel we make the best ticket in the industry. 

I learned from my grandparents and parents that nothing will be given to me. That you have to work for success. I started here when I was 16 years old, cleaning presses. I watched my grandparents and my parents and how they worked, and I want to emulate them in every way. 

I watched my grandparents
and my parents and
how they worked, and I want to emulate them in every way.

I come in here every day and don’t want to let them down. We have been here for 60 years and I want it to be here for another 60, so I have something to leave my children. I have had the opportunity to work with some fantastic people, and they have showed me a lot, from when I was 16 until today. 

And I continue to learn, every day. My wife, Clarissa, and I have four children and I’m excited to bring them into Southland and hopefully prepare them to continue my grandfather’s legacy. 

Times and technology do change, but there is still a huge need for tickets. We have customers that order millions and millions of tickets each year. I see that can change, but it will change slowly. Ticketless parking is coming in some areas, but slowly. 

It’s a big marketplace out there. We have to be ready for changes, but we have to know that there will be a market for tickets in parking.

We have to keep our eye on the future and be flexible enough to pivot as necessary, and we are, through our R and D operations being certain that when the time comes, we will be ready.

The biggest changes I see at Southland in the coming months is hiring, particularly in our sales department. We have two strong sales managers now, and I look forward to increasing our staff and continuing our aggressive marketing.

We have continued to support our IT operations and have a number of projects looking toward the use of technology in garage access and fee collection. I think that partnerships are important. We have been discussing the importance of partnering with companies that take different approaches to parking.

I look forward to getting out and travelling, going to trade shows, and actually talking, face to face, with our customers, potential customers, and our competitors too. We will be on the front row at PIE with you in July, and will be attending every event possible after that. 

Vaccines are making a difference, and business is opening up. We are looking forward to travelling and meeting with those who make our business possible.