Background
Built as the world ’ s most secure valet key storage solution , Valet Vault is the brainchild of Zach Wojohn , a more-than-twenty-year veteran of the parking industry and owner of Executive Parking Systems in Atlanta , GA . Zach , along with his business and fabrication partner , Grant Henry of Henry Incorporated , designed and engineered the Valet Vault system in early 2020 . Since then , he has sold them to a number of the larger parking companies , restaurants , car dealerships , airports and hotels around the country . The product garnered industry attention so quickly that Valet Vault is fulfilling orders to both U . S . coasts and multiple points in between , and is fielding product information requests from Brazil , New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates .
The Challenge
For decades , when it came to storing and protecting customers ’ car keys , valet parking operators had few options . Nearly all relied on what is essentially a standard file cabinet , fashioned from 16-gauge steel . But , with valet attendants opening and slamming cabinet doors hundreds or even thousands of times each day , cabinet doors bent easily , and , in normal weather environments tended to rust out in fewer than two years . Moreover , because key cabinets were designed using standard-grade locks , they were easy for thieves to penetrate using little more than household hand tools .
Replacing today ’ s high-tech keys and computerized fobs can cost
up to $ 1,000 for standard model vehicles , with replacement keys for luxury and sport vehicles , such as Porsche and Maserati , costing thousands of dollars . That means one breached valet podium could cost as much as a quarter of a million dollars just to replace stolen keys . This does not even begin to address the cost , hassle and tarnished business reputation resulting when vehicles themselves are stolen .
The Solution
Valet Vault exemplifies the adage , “ Necessity is the mother of invention .” Wojohn explains , Every week , valet parking businesses like mine were experiencing thousands of dollars in losses – sometimes multiple days in a row , because the valet cabinets we relied on were so flimsy . We needed to find a solution that was virtually indestructible but also easy for property owners and valet attendants to use , and one that could adapt to our plans for future cabinet enhancements .”
The Valet Vault cabinet is constructed of industrial-grade reinforced aluminum and integrates several patent-pending technologies including a springloaded , self-closing door , a “ Defender Plate ” welded to the frame reinforcing the door against up to 1,000 lbs . of pull , and a “ Vault Plate ” separating the storage drawer from key storage , which creates a vault for the keys . But one component makes this vault superior to all others – the lock .
“ One component makes this vault superior to all others – the lock .”
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