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Parking with heart.

Peoria-based parking management company finds its niche in a sea of franchises.

In an industry dominated by national giants, a family-owned central Illinois company has discovered the secret to thriving as an independent parking lot manager — strong customer relationships.

The Greer family has deep roots in the parking industry, dating back to 1955 when Randy Greer took a job in Peoria, IL, at a company that what would later become Heartland Parking, Inc., the nation’s largest parking management company.

“This was a huge conglomerate, traded on the stock exchange,” explained Randy’s son, Charlie, who took lead of the family business in and who has served as CEO since 2004. “As a national organization, it focused on large cities. It didn’t care much about smaller communities like Peoria, where my father had managed operations since 1969.”

In addition to Peoria, Heartland Parking soon expanded into nearby Normal, Champaign, and Bloomington, Illinois. Its portfolio grew to include 32 parking operations and a growing range of services — from parking lot management, billing and collections to snow removal and landscaping. Heartland also started selling parking kiosks, gates and automated parking equipment to lot owners and operators across the Midwest.

“Our success is built on working in places where we can build lasting relationships with our customers,” Charlie said.

Adapting to automation.

One of Heartland’s longest-standing relationships is with Commerce Bank, where Charlie’s father began banking in the 1970s, back when the bank operated under a different name. After serving the Greer’s regional business for many years, Commerce became Heartland’s bank of record in 2008.

During this time, automation link opens to a Commerce Bank page has transformed both the parking and banking sectors.

“In the early days, a cashier in a booth greeted every customer and collected cash payments,” said Holly Greer, senior vice president at Heartland. Now, parking systems are automated, and customers pay by card link opens to a Commerce Bank page.

“To make this shift, we needed Commerce’s help,” said Holly. The bank worked with Heartland to identify merchant services link opens to a Commerce Bank page compatible with their new parking systems. Commerce also began to manage the monthly billing and ACH payments for companies leasing parking spaces.

“Commerce was crucial in making this work,” Holly said. “We couldn’t have done it without them. It all comes back to the importance of trust and having good relationships.”


A relationship that goes both ways.

Our relationship with Commerce goes in both directions,” added Charlie. The two companies both operate from the same downtown Peoria building. Commerce entrusts Heartland with managing the parking deck at the bank-owned property.

“Commerce has been outstanding,” Charlie said. “Even though our primary banker moved to a new role, she continues to support us whenever we need it. Anytime there’s an issue, Commerce works hard to find a solution.”

“Whether it’s banking or parking, every client’s pain points are different,” Charlie said. “We feel like we’re being taken care of. Both companies work hard to accommodate each other’s needs, as best we can.”

The team at Commerce agrees that it’s all about developing a productive, long-lasting relationship with its clients.

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