60 Years Later Cart Mart Is Growing Faster Than Ever

When a business journal and Inc. Magazine publish a "Fastest Growing Companies" list, you might expect to see start-ups and high-tech companies taking the top spots.

Cart Mart has defied expectations by making those lists for 3 straight years and by now celebrating its 60 th anniversary while continuing to grow at a rapid pace. The company started in 1959, yet has stayed ahead of changing market conditions to take full advantage of emerging market opportunities, and has plans to do so for the next 60 years.

"When my grandfather Ben Bellman opened Southwest Marketeer in El Paso, TX his goal was simple…to help golfers navigate 18-holes of golf at a much faster pace than the traditional method of walking," noted Cart Mart CEO Brian Rott. "His ‘Caddie Cars,’ as they were called then, were electric and tiller-style steering. His operating philosophy was also simple…hire the best people and deliver a product and service that would keep customers coming back. He was so successful that he moved the company to San Marcos, CA in 1972 to get closer to a larger marketplace."

"The Cart Mart of today has maintained the legacy by hiring exceptional people, partnering with manufacturers of the best vehicles and taking the concept of service well beyond what customers expect," Rott continued. "As times and needs have changed, we have adapted to offer vehicles that are not only used for golf, but also offer solutions for commercial clients and those who simply want to drive around their community or neighborhood. The use for LSV’s (Low Speed Vehicles) is growing every day. We feel the future for Cart Mart will be electrifying."

The desire for innovation at Cart Mart does not stop with the vehicles themselves. As the company evolves, it forges into new directions, such as providing mobile service for vehicle owners. Instead of the cart owner bringing their vehicle to the facility, Cart Mart dispatches a trained mobile service technician equipped with enough parts to get most jobs done on the first visit. The company follows through on its philosophy of "Repair Before Failure" by offering a comprehensive preventive maintenance program that stops minor issues before they can become major problems.

Another breakthrough program that has helped the company keep going and growing is its comprehensive rental department. Here, trained and skilled specialists who only handle cart rental needs, draw upon an inventory of over 600 use-ready vehicles and a variety of allied equipment that includes, generators, outdoor lighting, scissor lifts and trailers. Their client list, which includes the PGA, NFL, MLB, and countless special events in the Southwest, is testimony to the professionalism of the Cart Mart rental team.

To bolster its ongoing growth, Cart Mart has developed Authorized Dealer status with its brands over the years, which includes Club Car, Garia, Yamaha, Taylor Dunn, Polaris and GEM. These relationships give the company advantages like factory training for sales and service, regional advertising and access to the newest models and preferred pricing that we pass along to customers.

"The past 60 years have been both challenging and exciting," Rott concluded, "but we are already deep into planning that will carry us successfully through the next six decades. We will continue to do business professionally, ethically and with integrity as we move toward a future that will see electric vehicles as a relevant transportation solution. With our four locations and a growing group of dedicated employees we are poised to react to demand. I believe that if you take care of your employees, they will take care of the customers who will take care of our business. Our 60 th anniversary is a benchmark that recognizes us as an early adopter of electric vehicles. We will continue to balance and leverage our resources to meet new market conditions and spark future growth."