What People are Saying

In The News


Keys to Success, cont.

I make my living on the curbs of Fort Worth,” says Prescott. At 36, the youthful-looking Prescott has become a fixture on – or perhaps just outside of – the Fort Worth social scene, commanding a small army of clean-cut valets through his Rent a Frog Valet service. (RAF serves Arlington as well, and Prescott also has a branch in Southlake called Golden Triangle Valet to serve Northeast Tarrant County and Dallas.)

During the busy party season, it’s not unusual to spot Prescott at several events in a single night, although you may not realize that he is the man in charge. He has no special uniform and works right alongside his employees, helping people out of their cars, running back and forth to park and retrieve vehicles, and picking up the trash after an event. The anonymity suits him well.

“It’s not glamorous, but I’m not a social butterfly. It was a weird dynamic at first, having friends at parties see me and say, ‘You’re parking my car?’ But now people are used to it and expect to see me. I enjoy seeing everybody have a good time.”

Whether it’s the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, a Jewel Charity event, a fashion show at Neiman Marcus or a baby shower in Westover, Rent a Frog is one of the common denominators. Since starting the business out of his apartment in 1996 after graduating from TCU (he parked cars throughout his four years there), Prescott has become the go-to guy, thanks to his intimate familiarity with most venues and his seamless service. Plus, he knows how to deal with the red tape as well as the bumps and bruises that come with moving a lot of vehicles in a short time.

“There are certain types of insurance and permits that are necessary to park on residential streets and we have them all,” he says. “Some guy running a valet business out of his house isn’t going to have that. I’ve lost business to other companies because we charge more, but we charge more because neither the event planner nor the guest ever has to worry about liability if we’re doing the job.”

Prescott also runs background checks on all of his employees, which can number in the hundreds during party season. Despite the company’s name, Rent a Frog is no longer populated solely with TCU students, as was the case at first. Many of the valets are longtime part-timers and moonlighters who have day jobs. Some of his best workers are students from Fort Worth’s Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. “I know I can count on them. They have a great work ethic and they’re not parking cars for beer money. They’re parking cars for bill money.”

While parking cars might seem a no-brainer, acts of nature, unorganized clients who underestimate the number of guests and tipsy partygoers all conspire to make it a complicated production (witness this year’s Cattle Baron’s Ball mud-covered fiasco in Dallas, although partygoers sung the praises of the valiant valet parkers).

Prescott got through the local monsoons with much less drama. “I’ve done a good job it the valet service was a non-event, if you don’t really remember the valet,” he says.

Now winding down a busy party season, one in which he donated his services to several charitable organizations as he does every year, Prescott says he is looking forward to spending time with his wife, Courtney, and their two small children…and maybe getting in a little hunting with his dogs.

Until then, look for Prescott at a curbside near you.

-This article is “At Your Service” from the December 2009 issue of 360 West magazine.

Entrepreneur builds on curb appeal with latest technology

Ten years ago, when Warren Prescott launched his Rent a Frog Valet venture from his apartment, he never dreamed that he'd be running four additional businesses, each a spin-off from the parent company that continues growing by leaps and bounds.

-Fort Worth Business Press

Monday April 23, 2007


To Sell or Not to Sell?

I own a valet-parking company. Six years ago I embraced technology with a passion to help my business run more efficiently.

-Fortune Small Business

October 2006

40 under 40

"When you walk into a room, make sure people know who you are and what you do. Business rarely just comes to you."

-The Fort Worth Business Press

Wednesday August 21, 2002

Moonlighter to Entrepreneur

Need a valet for your fancy dinner party? Or someone to stand in line to buy your movie tickets? How about a reliable person to get your Mustang to your summer home in New England?

-The TCU Magazine

Fall 2002

Cash for College

From waiting tables to bartending, weeding yards to parking cars, Marcus Craig, a junior at Texas Christian University, figures he's worked just about every part-time job.

-The Dallas Morning News

Tuesday November 10, 1998

Young Entrepreneur

When business soothsayers of the '80s predicted the future belonged to the service sector, Warren H. Prescott didn't give it a second thought.

-The Business Press

Friday October 23, 1998

Greater Opportunities

As the owner of Rent A Frog College Personnel Service, battling seasonal demand has been a blessing in disguise.

-The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Monday September 21, 1998

Students 'Rented' to do Odd-Jobs

In this day and age of rental cars, rental movies and rental furniture, it seems like everything may be "borrowed" for a fee. But who would want to rent a Frog?

-The TCU Daily Skiff

Thursday August 31, 2000