CHK America

What CHK America does

CHK America, Inc. is a California-incorporated, privately held subsidiary of UK-based The Cook Hammond & Kell Group (tracing back to 1859), established in September 1999 and headquartered in Goleta, California. The company designs and delivers wayfinding and passenger information solutions for the US public transit industry, anchored by its proprietary '8 Second Rule' research and a content library of print products including Spider Maps®, system maps, at-stop panels, station diagrams, neighborhood maps, schedule brochures, and signage hardware. CHK America sells primarily through direct enterprise sales to municipal transit authorities, winning contracts via competitive RFPs and bids, typically structured as multi-year (3-5 year) engagements.

In 2015, CHK America launched the Connectpoint Digital Division to extend its wayfinding offering into ePaper-based digital signage, and in September 2018 this division was spun off as a separate sister company called Connectpoint, with CEO Rick Wood leading both entities. The Connectpoint product line comprises the Interactive Kiosk (web-enabled touchscreen integrating with agency tracking and scheduling systems), the Digital Bus Stop (solar- or battery-powered E Ink display deployable at stops without electrical infrastructure), the SmartStop (a solar-powered standalone totem with ePaper displays and an interactive tablet), the Dashboard (a content management display aggregating Uber, Lyft, and Bikeshare feeds), and CPAM (a content management platform unifying legacy agency systems). The combination targets transit agencies that need consistent rider information across both print and digital touchpoints, with claimed reach across more than 50 US transit agencies in 30 states serving approximately 7.5 million riders daily.

CHK America's revenue model blends professional services (custom wayfinding design), hardware sales (signage, kiosks, and ePaper digital displays manufactured in the Goleta warehouse), and managed services (ongoing content monitoring and updates for deployed products via CPAM). Pricing is project-based and quote-driven, undisclosed publicly, and contracted through competitive procurement. The company has no disclosed venture or private equity funding, operates without a public API or developer platform, and has no evident AI/ML capabilities in its current product set.

Name

CHK America

Legal name

CHK America, Inc.

Website

https://chkamerica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CHK America designs print wayfinding and ePaper digital signage for US public transit agencies, selling directly via multi-year enterprise contracts. Its sister company Connectpoint (spun off 2018) produces solar-powered digital bus stops, interactive kiosks, and content management software serving 50+ agencies in 30 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transit Wayfinding Design & Signage

NAICS

Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (541850)

akta.pro primary industry

Mapping & Basemap Platforms (Tiles/SDKs) (BPAMANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Curbside, Loading Zone & TNC/Rideshare Management (BPABAKAG)

Keywords

• Transit wayfinding design
• Public transit signage
• Passenger information systems
• Transit map design
• Bus stop signage

Headquarters

HQ city

Goleta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wayfinding Design Services: Customized information design solutions for transit agencies including system maps, station diagrams, neighborhood maps, spider maps, at-stop panels, and schedule brochures. These are project-based design engagements.
2. Hardware Fabrication and Installation: Purpose-built signage and kiosk hardware fabricated and installed for transit systems. Includes multi-panel kiosks, backlit bus stop poles, and custom display equipment designed to complement CHK's information systems.
3. Digital Signage Products: Sale of Connectpoint® digital signage products including Digital Bus Stops, SmartStops, and Interactive Kiosks through sister company Connectpoint®.
4. Maintenance and Support Services: Ongoing monitoring, controlling, and updating of information on deployed products. Remote monitoring and routine updates for customer information delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CHK America designs, fabricates, and supplies wayfinding products for public transit agencies across the United States, including static print products (Spider Maps®, system maps, station and bay diagrams, neighborhood maps, at-stop panels, schedule brochures, signage/kiosk hardware, specialty location maps) and, via its sister company Connectpoint®, ePaper-based digital signage such as the solar-powered Digital Bus Stop, SmartStop™ totem, and Interactive Touchscreen Kiosk. The company provides ongoing content management and support for deployed systems, anchored by its proprietary "8 Second Rule" wayfinding research methodology.

Product overview

CHK America operates two divisions: a static wayfinding division providing print products and a sister company Connectpoint® (spun off in 2018) providing ePaper-based digital signage solutions for public transportation. The print division offers Spider Maps (signature multi-modal hub diagrams), At-Stop Panels, Station and Bay Diagrams, Neighborhood Maps, System Maps, Schedule Leaflets/Brochures, Signage/Kiosk Hardware, and Specialty Location Maps, all designed around the company's proprietary '8 Second Rule' wayfinding philosophy. The Connectpoint digital division encompasses the Interactive Kiosk (web-enabled touchscreen), Digital Bus Stop (solar-powered ePaper display), SmartStop (solar-powered standalone totem with ePaper displays and interactive tablet), and Dashboard (content management system aggregating transportation feeds). The digital products share the CPAM content management platform and integrate with agency tracking systems as well as third-party mobility services like Uber, Lyft, and Bikeshare. The company serves over 50 transit agencies across 30 states, powering approximately 7.5 million riders daily.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ConnectPoint Digital Bus Stop: Solar-powered, ePaper digital display product for bus stops featuring real-time arrival information and service alerts
• ConnectPoint Interactive Touchscreen Kiosk
• SmartStop
• ConnectPoint Dashboard
• CPAM
• Spider Maps

Products and services

• ConnectPoint Digital Bus Stop Solar or battery-powered digital bus stop display featuring E Ink technology that delivers high-contrast, sunlight-readable real-time departure and schedule information, service alerts, and service changes. Designed for transit agencies and deployable on existing bus stop poles without electrical infrastructure, typically within 30 minutes.
• ConnectPoint SmartStop Stand-alone, solar-powered totem product containing two ConnectPoint Digital Bus Stops with E Ink technology, an interactive touchpad, and USB charging ports, enabling transit agencies to deploy comprehensive information systems anywhere without electrical infrastructure.
• ConnectPoint Interactive Kiosk Web-enabled interactive touchscreen kiosk that integrates with transit agency tracking, location, and scheduling systems to provide route information, real-time arrival data, trip-planning tools across transit, car, bike, and walking options, and the ability to push real-time route deviation alerts and service information.
• ConnectPoint Dashboard Digital signage content management system that aggregates feeds from multiple transportation services (Uber, Lyft, Bikeshare, etc.) into a single content portal and displays current multi-modal transportation options on existing screen infrastructure for transit agencies.
• CPAM (Connectpoint Asset Management) Content management system that integrates transit agency legacy systems into a single content portal for managing and updating Connectpoint digital signage deployments across an agency's network.
• Spider Maps Signature proprietary diagrammatic maps emphasizing connectivity by showing all services and travel options available from a single multi-modal hub, helping riders identify where to catch the correct service to reach their destination. Designed for public transit agencies.
• System Maps Full service-area network maps in diagrammatic format that strip unnecessary geography and include only landmarks that help riders best utilize the transit system, designed for public transit agencies.
• Station and Bay Diagrams Diagrams for multi-modal transfer points that help customers identify connecting buses and trains, coupled with Spider Maps to highlight transportation options and boarding locations, for public transit agencies.
• Neighborhood Maps Detailed maps orienting passengers to neighborhoods surrounding rail stations or transit hubs, incorporating three-dimensional illustrations of nearby points of interest and local destinations alongside route and schedule information, for public transit agencies.
• At-Stop Panels Transit stop identification panels that identify all transit services available from a given stop with a 'you are here' marker and anticipated arrival times for subsequent stops, designed for scalable deployment at hundreds of stops by public transit agencies.
• Schedule Leaflets and Brochures Route-specific information brochures providing concise timetables and route maps in user-friendly formats, designed for print and web distribution at high-volume transit locations by public transit agencies.
• Specialty Location Maps Custom maps for high-profile locations such as sports stadiums, conference centers, airports, and historic landmarks, placing transit service in context with surrounding venues and destinations for public transit agencies and venue operators.
• Signage and Kiosk Hardware Weather-resistant signage and kiosk systems available in two-, three-, or four-sided configurations or purpose-built multiple-panel displays designed to accommodate transit information materials, fabricated for public transit agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ agencies in 30 different states trust CHK America, serving 7.5M riders daily
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Project ConnectminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2014CHK America participated as part of the Project Connect team working to solve traffic problems in Central Texas. CHK designed an interactive visioning map for the high-capacity transit system planning project linking Austin and San Antonio regions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Connectpoint (Connectpoint Digital): Sister company spun off from CHK America in 2018 to commercialize the ePaper digital signage product line (Digital Bus Stop, SmartStop, Interactive Kiosk, Dashboard). Direct technology and customer overlap with the anchor, sharing the same CEO and transit agency relationships.
• Luminator Technology Group: Long-established supplier of passenger information displays, real-time arrival signs, and onboard transit electronics for bus and rail agencies. Directly competes with CHK/Connectpoint in the transit digital signage category, particularly for fixed-installation LED/LCD displays.
• TransLoc: Provider of transit tracking, rider information, and on-demand microtransit software serving US transit agencies. Overlaps with CHK's rider information layer through mobile and web-based real-time arrival tools.

Broad incumbents

• Cubic Transportation Systems: Large incumbent transit technology vendor covering fare collection, real-time passenger information, and traffic management. Competes with CHK on the passenger information systems (PIS) tenders issued by major metropolitan transit agencies.
• Trapeze Group (Modaxo / Volaris): Suite of transit software solutions (fixed-route planning, scheduling, driver allocation, passenger information) for North American transit agencies under the Modaxo transit technology umbrella. Competes with CHK on the data and information side of transit agency contracts.
• Iteris: Intelligent transportation systems provider offering traffic management, transit signal priority, and mobility analytics to public agencies. Broad incumbent in the same transit/transportation customer base as CHK.
• Siemens Mobility: Global transportation technology incumbent offering rail signaling, station management, and passenger information systems. Competes with CHK on large transit agency tenders with broader integrated system offerings.

Emerging players

• Intersection: Smart city digital media and information platform operating connected kiosks and signage in transit hubs and cities. Comparable to CHK/Connectpoint in deploying networked digital displays in public transit environments, though with an advertising-funded model.
• Broadsign: Digital-out-of-home (DOOH) advertising platform used to manage content on networked signage in transit and urban environments. Comparable to Connectpoint's CPAM content management capabilities for digital signage networks.
• Moovit: Mobile-first multimodal transit information app serving US transit agencies with real-time arrival, trip planning, and wayfinding. Indirect peer to CHK's Connectpoint digital signage business through overlapping trip-planning use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/chkamerica
• Facebookfacebook.com/chkamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chk-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CHK America