An increasing number of churches today are putting their collection plates aside and asking their members instead to pull out their debit cards.

With the help of so-called “giving kiosks” made by Olea Inc., tithing has been brought into the digital age, and that means the faithful have a whole new way to give. The devices, which look like small ATMs, let the worshipers swipe their debit or credit cards to donate to the church.

The kiosks will even print out a receipt on the spot to give donors a record of their tax-deductible contribution.

The devices are just one of a number of different types of kiosks designed and built by Olea. From its Artesia headquarters, the family-owned business supplies companies in the non-profit, retail and health care sectors with products ranging from photo booths to self-checkout machines. And unlike many other manufacturers in the emerging industry, Olea has a background in trade shows that helps in the design of advanced, customized kiosks for its customers.

“Anybody can make a box that might look pretty, but you need to make that box pretty and functional,” said Frank Olea, the company’s vice president. “We take a holistic approach to the kiosk design. We sit down with the customer and we go over where the kiosk is and what the application is.”

That approach has helped the company grow from a developer of trade show booths to a highly regarded self-service kiosk builder. The company recorded sales last year of $5 million.

Olea trails behind industry leaders such as NCR Corp. in Dayton, Ohio, but its reputation is growing.

Francie Mendelsohn, a leading kiosk industry analyst and president of Rockville, Md.-based Summit Research Associates Inc., said the company has some of the most compelling kiosk designs on the market.

That wasn’t always the case. Mendelsohn said the company has taken steps to move beyond the simple, uninteresting models it used to design and build.

“They’ve got some really good-looking designs and they have certainly improved the quality of the product,” she said. “I told Frank Olea about a year ago that they should keep their head designer under lock and key.”

Branching out

Olea was started in 1975 by several members of the Olea family. At the time, the company specialized in custom cabinetry and related products.

In the ensuing decades, Olea grew into new fields, but maintained its high craftsmanship.

By the early 1980s, the company was designing trade show exhibits that were meant to draw in passers-by, and advertise products or services.

Then, in 1983, Olea took another step forward, creating its first kiosk to incorporate electronics. It was placed at an equestrian fair and functioned as an event directory using data from a high-speed laserdisc player.

The company originally made the devices only out of wood. Today, Olea works in a variety of materials, including plastic, metal and leather.

Trade show exhibits still account for about 15 percent of Olea’s revenue, but they influence every product the company makes, Frank Olea said.

The trade show specialization led the company to find ways to stand out in a crowded field. Unlike many manufacturers that simply put some electronics inside a colored box, Olea said, his company designs advanced machines that are ergonomic, easy to use and visually appealing.

“It is really three-dimensional advertising,” he said. “You need to attract people to the machine, then you need to lead people through the process of utilizing the machine. Everything should have a flow.”

Olea now builds about 1,500 kiosks each year.

The global kiosk industry including design, manufacturing, electronic development and more is more than $1 billion strong, according to Summit Research Associates.

Olea’s limited size prevents it from growing quickly, Mendelsohn said.

“If they were to get a really big order, they couldn’t turn it around really fast,” she said.

Newborn booth

One of the unusual products the company recently created is a photo booth for newborn babies.

The booth is placed in hospital maternity wards so parents can take photos of themselves with their babies and get high-quality prints in a variety of sizes.

The machine offers different borders and sells photo packages for $60 or more.

The machine was a challenge, Olea said, because it had to be gender-neutral, not constrictive, soft enough that newborn babies won’t get injured, and incorporate advanced electronics.

Combining form and function is not as easy as it seems, said Patrick Avery, editor of Kiosk Marketplace, an industry publication.

“Kiosks need to be easy to use and they need to work. That seems like a trivial thing but it’s not,” he said. “From what I’ve seen with Olea, they do a really good job of that.”

Another unusual product garnering attention for the company is an environmentally friendly kiosk made from organic waste.

“It’s that kind of creative and forward thinking that you typically see for Olea,” Avery said. “They’re very recognized as a player within the self-service industry.”

The company was founded by Olea’s father and grandfather, and about 10 family members work there. He believes that familial approach was a consideration when his company earned the contract for the church kiosks.

That program is administered by a company called SecureGive, which was started in 2003 by Marty Baker, a pastor in Augusta, Ga.

SecureGive originally contracted with several small manufacturers, but Baker said he soon realized that most kiosk manufacturers did not offer the same level of service and superior products as Olea, which is now the sole supplier of the devices.

“Olea has a reputation of doing high-quality kiosks,” Baker said. “We’ve developed an appreciation for their craftsmanship and their willingness to stand behind their products.”

SecureGive has bought about $200,000 worth of kiosks from Olea.

Baker said he appreciates that he can call Frank Olea or someone else at the company any time during the day and he will usually get a quick response.

“We developed a really good relationship,” Baker said.