Parking & Mobility — July 2022 by International Parking & Mobility Institute

INTERNATIONAL PARKING & MOBILITY INSTITUTE JUY L 2022

In an Age of Technology and Automation

THE PEOPLE STILL MAKE IT WORK Presenting the 2022 IPMI Professional Recognition Awards

For colleges and universities, parking and transportation are key to keeping people moving – whether that be students going to class, faculty and staff heading to the office, or visitors coming for a meeting or event. And there is much more that goes into keeping these people moving than meets the eye. Our comprehensive suite of parking solutions puts the tools you need at your fingertips to tailor the parking and transportation experience for your campus and make critical operational decisions whenever you need to, from wherever you are.

FIND YO UR SOLU T I O N

E M US I 9 1 CO E P M 7 SE I H AT O T O B

ALL-IN-ONE, HOSTED SOLUTION BACKED BY 300+ UNIVERSITIES

ROBUST PERMIT MANAGEMENT

LPR-ENABLED ENFORCEMENT

ACCESS & REVENUE CONTROL

CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS

800.434.1502 T2Systems.com

INTERNATIONAL PARKING & MOBILITY INSTITUTE JULY 2022 VOL. 4 / N0. 7

FEATURES

A Focus on Incremental Innovation Strategies

When to Use Incremental Innovation, and When Not To By Katherine Beaty

It Takes More Than Technical Knowledge to Lead

Four Qualities of an Excellent Manager By Ted Janusz

Into the Unknown

Today’s Unknown Factors That Make Consultancy Challenging By Vicky Gagliano, CAPP, LEED AP

The Resilience and Innovation of the Parking Industry

The Parking Industry Welcomes Creativity to Fuel New Ideas By John Schmid

In the Age of Automation The People Still Make it Work

Showcasing the individuals and organizations that led by example in this year’s Professional Recognition Awards.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

COVER IMAGE: STOCK.ADOBE.COM / NEWROSSOSH

/ EDITOR’S NOTE

DEPARTMENTS 4 ENTRANCE IPMI Turns 60, Preparing for 100 By Shawn Conrad, CAE

6 FIVE THINGS 5 Soft Skills Employers Look For

8 THE BUSINESS OF PARKING It’s Time to Get Back Out There By Bill Smith, APR

10 THE GREEN STANDARD Realizing a Low-Carbon Economy By Trevyr Meade, LEED GA

12 ON THE FRONTLINE Our Industry’s Frontline is Talking—Are we Listening? By Cindy Campbell

14 MOBILITY & TECH Implementing AI By Brandy Stanley, MBA, CAPP

16 STATE & REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT Florida Parking & Transportation Association By Salena Laws, FPTA President

18 ASK THE EXPERTS 54 AROUND THE INDUSTRY

AS WE GET READY FOR July’s #IPMI2022 Parking

& Mobility Conference & Expo, we launch this issue of Parking & Mobility magazine with a clear focus on professional development, and the impacts on both the individual and their organizations. Professional development comes in many forms; whether is it honing your technical expertise, sharpening your customer service approach, or polishing your soft skills, today’s organizations demand more from their employees because their customers expect more from them than ever before. That is why active membership in IPMI is more important now than it has ever been. Staying current on the challenges and best practices of the parking and mobility industry, hearing stories from the frontline about what is going right—and wrong—in our world and having access to ongoing training from best-of-class instructors are just a few of the benefits you get from being in our IPMI community. As someone still new to your neighborhood, I am astounded daily how much I learn, and how much I still need to know. For those of you who I will see in New Orleans, please come up and say hello! I want to meet you, learn what you do, and see how I can tell your story to help all our members learn something valuable. Not going to NOLA? That’s ok, we got you. Stay tuned to upcoming editions of the IPMI Leader newsletter as well as the IPMI Blog where we will feature some great summaries of many of the programs in the weeks and months to follow Conference & Expo. As always, thanks for spending some time with us. We hope this issue inspires you find ways to learn new things. Have ideas for articles you want to see in Parking & Mobility to get you motivated to learn? Give me a shout, I am here at your service. And on behalf of the entire IPMI team, we hope to see you in the Big Easy!

58 PARKING & MOBILITY CONSULTANTS 60 ADVERTISERS INDEX 61 CALENDAR

Melissa Rysak, editor rysak@parking-mobility.org

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

/ ENTRANCE

IPMI Turns 60, Preparing for 100 By Shawn Conrad, CAE

PUBLISHER

Shawn Conrad, CAE

conrad@parking-mobility.org

CAPITALIZE ON YOUR STRENGTHS ,

EDITOR

manage around your weaknesses. I was given this advice when an association I represented was being threatened with a regulation for a problem which, at that time, had no visible solution. The knee-jerk reaction from the board was to mount a defense to fight the regulation—that is until a group of volunteer members came forward and convinced the association’s leadership to capitalize on our industry’s strength (the membership) to spearhead an effort to find a remedy to the problem. These visionary volunteers created a coalition of experts from multiple disciplines and proceeded over three years to test numerous scenarios until they found a solution to the problem. It was this collaborative spirit that hooked me on association management. Solving a problem is how IPMI got its start in the 1950s, though at the time it was a group of volunteers from the American Municipal Association (AMA), the predecessor of the National League of Cities. During the 1950s, while people were driving cars and listening to Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and That’s Amore by Dean Martin, cities were inundated with congestion issues. The AMA formed a committee of mayors, city councilman, transportation engineers and planners to find solutions to a myriad of parking issues facing municipalities. This “parking committee” identified answers to municipal congestion by leaning on research, new construction, and best practices in parking management. While the committee did make many recommendations to address congestion, one of their most impactful recommendations to the parking profession was the need for a new association that would focus on parking management and provide specialized training for

Melissa Rysak, CPSM

rysak@parking-mobility.org TECHNICAL EDITOR

Rachel Yoka, CAPP, LEED AP BD+C yoka@parking-mobility.org CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Bill Smith, APR

bsmith@smith-phillips.com ADVERTISING SALES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

Tina Altman

taltman@parking-mobility.org PUBLICATION DESIGN

BonoTom Studio

info@bonotom.com For subscription changes, contact Tina Altman, taltman@parking-mobility.org or 888.IPMI.NOW. Parking & Mobility (ISSN 0896-2324 & USPS 001436) is published monthly by the International Parking & Mobility Institute. P.O. Box 3787 Fredericksburg, VA 22402 Phone: 888.IPMI.NOW Fax: 703.566.2267 Email: info@parking-mobility.org Website: parking-mobility.org Send address changes promptly to: Parking & Mobility or submit online at parking-mobility.org. P.O. Box 3787 Fredericksburg, VA 22402 Interactive electronic version of Parking & Mobility for members and subscribers only at parking-mobility. org/magazine. Copyright © International Parking & Mobility Institute, 2022. Statements of fact and opinion expressed in articles contained if Parking & Mobility are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent an official expression of policy or opinion on the part of officers or the members of IPMI. Manuscripts, correspondence, articles, product releases, and all contributed materials are welcomed by Parking & Mobility; however, publication is subject to editing, if deemed necessary to conform to standards of publication. The subscription rate is included in IPMI annual dues. Subscription rate for non-members of IPMI is $120 per year (U.S. currency) in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. All other countries, $150. Back issues, $10.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

those who run these operations. These initial discussions led to the formation of the Institutional and Municipal Parking Congress, IPMI’s predecessor. And now, 60 years later, we stand as the world’s largest parking and mobility association. While many in our industry claim that they “fell into parking,” IPMI has always capitalized on the expertise our members bring to their jobs by connecting individuals with those that are finding new ways to manage. Every year, IPMI trains legions of parking and mobility professionals who have made parking their career. At the heart of IPMI are more than 1,000 volunteers working on industry issues, sharing new techniques, creating an immense marketplace for equipment, technology, and service providers, and utilizing the industry’s most respected certification (CAPP) and accreditation (APO) programs. For 60 years, IPMI’s strength has been the legion of volunteers who focus on collaboration, cooperation, and building community, distinguishing us from others and allowing us to accomplish so much. So, when the industry gathers at IPMI in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 24–27, 2022 we have much to celebrate. Our celebration will not just center around what we’ve accomplished over the past 60 years, but more on the opportunities we have in the next 60 and the next 60 to collectively use our voices and expertise to guide future parking, transportation, and mobility discussions. Because at our core, that is how IPMI capitalizes on our strengths. We are thrilled to have you along with us for the ride. ◆ SHAWN CONRAD, CAE, is CEO of IPMI.

SOFT SKILLS EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR The parking and mobility industry is experiencing a revolution of technology. As more and more processes in our sector become automated, soft skills will be what differentiates the human element of our work from what can be automated. In a study completed by The Wall Street Journal of more than 900 executives, 92% said that soft skills were equally important to technical skills, and 89% of the executives said they have challenges finding candidates that posses these skills. As this issue of Parking & Mobility focuses on professional development, we need to consider developing expertise in soft skills as important if not more so than technical skills for our parking and mobility frontline and professional teams. But which soft skills are the most valuable in today’s tech and automation-heavy environments? Here are the Top 5 soft skills employers are looking for in today’s candidates, according to Forbes magazine:

Communication. Whether written or verbal, virtual or person, the ability to clearly communicate and to interpret the communication of others is key to success.

Problem Solving. Critical thinking and the ability to see things from different angles and find creative solutions is a big differentiator for an employee. Never taking for granted that things need to be how they have always been and having the vision to strategize to mitigate problems is an asset to any workplace.

Engagement. Being fully present and joining wholeheartedly in the goals of your organization and caring about organizational outcomes. Anyone can “punch the clock” but engaged employees bring a passion to their work and buy-in to the larger company mission.

Teamwork. The ability to actively participate and collaborate with others, and to partner seamlessly with anyone in the organization necessary to accomplish the goal.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

Leadership. This is the sum total of a person’s soft skills, and how they bring those skills to bear on situations encountered in the workplace.

Find excellent resources for developing your team’s soft skills in the IPMI On-Demand Library under Frontline Fundamentals. Members can view these training resources for free on your team’s schedule!

STOCK.ADOBE.COM / ANDRII YALANSKYI / ICONS-STUDIO

/ THE BUSINESS OF PARKING /MARKETING

It’s Time to Get Back Out There By Bill Smith, APR

WO YEARS AFTER THE ONSLAUGHT of COVID-19, things are beginning to feel “normal” again in the

parking industry (and the business world as a whole). I put the word normal in quotation marks because COVID has become such a constant presence in our lives that the idea of returning to normal is, in many ways, hard to imagine. Still, with mandated city-wide shutdowns in the rear-view mirror, parking facilities are once again filling up and the parking world is once again on the move. This return to normal must influence our approach to marketing. After two years of business development via Zoom meetings and emails, it’s time for organizations to put themselves back out there. It’s time for marketing and business development professionals to start marketing themselves and their organizations in person again. Your customers and strategic partners want to connect with you in person, now more than ever. You need to refresh your personal and organizational brands to differentiate yourself and your organization, and you need to prepare to do it face-to-face. Successful marketing and business development is built on relationships. Sure, people want the best equipment and software, the most accomplished planners and designers, and the best operators. But they also want to buy those products and services from people they like and respect and with whom they have productive relationships. They are looking for people they want to work with. The best relationships are built face-to-face. It’s true that the pandemic forced us to scramble for new approaches, which resulted in the rise of Zoom and Microsoft Teams as business development and marketing tools. This trend occurred not because these tools are superior, but because they were the best available way to build relationships. The pandemic also forced organizations to lean heavily on emails, social media, and other digital marketing tactics. Yet, as useful as these tools are for generating new business and keeping customers and the industry informed, they are a poor substitute for personal relationships. The parking industry offers plenty of opportunities for rebuilding face-to-face relationships. The best will soon take place in New Orleans at the IPMI Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo. It provides a wonderful opportunity to reengage with people you may not have seen for months, or maybe even years. And it provides a terrific chance to meet new people who may be interested in your organization’s products and services. When you are in New Orleans, put yourself out there. Try to spend more time on the exhibit floor meeting colleagues and

exhibitors. Also, go to the conference opening reception and any others that you are invited to. It may be tempting to skip a party to go out to dinner with friends or go to bed early, but these receptions are the best places to meet new people and rekindle relationships with people you may not have seen for many months or, because of the pandemic, even years. Of course, the IPMI Conference & Expo isn’t the only place to get out and market yourself and your organization. There are other national parking shows in the US and around the globe, and there are also national conferences serving your vertical industries. And, of course, there are numerous regional parking shows. Remember, you are a marketer, whether you realize it or not. When you engage people in a work environment, or even a personal one, they are making judgements about you, your organization, and the industry. After two years of COVID induced shutdowns and at-home work, this is the time to embrace your inner marketer and put yourself out there. ◆

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

BILL SMITH, APR, is principal of Smith-Phillips Strategic Communications. He can be reached at bsmith@ smith-phillips.com.

/ THE GREEN STANDARD

Realizing a Low-Carbon Economy By Trevyr Meade, LEED GA

USINESS LEADERS AND POLITICIANS across the globe are increasingly focused on the

importance of creating a low-carbon economy. In his annual letter to CEOs this year, Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, stated that “the decarbonizing of the global economy is going to create the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime” while pushing for “governments to provide clear pathways and a consistent taxonomy for sustainability policy, regulation, and disclosure”. Political leaders are also making strong statements related to the low-carbon transition. Since starting his term last year, President Joe Biden has committed to achieving a net-zero economy by 2050.

These statements are now supported by more than words. According to Morningstar, as of May 2022, over $2.7 trillion in assets are held in sustainable investment funds. In addition, in November 2021, President Biden signed a bipartisan infrastructure bill into law, which includes $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging, $7.5 billion for electric buses and billions more to support the transition to a low-carbon economy in other ways. It’s critical that as the vision for a low-carbon economy transitions into well-resourced execution strategies, practitioners with the relevant expertise are engaged. This is perhaps most important in the transportation sector, which accounted for 31% of net emissions in the United States in 2021. Decisions about where electric vehicle charging stations are

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

installed, which innovative technologies and business models received funding, and how these disparate pieces fit together will have big impacts on how effectively we transition to a low-carbon economy. They will also shape how well cities and communities facilitate access and mobility in the years to come. “It’s vital that we are thoughtful about both which charging technologies we install and where we install these technologies. We also need to ensure that we don’t lose sight of existing TDM strategies that have been successful,” says Brian Shaw, CAPP, Executive Director of Transportation at Stanford University and Co-chair of IPMI’s Sustainability Committee. “There’s a lot of positive momentum behind the transition to more sustainable mobility networks. As a community, we at IPMI have an important role to play in ensuring this momentum results in outcomes that best serve our customers and the planet.” Ensuring that parking and mobility professionals have a seat at the table when decisions are made about how to best achieve climate goals can be very impactful. The U.S. Green Building Council, which owns and maintains LEED, the most widely used green building rating system in the world, places an emphasis on how buildings it certifies interact with surrounding transportation networks. As the organization assesses how to refine its next iteration of LEED, they have sought out the expertise of IPMI’s membership. “Buildings constructed today will be here for decades,” says Kurt Steiner, Associate Director at the U.S. Green Building Council. “Understanding how these

STOCK.ADOBE.COM / ELNUR

buildings will impact mobility systems in the years to come is critically important to realizing the outcomes we seek with LEED. Having the opportunity to engage with IPMI members as we work to improve our rating system has been invaluable. It provides us a perspective we simply don’t have.” Contributing to the development of LEED is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the impact that IPMI members can have as we seek to build a greener economy. Businesses, governments, and philanthropic organizations all recognize that a new approach to parking and mobility will be a linchpin of the low-carbon economy. While many of these organizations have resources and amazing insights that can help make lowcarbon mobility a reality, we must ensure that the perspectives of parking and mobility professionals are incorporated into the

new solutions that are developed and invested in. As you assess new mobility solutions and test climate friendly technologies, I’d encourage you to share your questions, insights, and experience with the IPMI community through the IPMI Forum. Through collaboration we can learn best practices from one another and identify effective strategies for sharing these insights with important stakeholders outside our community. ◆ TREVYR MEADE, LEED GA is a program manager with the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and is a member of IPMI’s Sustainability Committee and the Mobility Task Force.

quibust ruptae eost reium quianimus doluptata il ipsandis eius maio.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

/ ON THE FRONTLINE

Our Industry’s Frontline is Talking— Are we Listening? By Cindy Campbell

OSH, IT’S GREAT TO BE PROVIDING TRAINING FACE-TO-FACE AGAIN. Don’t get me wrong—the

virtual thing was cool, but there’s nothing quite like getting to see and respond to the individual expressions and reactions of our frontline team members. I knew I’d missed it, but until recently, I hadn’t realized just how much. I’m fortunate that my work travels take me to a variety of settings: national and regional conferences, large cities, small towns, airports, medical centers, hospitals, and campuses of every size. We gather for training in conference rooms, classrooms, break rooms, empty commercial buildings—you name it, we learn together in it. I think the most unique location I’ve ever provided training was adjacent to a transit bus service bay. Look, just tell me where to be and when to start talking, and we will get started. While the training topics and settings may vary, one aspect of these education sessions remains consistent: good people sharing stories of challenging customers, increased hostility, and aggressive rudeness. From coast to coast, the rising number of unpleasant encounters with the public is noteworthy. Our workforce is dealing with bad attitudes, incivility, and disrespect. It’s happening in-person, on the phone, over email and across all social media channels. You don’t have to be a member of our industry’s frontline staff to have noticed this disturbing trend in today’s society. You’ve likely encountered some amount of rudeness and hostility in your own daily work life. It’s everywhere and somewhat inescapable. People are acting out for a variety of reasons and feeling quite justified in their public outbursts. The outcome is a general decrease in job satisfaction with a real potential for career burnout. The stress it can generate for the person on the receiving end of this hostility is real. We could talk all day about the potential causes driving this unpleasant trend, but instead, I’d like to focus on some of the ways we can support and develop our teams.

Training is Essential How are we preparing our teams to address these harsh words and volatile attitudes? Training is essential and should be ongoing. I’m not necessarily talking about hiring an industry professional to provide onsite training sessions directly to your team (but hey, it’s a good place to start). Every organization has a number of low-cost, even no-cost training and development tools available to them. To get you started, here are a few ideas to consider as you prepare your team to professionally represent themselves and our organizations. ■ Group discussions. Share tactics and potential responses that best represent your team members and align with your organization’s objectives. Help them to collaborate and create a list of professional responses. This exercise can help your team in two ways—it creates a deeper well of professional responses to apply to challenging exchanges, while developing their sense of confidence in the professional messages

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

STOCK.ADOBE.COM / RAWPIXEL.COM

■

they communicate. Assign team members to view online training videos, TED Talks, etc. There are an infinite number of online/virtual options that can assist your team in gaining a broader understanding of conflict resolution and how we can learn to approach these situations from a different perspective. These resources can be viewed individually or as part of a group, followed by a group discussion. How do the points made in the resource apply to what we do? Books and professional articles. Much like virtual training options, there’s a wealth of applicable knowledge and skillsets that can be gained by reading industry articles and books focused on effective communication. Peer training meetings. If someone attends a training or conference session (in-person or virtual), or reads an applicable article or book, ask them to prepare a few talking points on the main idea or topic and share it with the rest of the team. It drives

home the lesson for the person presenting the concept and can also be a positive and impactful experience for their peers. The bad attitudes and encounters are still going to happen, but we can make the effort to better prepare the team to weather the storm of hostility when it happens and find positive ways to help them to build their resiliency. Putting effort in to helping your team develop their professional skillsets will always be worth the investment. The outcomes include less stress, happier employees, more job satisfaction, less turnover, and a broader view behind the services we provide on behalf of our organization. ◆ CINDY CAMPBELL is IPMI’s senior training and development specialist. She is available for onsite and online training and professional development. She can be reached at campbell@parking-mobility.org.

Intelligent parking solutions far beyond guidance

A smart-parking ecosystem designed to elevate the customer experience, maximize efficiency, enhance security, and increase parking revenue. +1 203-220-6544 | parkassist.com Visit us at the IPMI annual conference in booth #845

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

/ MOBILITY & TECH

Implementing AI By Brandy Stanley, MBA, CAPP

RTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) is a breakthrough technology that promises us a new

universe. Will machines use artificial intelligence to perform mundane tasks, freeing us to live better lives or solve bigger problems? Will they help us solve the bigger problems by giving us insights we wouldn’t have found otherwise? And let us not forget the classic scenario where the AI we create will decide it knows best and ultimately destroy our race in War Games or Matrix fashion.

The City of Las Vegas seizes on new and innovative technology solutions, and I have been fortunate enough to lead a few projects that have significant AI components. We’ve found that implementing it is hard but worth the effort. It turns out that the millions of years Mother Nature took to develop our brains resulted in some incredibly complex systems that are difficult to duplicate using 1s and 0s. We have fallen in love with the concept of AI and when those of us who are uninitiated think about it, the tendency is to fall into the same trap that we in the industry see repeatedly with parking outsiders. It’s the “how hard can it be?” trap. Remember when the Autonomous Vehicle (AV) visionaries predicted that AVs would be on the road in Level 5 status (where the vehicle is doing 100% of the driving with no human interaction) in five to ten years? That hasn’t happened, and it doesn’t appear to be around the corner either. There seems to be a near elimination of people saying that Level 5 AVs will shortly

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

become mainstream. Instead, we are seeing AV features appear in vehicles that assist the driver in making decisions: staying awake, staying in the lane, etc. This seems to be a sustainable trend that will get us there, but over a much longer time frame. To create an AI system designed to solve problem, first a digital neural network is created. Then, a process called backpropagation is used to train that network to accurately interpret the information it is given. Let’s use the example of an end-goal of identifying a vehicle parked on the curb that is being used for ridesharing. Since the main identifier that distinguishes a vehicle as a regular or ridesharing vehicle is the logo attached to the front windshield, the AI system must identify the logo displayed on the car to successfully classify the vehicle. It is given images of vehicles containing the logos to process. Once the AI has an answer for an image, you go backward through the network to strengthen or weaken various neural connections based

SHUTTERSTOCK / DEN RISE

on a human annotator’s inputs. This changes the way it processes data and helps it come to the right conclusion. Then you repeat it again and again with new data sets until the network is trained adequately. This approach rarely works if the data provided for training is not representative of the real world, which can be affected by different lighting, partially blocked logos from other objects, different location of the logos on a vehicle, different vehicles, rain, sun, night, etc. This is where data engineering comes into play; the engineers need to collect data that will train the AI to perform as expected upon installation. As you can imagine, the best data you can get is real-world data, so there is always a period of learning that occurs “on the job.” The quality of the AI engineering team will determine how much of that is needed. This is very different from non-AI based technology installations where the reasonable expectation is that the technology has been tested, properly configured, and works as expected immediately. To complicate matters further, you also can’t give the neural network too much of the same type of data, because then you run into a problem called “overfitting.” This is where you have given the neural network so much of the same thing that it just memorizes what you have given it and it can’t accurately interpret new data. For example, say your toddler brings you a book and starts reading to you—you figure out quickly that they have memorized it because they have heard it so often. If you give them a new book, they won’t be able to read it even if there are a lot of the same words in it. Researchers are constantly trying to reduce the time it takes to train AIs, and the best method so far is to increase the model size and the size of the network. There are major drawbacks to this method as it requires massive funding, computer resources, and energy consumption. It concentrates control of the process in the hands of large corporations with vast resources and turns out to be bad for the environment. However, if you have an excellent AI engineering team that knows what they are doing, they can work with a smaller (less expensive) neural network and still get excellent results. Obviously, there is much more to the science behind AI, but one starts to understand why it is so difficult. It is time consuming and complex because we haven’t really figured out how the human brain so effortlessly learns—it doesn’t need backpropagation. There is only the forward pass of data, not the backward pass where neural connections are adjusted to improve the conclusion. What we think of as simple can be extremely difficult for a machine to learn, and vice versa. A computer will beat me at math 100% of the time. On the other hand, learning to

tell the difference between a paper bag and a cat in front of the car is pretty simple for me, not so much for an AI. In conclusion, when considering solutions that involve AI, you should have patience, open dialogue about what is possible and realistic expectations about the process. Ask a lot of questions, not just of the salespeople (who may also be victim to the “how hard can it be?” trap) but also of the people that train and develop AI within an organization. Is the solution in use elsewhere? This reduces the amount of learning you may have to experience, but don’t make the mistake of thinking it will be eliminated. If it isn’t already in use, it’s exciting to be on the front lines of a new application—just be prepared for a longer and much more iterative process than you might anticipate. Mostly, remember the rewards are worth it if you are patient and focused.◆ BRANDY STANLEY, MBA, CAPP, is parking services manager for the City of Las Vegas, Nevada and is a member of the IPMI Research & Innovation Task Force. She can be reached at bstanley@lasvegasnevada.gov.

BB&T PARKING DECK REPAIRS CHARLOTTE, NC

OFFICES NATIONWIDE 866.909.2220 WGInc.com/PARKING

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

/ STATE & REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT/FLORIDA PARKING & TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION Florida Parking & Transportation Association By Salena Laws, FPTA President

HE Florida Parking and Transportation Association (FPTA) was established in 1979 by

parking professionals from Orlando, Tampa, and Miami. Since its inception, FPTA has grown from 20 members to more than 200. During those years, FPTA partnered with IPMI to provide relevant training programs, offer opportunities to earn CAPP points, and hold an annual conference and trade show each December. This year’s trade show will be held in the beautiful city of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida at the PGA National Resort and Spa. The PGA National course is a championship golf experience that always sells out for attendees! Sign up early, click here to register. If you are looking to recognize someone on your team or submit your company for one of our awards, please visit our website for details and opportunities. We value our vendors and review how our vendors could sponsor all year in addition to attending our trade show. For the past two years, FPTA restructured its vendor spotlight and sponsorship programs. Now offering opportunities all year long, sponsors have more frequent access to existing and future customers. Please visit the website to read about not only our spotlights for vendors but also our FPTA member profiles. In our industry, our members remain our most valuable resources for parking professionals and industry experts. If you were a member in the past, we encourage you to

FPTA Board of Directors

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

visit our new website, improved vendor opportunities, and save a date for next June for our FPTA Mid-Year Educational Seminar. This year, the mid-year was held in Historic Lummus Park in Miami, Florida, focusing on educational courses for front line workers along with time for networking lunch and an early evening gathering at American Social Miami. Attendees enjoyed educational courses, FPTA board members highlighted the association’s plans for the conference and trade show, sponsors were provided an opportunity to share their products and details about their company, and there was a fun yet informative visit to see the IPMI Award of Excellence winning Free Flow Parking operation at loanDepot Park from Mike McKeon, Principal, Parking Partners and Angel Diaz, Director of Operations, Miami Parking Authority along with their crew. The group then got to catch a baseball game— go Marlins! Looking to get involved with FPTA? We offer several committee opportunities from small to larger roles in planning, marketing/media, or awards. Please contact our association manager Dawn Marti for details on how to get involved! ◆ SALENA LAWS is associate director of PATS at the University of North Florida, Jacksonville and is president of FPTA.

FPTA Team attending a Florida Marlins Game

IPMI Award of Excellence winning Free Flow Parking operation at loanDepot Park, Miami, Florida

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

ASK THE

EXPERTS “To achieve long-term success and career growth, what is the most vital skill for today’s parking and mobility professional to possess?”

Mark Lyons, CAPP

General Manager, Parking & Mobility Division City of Sarasota, Florida Professional development and growth are best achieved by using individual courage and fortitude. Especially in the parking and mobility world, far too often our constituents and peers push back and discourage possibilities for improvement, advanced technology, and the display of true leadership. Courage to carry the ‘flag’ and fortitude to prevail will manifest the best in all of us.”

Scott Petri Principal ParkTrans

Personal growth is best achieved by being mentored and by mentoring others. I had the good fortune for having two mentors with completely different styles and perspectives in my early days as a lawyer. This enabled me to select from each the attributes that best suited my style and mannerisms. knowledge regarding substance of any area of expertise is not as important as the right manner to interact with people. Being mentored is an honor. It means that someone sees potential in you and is willing to take his or her time to enhance your skill set. There is great satisfaction in nurturing an employee and a chance to learn again important skills for interacting among multi generations.”

Alejandra “Alex” Argudin, CAPP CEO Miami Parking Authority

I believe the essential skill for today and tomorrow’s parking and mobility professional is to become a generalist rather than just parking and mobility professional. The rapid transformation of this industry will require us to have a multi-disciplinary knowledge of a wide range of subject matters, such as technology, marketing and communication, economic development, and land-use policies, among others. Furthermore, considering the fluidity of the business, flexibility and adaptability will be of utmost importance. In essence, being attentive to emerging trend lines and having a broader vision of the world around our industry will allow us to continue to grow and thrive professionally and, equally important, bring added value to our organizations.”

/ HAVE A QUESTION? Send it to editor@parking-mobility.org and watch this space for answers from the experts.

The opinions and thoughts expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of the International Parking & Mobility Institute or official policies of IPMI.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG

STOCK.ADOBE.COM / VECTORPLUS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Arishna Lastinger

Associate Director, Parking Services Auburn University Flexibility, in my opinion, is one of the most vital skills for today’s parking and mobility professionals to possess. Industry trends, as well as the culture, are constantly changing and new technology is always being developed. It’s important that you can pivot quickly and adapt accordingly to be successful in a parking career.”

Perry H Eggleston, CAPP Executive Director for Transportation Services UC Davis

Ray Kroc, Founder of McDonald’s, said “Green and Growing or Ripe and Rotting.” Today’s parking and mobility professionals must have (and keep) a desire to learn. Stop learning, and you become irrelevant.”

Kevin White, AICP, CAPP

Parking and Mobility Consultant Walker Consultants

Creativity, drive, and an entrepreneurial spirit are the most important qualities for today’s parking and mobility professionals. The industry is in a state of constant change and evolution, and professionals who are able to adapt and evolve accordingly, while seeking out and identifying new opportunities and partnerships will thrive. Being able to draw on your foundational knowledge while seeking out new initiatives in a changing industry that better our communities, promote access, equity, and customer service, and grow our organizations, is essential.”

Larry J. Cohen, CAPP

Executive Director Lancaster Parking Authority

Stephen J. Rebora, R.A. President & CEO DESMAN

Be present. ‘Overheard’ learning via a colleague in an office environment or in the field is invaluable. And then, demonstrating these learned skills in front of others is vital to career growth.”

LISTEN! It is truly an underestimated skill. I am often asked, “how do you always seem to make the right decisions?” It’s by learning and listening to my employees, peers, bosses and mentors over these past many years, and from the experiences and decisions we make along our career path that shape who we become as an effective leader.”

Roamy Valera, CAPP

Scott Bauman, CAPP

Chief Client Officer PayByPhone

Manager of Parking & Mobility Services City of Aurora, CO After enhancing your professional development with the highly respected CAPP credential, the most vital skill to possess in our industry, in my opinion, is having the continued knowledge and expertise of emerging industry technologies and how to successfully implement them into your parking/ mobility environment. Continually acquiring and having the awareness of the rapid advancement of new industry tech ensures that your business performance and customer service goals are being achieved at the highest levels.”

Your Emotional Intelligence (EI) will play a key role in your professional growth. The need to connect with others in an effective manner has become more critical in how the world has changed over the last 24 months. Your ability to guide thinking and behavior will set you apart.”

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

ASK THE EXPERTS

Britney Cooper

Business Development WGI Listening. Being successful and growing within your career, is the ability to be able to take what someone says and either learn from it or adapt to it. Often, we listen to give a response but need to listen and absorb the content whether we agree or not.”

Mark Santos, PE, CAPP Director of Operations Walker Consultants

Jim Anderson

Market Development Manager, Building Solutions Team Master Builders Solutions US LLC The ability to adapt to change with a focus toward learning new skills and expanding one’s expertise. When considering your parking and mobility career, align yourself with those who educate and value broad learning programs such as the CAPP program.”

Being open-minded is one of the most important soft skills in our profession, being receptive (respectfully) to new and different ideas. Gain experience with an open mind while seeking to learn the many aspects of our industry through opportunities…both presented and sought after. This solid foundation is well suited to support the development and growth for a successful career.”

ELSAG® LPR FOR PARKING MANAGEMENT

Greatly Increase Your Productivity Automate parking management operations with ELSAG® license plate readers to save considerable time and money. Our LPR systems deliver exceptional read rates and reliability making them ideal for time-limit and plate-based permit enforcement. Visit us at IPMI in New Orleans, July 24-27, booth #325.

Made in the USA

leonardocompany-us.com

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

A Focus on Incremental

Strateg

PARKING & MOBILITY /

/ PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG ISTOCK/ METAMORWORKS; STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ IKON sTUDIO

gies for the Parking & Mobility Industry By Katherine Beaty

HEN WE TALK ABOUT INNOVATION in the parking and mobility

world, we are usually referring to disruptive and often technology-based innovations.

Disruptive innovations are simply a small part of a much larger machine. In fact, most of the innovations in our industry are much more mundane and incremental in nature. While a given firm may have originated from a disruptive innovation they brought to market, their ongoing success is ultimately based on incremental innovations to that original disruptive innovation. Companies evolve accordingly, and their focus becomes the ongoing improvement and feature updates to the product based on their clients’ and customers’ needs, feedback, and changes in the parking environment. Given how important this is to the success of an organization, it is crucial to understand what incremental innovation is, how it works, when to focus on it, and when not to.

What is Innovation?

There are four types of innovation: 1. Disruptive Innovation: Occurs when new entrants challenge incumbent firms, often despite inferior resources. The main defining point of a disruptive innovation is targeting population segments that have been overlooked by the competition; and delivering a sometimes inferior but often more tailored alternative, and essentially at a lower price. Eventually these innovations gain market share and move upmarket. Existing advantages are a mainstay, but then mainstream customers’ wants are added. The best example in our industry is the introduction of a Digital Based Business Plan. A digital business model is the method used to generate revenue from a website or mobile app. There are so many parking operators, PARCS providers, payment processors, and parking services that would have no business without the technologies and capacities of the internet. The sheer number of parking apps and websites that offer parking reservations are a prime example of how this business model has exploded in our industry and given customers more choices.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

INNOVATION STRATEGIES FOR THE PARKING & MOBILITY INDUSTRY

2. Radical Innovation: Occurs with an invention that eliminates or supplants an existing business model. It effectively blows up the existing system or process and replaces it with something entirely new. A prime example of this in our industry is cloud storage. Every company in parking and mobility is directly or indirectly collecting massive amounts of data. 3. Sustaining Innovation: Occurs when the innovation improves existing products. It does not create new markets or value markets, but develops existing ones with better value, allowing companies to compete against each other’s sustaining improvements. An example of sustaining innovation in our industry would be mobile and online payment processing, whether it be paying for parking using the SMS (texting) function on a phone, or through downloading an app. This has improved the existing payment process. Another great example is Automated Vehicle Identification, which has improved the process of recognizing authorized versus unauthorized parkers, whether through RFID, Bluetooth, or license plate recognition (LPR). 4. Incremental Innovation: Occurs when minor improvements are made to existing products, services, processes, methods, and even the companies that deliver these innovations. The

evolution of the parking meter is a classic example of this type of innovation in the parking world. We’ve come a long way since the first parking meter in 1935, a turnkey mechanism for a single space that accepted a coin (only), vs. that of today’s modern multi-space meters that accept coin, cash, credit cards, validations, tokens, etc. Most organizations do some sort of incremental innovations, as they make changes that create value and employ some element of novelty. These types of changes do not require big leaps in technology, however, and usually they do not make much of an impact to the marketplace.

Incremental Innovation—Underappreciated!

Incremental Innovations are often underappreciated because a single incremental innovation is not that exciting. However, when you combine the effect of making a hundred of these incremental changes every year, the difference is profound. Think of these examples: ● Gillette, which started off with a single blade product, has evolved to multiple blades with different features, including how it curves to one’s face. ● Coca-Cola, a 130-year-old American behemoth that’s managed to

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

ISTOCK/ PIRANKA

stay relevant with brand line extensions such as Cherry Coke, Coke with Lime, Coke Zero, and recently Coke Vanilla Orange – they even tossed away the caffeine in one or two iterations! ● M&M’s, which started off with plain M&M’s, then came peanut, and now there is white chocolate, brownie, and many more flavors. Another underappreciated incremental innovation in the parking industry is related to how parking payments are facilitated and processed. With myriad ways to pay, including via hardware, software, and apps (e.g., pay on foot stations, multi-space meters, apps for advancereservations, mobile payment solutions etc.), it has become somewhat difficult to find a standalone solution that works for everyone. For example, City A uses mobile payment app Alpha, and City B uses mobile payment app Delta. Parking customers visit both cities, and the cities want to make it easy for their customers to pay. A natural incremental innovation may be a move to a multi-app environment, and/or to offer an app-free solution. “Voila” we started seeing these trends and offerings, and the app-free payment solution was introduced and has become a mainstay.

Incremental Innovation— Time to Focus

Not innovating or improving is a guaranteed way to lose any competitive edge. Based on this, how much time should be focused on incremental innovation rather than other types of innovation? The 70-20-10 rule, first introduced by then Google CEO Eric Schmidt, is a simple rule for allocating resources. The basic principle behind the rule is that an organization should spend 70% if its resources on incremental innovation of the core business, 20% on innovations that help to expand that core, and 10% on the more transformational kind of innovations that help create new businesses. It is also important to consider: Scale: The bigger the scale of operations, the more financial sense it makes to go the route of incremental innovation. Example: You currently invest a week’s worth of effort on a simple process innovation that automates five minutes of work managing tasks associated with monthly parking administration (e.g., adding/deleting parkers, updating contact information etc.) Assume you have 10 employees affected by this improvement. That investment would pay itself back

CHART: SOREN KAPLAN

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

INNOVATION STRATEGIES FOR THE PARKING & MOBILITY INDUSTRY

in 10 weeks. However, with 1,000 employees, the investment pays itself back in less than half a day. While the 10-employee example is not a spectacular ROI, the 1,000-employee example is an absolute no-brainer. Imagine if this time could now be spent marketing the garage, training staff, improving cleanliness, faster monthly reporting, zero account receivables, ability to close out books faster, etc. Maturity: Whenever a new product, service, or business is launched there are constantly changing assumptions and unanswered questions. Due to this, there are at lest a few significant changes that must be made to make the product, service, or business model succeed. This is not the time to focus on incremental changes. Since you are not at scale yet, and do not have any measurable success yet, an incremental change will have very little impact on the process. You will not see a return on the investment of the innovation and in many cases, the improvement might be redundant as well if the product, service, or business model needs to be changed in a significant way.

Where to Start Your Innovations

It is easy to get overwhelmed with options on where to start, as every organization has many different areas that could benefit from improvements or streamlining processes. Here are steps to get started: 1. Look at current challenges/bottlenecks in your organization, products, services, or business plan. 2. Move fast and get quick wins. This will help to encourage support for the initiatives and will inspire others to embrace the process. It can also help to develop solutions and secure investment or the backing of management and owner. 3. Separate but together. To succeed and not get derailed by your own inner bottleneck, each department or business unit must be responsible for their own incremental innovation for it to work. Be careful not to create silos. Remember, we are all in this together. It is vital that each department or business unit share tools, experiences, and best practices between each other. 4. Frequency is important. The rate of improvement in an organization that innovates on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis is incredible compared to organizations that innovate annually. 5. Look for this same philosophy in your supplies, subcontractors, and services you outsource. They are

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

as much a part of your team and the business process, product, or service, as the team itself. If they are not doing implemental innovations, then this is one more area that can slow down your ability to continuously improve and gain market share.

Remember to Look Back

Incremental innovations increase your chances to react to changes and discover new opportunities. They can also help foster a competitive advantage that allow you to build better products and services for your customers or even yourself. However, it is important to remember to take a moment and look back at what you have accomplished in the last quarter, year, or two years, so that you can see the progress, and that the differences are a far cry from where everything started. When you are making these incremental innovations, it’s easy to forget or see how much progress has been made. KATHERINE BEATY is vice president of implementation at TEZ Technology. She can be reached at katherine@teztechnology.com.

*This information was first presented as a webinar and can be purchased for viewing from the IPMI On-Demand Education Library. Click here to purchase.

ISTOCK/ ANTONIO SOLANO

#IPMI2023 Save the Date Fort Worth, Texas June 11 - 14, 2023 Call for Presentations & Awards Opens this September!

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

ISTOCK/ MARCH MEENA 29

Do you do a great job managing your people? Bet you do! It has been my experience that managers having outstanding technical knowledge and skill often mistakenly believe they are also gifted at guiding and motivating their employees. These managers forgo the possibility of new ideas. At the same time, they wonder why their shop is plagued with a high turnover of both employees and customers. So, instead, as a superior manager, identify how many of these four qualities you possess. The best managers …

Make their employees feel important

The number one desire of most people is the need to feel that their lives matter and that the world is a different and better place because they are in it. How often do you remind your employees that each of them is valuable to you and to your organization? As an example, our family had just moved to town and our oldest daughter, Allison, was just starting high school. The school was both new to us and new to the town. To become involved in the community, and because I have a face for radio, I had volunteered to be the public address announcer for the high school football games.

This particular evening, I was wandering down the school’s hallway during the meet-the-teachers night when suddenly I heard a voice ring out from behind me, “Ted Janusz!” I thought to myself, who would know me in our new town, let alone at the new high school? I turned around to see someone who was smiling from ear-to-ear. He extended his hand to me and said, “Ted Janusz, Voice of the Hilliard Darby Panthers, how in the heck are you?” He then introduced himself as Jeff, the principal of the new school. Stunned, I shook his hand.

It Takes More Than Technical Knowledge to

LEAD

Four Qualities of an Excellent Manager BY T E D JANUSZ

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

IT TAKES MORE THAN TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE TO LEAD

That encounter lasted 20 seconds and occurred more than 20 years ago. But each time I recall it, I can easily remember my emotion. In that moment, as a parent in a new town and in a new school, Jeff made me feel as tall as the Empire State Building! I later learned that Jeff took the time to personally get to know as many people in the school community as he could. When he transferred from his old school to our new school, most of his staff came along with him. Why? Because he uniquely made people feel important. More recently, I was out for my daily run. My iPhone rang. I wondered who would be calling me from a different time zone so early in the morning. I didn’t recognize the phone number and so I let the call roll over to voicemail. I had recently published a book and had quoted a famous speaker in the book, so I sent him a copy of my book. It was this speaker who was calling and who left a message. He told me that, in a moment of reflection, he was wondering if anyone were listening to the words he was saying and if his words were making any kind of an impact. He went on to say that, today, by reading his words in my book, he had received that assurance. You would think that a speaker who flies only first class would know that his words were important. But that exchange convinced me that we all sometimes need to be reminded.

Make their employees feel appreciated

In taking worker satisfaction surveys over the last 75 years, employees’ number one complaint is neither wages nor benefits, but a lack of appreciation. In my last corporate position, I had a co-worker, Amy, who always did a good job. But one time Amy went above and beyond what she needed to do. I wanted to recognize Amy’s efforts, but times were tough, and I wasn’t in a position to give her a raise or promotion. Instead, I went to the Hallmark store and designed a postcard that said at the top, “The Top 10 Reasons Why You Are Marvelous” and I then filled it in. When I gave the postcard to her, Amy looked at the card, then looked up at me. There were tears in Amy’s eyes. Apparently, no one had ever shown appreciation like that for Amy. Average managers say, “My employees are getting paid. That should be enough!” Excellent managers regularly demonstrate how glad they are to have their employees on the team.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

Get to know their employees as people

Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers said, “Nothing is more unequal than the equal treatment of unequals.” Translating the coach-speak: Even though your employees may be equal, to motivate them properly, you can’t treat them all the same way. For instance: ● One of your employees is interested in taking on additional responsibilities so they can be promoted into management. ● Another employee desires to buy a house, so they want an opportunity to make more money. ● Yet another employee treasures time off, so they can spend that time with children or grandchildren. The key to successful motivation is to reward your people the way that they want to be rewarded, not necessarily the way that you or I would like to be rewarded. Unlike my daughter Allison, who is a loud, aggressive go-getter, my youngest daughter, Heidi, is quiet, shy, and sensitive. As middle schooler, Heidi was about to get her first experience on a competitive sports team. With the wrong kind of coach (one that would primarily bark or yell at her), Heidi might last only days or even hours on the softball team. I watched from the stands as Heidi’s coach, instead, worked his magic like a skilled craftsman. He learned exactly what to do to individually motivate each girl on the team. The coach understood when a girl misplayed a ball, for example, whether she would need a verbal kick in the pants or a literal pat on the back to get her back in the game. He also knew exactly how to motivate Heidi, who as a result went on to become an outstanding catcher on the high school team. Realize that Bob or Alice, who works for you, is more than “just” a bookkeeper. He or she has a family and has plans and dreams just as you do. How much do you know about Bob or Alice? Their favorite sports team? Where they like to go out to eat? What they like to do on their free time? Get to know your employees as people, and not just as “cogs in your machine.” Realize that people don’t work for companies; they work for (or leave) their bosses.

Are role models for the organization

My daughter Allison once said to me, “What you and Mom do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you say.” I recently took the car through the local car wash. The operator, as he took my money said, “You are driving your wife’s car today. And you are not riding your bike like you always do today, either.” I had no idea who this person was. People are watching you! As a speaker, I watch others in my industry. It makes me feel good when my role models act appropriately, and it disappoints me when they don’t. Similarly, whether you realize it or not, your employees are constantly watching you. They want to be sure that: ● You don’t play favorites among your employees. ● You enforce the rules fairly. ● You have technical knowledge - they know they can always come to you to help solve a complex issue. ● You have emotional intelligence and people skills – they know that you will help them through a challenge

ISTOCK/ MIKOLETTE

they may have with a customer or even with a fellow employee. ● No matter what happens, you will always have their back. ● You maintain an even keel, no matter how the economy or other external forces impact the business. ● Most importantly, you are in charge, and that knowledge frees them to do their jobs. Your employees want to belong to something that is bigger than themselves. They want to look forward to coming to their job every day, to enjoy working with you and their fellow employees. Your employees want to feel proud when they tell people in the community that they work at your shop. As an excellent manager, you realize that you make all that possible. ◆ TED JANUSZ is a Certified Speaking Professional and a Certified Virtual Presenter. He can be reached at ted@januspresentations. com.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

INTO TH E By Vyick Gaglian,o CAPP, LEED AP

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

UNKNOWN PICTURE IT: LONG ISLAND, FEBRUARY 27, 2020 (yes, this is an homage to the Golden Girls). The last flight I would take for well over a year. My meetings that day at the hospital foreshadowed what was to come. The complimentary mask stations at the entrances and visitor desk containing full boxes when going into the meeting were just empty boxes when we left. News of COVID increased everyone’s anxiety and little did I know, Long Island would soon be a hot spot. While COVID has certainly changed all our personal and professional lives (at least those of us in the parking industry), the effects and impact is way more than I anticipated. Early last year I anticipated things going back to normal or at least a new normal as vaccinations rolled out and the number of cases and deaths dwindled down to hardly a memory. Then Delta came. Then Omicron. And full disclosure, around the time I started writing this article early this year, I was in the middle of my own COVID battle fighting exhaustion, sore throat, and the usual suspects (all is well now). That unknown factor makes my job as a consultant increasingly difficult. Parking consultants are really just problem solvers that solve parking problems. However, one of the most valuable skills of a parking consultant is being able to predict the future, or at least get pretty close. For me, I know that predicting my client’s parking needs is just a by-product of human behavior, so also add psychologist to the list of valuable skills needed.

SHUTTERSTOCK/ FRAN_ K IE/ DWIRETNOART99

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG // JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG MOBILITY

3535

INTO THE UNKNOWN

Now when I was “predicting” the future for my clients back in 2019, I would typically feel very confident in my understanding of human behavior. Most of us are creatures of habit. We wake up and go to work five days a week. Some of us drive to work and we like to park as close to our destination as possible; some use public transportation; some walk, etc. Then we return home to spend time with our family and sleep. Rinse. Repeat. I knew, or at least I thought I knew, what was going to happen for many, many years to come. What could go wrong? Apparently, a lot. But why does this matter? It matters because the changes caused by the pandemic make forecasting more difficult for everyone, and every one of us in every industry relies on forecasting the future. For us in the parking industry, it impacts our parking facilities (existing and new)—how we can generate revenue to operate those facilities, how we can generate revenue to cover debt service payments (the same debt service payments that appeared reasonable in a previously full garage that now sits empty). For those in government/municipal planning, it impacts the sales and property tax revenue that is used to fund the infrastructure in our cities and towns. The parking department’s revenue may not be capable of covering expenses, and it may need to be subsidized by the general fund which is already in crisis from the other loss of revenue, development projects that were set to revitalize and redevelop downtowns may go on hold. The office building owner may lose tenants as more employers reduce their in-office labor force in exchange for employees working from home. Now their undersized parking garage is no longer an issue, but they also lost a lot of monthly parking permit revenue as well, how do long do they have to sustain operating at a loss? The restaurant owner must adjust their operation to purchase just the right amount of perishable ingredients to minimize waste. They must also create a new schedule for staff to ensure all customers are served but their expenses do not exceed their revenue. They must decide if they will open their dining area or just handle takeout orders, and some may decide to change their hours, menu, or completely close. Fast forward to the present, when we were all supposed to be living in a better world and I’d be able to get back to making new predictions, so here’s what I know: Some employers may permanently change their policies about employees working from home on a

“ It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” —Twain

permanent basis, some will implement a hybrid model, some will downsize their office space. Landlords will have to back fill their space by finding other tenants, and for some in urban locations, they will also need to find ways to offset any lost parking revenue. Public transit agencies may see a long-term negative impact on their ridership as people wish to prevent possible exposure or may be compromised. For those already operating in the red, things may get worse. Further, people in general may desire to own a personal vehicle to allow for more social distancing. Previous shared parking scenarios must be reevaluated now that residents are staying home all day, occupying their parking space. But that may not really matter if the restaurant is serving 90% take-out orders and the office building is 50% vacant. If that changes, then it may matter, and they may not have enough parking again. I really know nothing anymore about the future, but I do know a little about the present. The pandemic has caused and still causes some pentup “need” for all of us to get out and at least feel normal. People need to get out of their homes, and they need to feel “normal” even though the pandemic has caused so many things to not be normal. This goes back to the

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

ISTOCK/ CSA PRINTSTOCK; STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ DILOK

yin and yang of trying to find the balance between our physical health and our mental well-being. As someone with young children (like many of you) this has been a particularly difficult balance. Does this mean I stopped trying to predict the future? Not at all. I just do it now with a little more clarity about the number of possibilities and some of those unknown factors. While the unknowns can be scary, it also allows for a little more creativity and flexibility when trying to predict the future. Yes, this is still an uncertain time for many, especially us parking professionals. But as our industry has so often been on the cutting edge of technology advancements and even real estate, we are now presented with an opportunity to work with our clients to find resourceful ways to bring people back to parking. The potential reticence to returning to public transit may be an opportunity at least in the short term, and for some even long term. While we may not get back to full

capacity in those previously filled parking facilities in commercial business districts that served employees who now work from home, there may still be a gradual return to work even if not five days a week. In the coming months we may have a better idea of how companies plan their “return to work” strategies, which will give us a better understanding of the parking needs at least in the next few years. Once we have that data, we will be able to work with clients to identify more strategic opportunities to promote parking to a potentially new audience of customers who may not have needed parking in the past or may have opted for alternatives due to lack of parking availability. There may be the potential to identify strategic partnerships with others such as restaurants, concert venues, and other entertainment destinations who have also suffered during this time. As vaccination rates increase, and people begin to feel more comfortable going out, they are going to want to make up for the lost time of nearly two years spent mostly at home. While the demand may not get back to what we knew for so many years, there is an opportunity here to harness that demand for experiences and take a more strategic approach to getting people back out, and as a result back into our parking facilities. We may be able to use the approaches we once took to meeting the challenges of excessive parking demands with minimal supply and flip the script to attract new and previous parkers to parking facilities that now have capacity to serve them. Their needs, destinations, and frequency may be different than they once were, but at the end of the day people still want to get out and do things – now more than ever – and they will need a place to park when they do. Of course, there are still many unknowns. But this isn’t the first time parking professionals have had to get creative to help our clients solve their problems. We can do it again. VICKY GAGLIANO, CAPP, LEED AP, is director of parking studies for THA Consulting. She can be reached at vgagliano@thaconsulting.com.

ISTOCK/ GREMLIN

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

RESILIENCE and INNOVAT

The

ROM THE RISE OF MOBILITY to the ever-growing electric vehicle (EV) movement,

the parking industry has welcomed change and continuously used creativity to fuel new ideas and provide better services for customers and clients. The industry’s collective sense of innovation was never more important than during the COVID-19 pandemic. Delivering challenges in rapid succession, 2020 ushered in a new era of technological enhancements and revamped parking solutions across the country. Though the challenges were wide-ranging, four main areas took precedence: staffing, touchless technology, data optimization, and demand generation. With these four components in particular, the parking industry demonstrated its practice of embracing change and developing creative solutions. By adapting to the constantly shifting expectations and pivoting operations to accommodate those changes, the parking industry, yet again, proved its ability to evolve quickly to meet consumer demands and aid in the health of the economy at large.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

SHUTTERSTOCK/ ESB PROFESSIONAL

ATION of the PARKING Industry BY JOHN SCHMID

Optimizing Staffing Operational Adjustments The first area that demanded attention at the start of the pandemic was staffing. As the onset of COVID-19 rapidly affected society, the average consumer’s daily life quickly shifted. Beginning with the start of quarantine, normal operations across industries nationwide abruptly halted. This directly impacted the parking industry, creating disruption throughout the verticals it serviced. Office employees began working from home, stores and restaurants temporarily shut down, venues postponed events, airlines restricted travel, and hotel reservations dwindled—all drastically reducing the number of parkers.

With the resulting revenue loss, minimizing operational costs became imperative. One key part in this effort was reducing payroll expenses. While critical to maintaining operations, this, ultimately, resulted in fewer employees and less support for the remaining customers. In the face of this challenge, the parking industry adjusted its operations and relied more heavily on the use of command centers.

Supplemental Support Since their inception, command centers have offered clients of parking operators significant supplemental support, ranging from round-the-clock customer service to 24/7 site monitoring and equipment maintenance.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

THE RESILIENCE AND INNOVATION OF THE PARKING INDUSTRY

However, when dealing with the new reality of COVID-19, command centers became even more valuable, ensuring that clients could reduce the number of onsite employees without sacrificing customer support quality. Remote management held an additional benefit, as well: less in-person contact. As everyone sought to minimize human interaction, offering support without requiring face-to-face communication provided important peace of mind for parkers. By helping remaining customers feel safer while traversing the ever-changing pandemic landscape, command centers improved the customer experience and, as a result, increased the likelihood that customers would return during their limited outings. Remote customer support remained an integral solution as the pandemic wore on, as well. Once quarantine restrictions lessened and companies were able to hire employees again, a new challenge emerged: finding the necessary staffing. With the extension of enhanced unemployment benefits came a reduction in the number of individuals in the job market. This meant industries, across the board, struggled to fill increasingly important positions as the world reopened. Continuing

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

to supplement fewer onsite employees—though now for different reasons—command centers remained crucial to the maintenance of effective operations. As a result, the pandemic established command centers as a critical investment for the parking industry, supplementing onsite staff and offering versatile support that could help future-proof businesses and protect their operations in the face of any unexpected challenges.

Implementing Touchless Technology A New Era While touchless technology and contactless payment were on the rise prior to the pandemic, they quickly surged to new heights with the onset of COVID-19. Especially in the early days, when less was known about the virus’ transmission, any way to limit face-to-face interactions became increasingly important. This resulted in the boom of smartphone-based payment. From food delivery to retail shopping, consumers adapted to a new way of life—one that used their personal devices as their key payment tool. Consumers grew increasingly comfortable with contactless payment

ISTOCK/ PEOPLE IMAGES

and began expecting that option across their wideranging transactions. At parking locations, they viewed tried-and-true ticket and payment stations as antiquated and unsafe. They considered any commonly used touchpoints unsanitary, even if locations implemented stricter cleaning requirements. As a result, the optics of touchless technology proved integral to generating demand and maintaining a loyal customer base.

Contactless Payment In addition to installing motion-activated entry stations, parking locations met this demand by implementing QR codes, touchless pay-in-lane services, and online website reservations. The transition to these systems enhanced the customer experience, eliminating the need for parkers to return to their cars to maintain their parking payment. Instead, they could scan a QR code upon arrival, input their credit card information, and estimate their departure time. Then, if they decided to extend their outing, they could simply adjust their timing from their phone. It also allowed customers to pay only for what they used, rather than losing money if they checked out earlier than anticipated. Ultimately, this left them feeling more positive about their experience with a given parking operation and increased the likelihood that they would return or recommend the establishment to friends or family. For parking locations, smartphone-based payment options offered the additional benefit of optimizing revenue streams. Using the latest yield management

pricing strategy, cloud-based software could determine the final payment amount based on the most effective pricing for that time of day. It also protected against slippage and parking theft, further safeguarding profits. By updating payment technology to meet changing customer needs, the parking industry, once again, demonstrated its commitment to versatility, its willingness to adapt to customer demand, and its ability to evolve with an ever-changing economic landscape.

Real-Time, Data-Driven Decisions Expect the Unexpected Over the last two years, the unexpected has become, well, expected. New challenges have emerged constantly and, especially at the start of the pandemic, this meant that year-over-year data became obsolete. With quarantine and the work-from-home lifestyle, inconsistent user demand yielded unreliable revenue streams and weakened businesses’ ability to make datainformed decisions. This caused further uncertainty during a time when a lack of foresight could make or break a business. As a result, the industry needed to create and implement new solutions that could better support integral decision making during these unprecedented times. One key answer was the implementation of realtime dashboards. Operating with day-to-day data offered a better, more accurate solution than year-over-year, providing a firm understanding of performance and much-needed flexibility when facing the uncertainties of business during the pandemic.

A New Solution With these data systems in place, it became possible to better monitor parking trends, which varied daily. In addition, they offered real-time visibility into occupancy, operations, and transactions, allowing

STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ WHYFRAMESHOT/ CYBRAIN

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

THE RESILIENCE AND INNOVATION OF THE PARKING INDUSTRY

parking operators to identify high-traffic times. This meant they could adapt their operations to meet demand, determining everything from cleaning schedules to employee shifts. Insight into high-traffic times also allowed businesses to adjust rates to optimize revenue generation. As the pandemic progressed and revenue opportunities returned, the chance to capitalize on them was more important than ever to recover from the impact of COVID-19. The parking industry’s ability to adapt not only its operations for customers but also its back-office operations for clients became an integral component to its success during the pandemic. It wasn’t enough to provide customer support and new, customer-facing technology; parking operators needed to create a solution for revenue forecasting issues so clients could be prepared for any changes to the economic landscape.

Generating Demand Diving Into Digital As people spent more time at home and the societal landscape changed, so did the parking industry’s business practices. While, previously, parking operators could rely on flagging drivers into garages to increase business, the pandemic left fewer people on the roads, making that method ineffective. Instead, parking providers needed to find new ways to reach customers where they were—online. As a result, technology played yet another important role in this side of business and digital marketing practices became critical. They helped businesses identify their target audience, determining everything from their hobbies to local events that might interest them. By establishing their potential parking needs, these digital practices enabled parking operators to promote specific offers that appealed to each individual audience.

Targeted Advertising In addition to building an enhanced understanding of customers, businesses also implemented effective advertising tools that ensured their messaging reached their target audience. From email marketing to digital advertising across social media platforms, diversifying messages and methods of communication was integral to customer growth and revenue enhancement.

New knowledge of customers and their interests also helped businesses build effective customer profiles. These not only informed ongoing practices, but also established a baseline for operations going forward. As a result, this audience information will continue to provide valuable insight that can enhance key decision making and best practices as the pandemic progresses and societal changes evolve. To say the pandemic drastically impacted industries worldwide is an understatement. Within the U.S. parking industry, the resulting shifts were immediate and widespread. From staffing and touchless technology to data-driven decisions and demand generation, new challenges developed swiftly and yielded gamechanging solutions. Like so often throughout history, the parking industry met every change with creativity and determination, developing innovations that will continue to move the industry—and the economy at large—forward for years to come. JOHN SCHMID is the CEO and chairman of Propark Mobility. He can be reached at john. schmid@propark.com.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ MITAY 20

#IPMI2022: Where Tech, Innovation, & Expertise Converge July 24 - July 27, 2022 Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, La

We can't wait to see you in the Big Easy!

In an Age of Technology and Automation

THE PEOPLE STILL MAKE IT WORK

Showcasing the individuals and organizations that led by example in this year’s Professional Recognition Awards.

ECHNOLOGY IN THE PARKING AND MOBILITY

sector is advancing at a staggering rate. What we are learning as more and more of our processes become automated and as new technologies become integrated into our operations every day is that one steadfast truth will never change: the people of parking and mobility make it work. There will always be people behind the automation, and people creating the innovation that keeps our industry moving forward. The parking and mobility community has some of the most talented and innovative people working at all levels. From frontline employees to the executive offices, parking and mobility professionals are working every day to keep their current operations running while envisioning the future for their organizations and customers. The 2022 IPMI Professional Recognition Program award winners faced significant challenges and overcame them with creativity, fortitude, and a spirit of leadership that inspires us all.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

STOCK.ADOBE.COM / NEWROSSOSH

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

Organization of the Year

Houston, Texas Imagine a city of sprawl, endless curbs of free parking and massive strip shopping centers with parking lots built to accommodate a few days of Christmas rush. Now imagine having to manage parking in that environment and the parkevanglism necessary to upend the status quo. Welcome to ParkHouston. ParkHouston hits every mark as it joins the elite list of organizations gaining this recognition. Their contributions to the parking, transportation, and mobility industry set an example of leadership in the field. Their commitment to advancing unique and innovative ideas and creativity is clear in how they have embraced technology to achieve their goals. They have clearly demonstrated standards of excellence in customer service, operations, finance, human resources, professional development, marketing, and more as can be seen in the achievements of their team.

Overview

ParkHouston manages the limited on-street parking spaces for all 635 square miles of Houston, striving to be a solutionbased partner that support Houstonians with programs that support public safety, quality of life, sustainability, and economic development. From their days in the late 90s as Parking Management, overseeing a fleet of about 5,500 single-head meters and focused on citation issuance, to their transformation to the customer-service focused agency of today—ParkHouston has come a long way. ParkHouston is committed to serving the residents and businesses of the City of Houston (the City). Their mantra—they are more than parking citations. Their staff has developed a reputation of being one of the most responsive and effective in the city of Houston. They manage the demand of neighborhood challenges and work with businesses and residents to develop solutions that benefit the community and effectively manage the curbside. While not everyone may initially support their programs, once they experience the commitment to collaboration, many become ParkHouston’s champions. ParkHouston is part of the fabric of the Houston community. They have worked with the Houston Arts Alliance to hire artists to transform meters into functional works of public art. They actively engage with other city agencies and the private sector to promote events like Park(ing) Day. In addition to annual special events, Houston is a destination for large, nationwide events from the

Superbowl to the Final Four. ParkHouston actively engages with event organizers to manage the on-street parking and support the mobility and transportation plans.

Highlights

Public Safety Through Advanced Technology Public safety in neighborhoods is addressed by regular patrols and customer service requests. In 2021, ParkHouston responded to over 10,000 service requests—97% are completed on time based on deadlines established by the mayor. In 2021, safety parking violations returned to pre-pandemic levels, and were managed with staff shortages due to vacancies and medical leaves. This represented 34% growth from 2020 and 3% growth from 2019. Technology allowed ParkHouston to increase their efficiency and more effectively serve Houston: ● License Plate Recognition to enforce paid parking, permits, identify scofflaws, and conduct parking occupancy studies. ● App to manage on-demand collections and maintenance of pay stations. ● Digital tire chalking to enforce time limits and abandoned vehicles. ● Online payment and permit purchase. ● Parking analytics platform integrated with LPRs to monitor occupancy and adjust meter operations. ● Self-release boots to eliminate the need for an officer to release a vehicle. ● CRIS—Customer Relations Information System to manage service requests. ● Contactless and digital payments through pay-by-app.

Sustainability in Action Parking stakeholders are not our only constituency. On August 13, 2019, Mayor Sylvester Turner signed the Vision Zero Executive Order committing to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on streets by 2030. In coordination with the bicycle-advocacy community, ParkHouston developed regulations to address vehicles parked in dedicated bicycle lanes. Prior to the adoption of this ordinance, capital funds were expended to install No Parking— Tow Away Zone signage at all dedicated bicycle lanes. The City has installed more than 500 miles of dedicated bicycle lanes to date and signage was installed at significant cost.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

As the City moves forward to build 1,500 plus miles of bicycle lanes, the new violation code will not require signage allowing more investment in actual bicycle lanes. The savings from eliminating signage on bike lanes is estimated at $1.8 million dollars. The bicycle advocacy community was also interested in educating about bicycle safety. ParkHouston developed an online Bike Friendly Driver course. For a first offense of parked in a dedicated bicycle lane, citizens can take the Bike Friendly Driver course in lieu of paying the fine. As the City’s Employee Parking & Transit coordinator, ParkHouston also provided access to the course to all City employees. ParkHouston is committed to making Houston a safer, more accessible, and bike-friendly city.

The Team

ParkHouston understands that to address quality of life for their customers, they must focus on quality of life for their team. Programs that they provide include: ● Annual Ambassador Training—focused on customer service and satisfaction, accuracy in parking enforcement, role-play, safety, and stress management. This is required for all new employees and refreshers every three years for all. ● Payment Incentive Program: Employees who meet the minimum required evaluation score, participate in at least 16 hours of training, and meet attendance requirements are eligible for an annual incentive payment. Citation issuance is not a value that is graded for the incentive program—the focus is customer service and education. ● Tier Program: Each of the three sections have a tier program to offer a career ladder to encourage retention and upward mobility. ● Additional online training opportunities for all staff (two per month) via the IPMI or Association for Commuter Transportation.

Frontline staff participation at regional and national conferences. Support of the CAPP program with three CAPPs in management and two CAPP candidates in supervisor roles. ● Employee of the Quarter program—reserved parking space and a gift card. Clearly, the investment in their team has paid off as the ParkHouston team is recognized for their performance and projects on a regular basis. The Texas Parking & Transportation (TPTA) has recognized four current ParkHouston employees as Employee of the Year (Kevia Stroder, 2015, Norman Holt, 2017, Lisa Alaniz, 2018, and Carlos Medel, 2019). IPMI has recognized four current ParkHouston employees in the Professional Recognition Program (Adriana Chapa -2010, Melonie Curry—2018, Maria Irshad—2020, and Carlos Medel—2021). The contributions of our staff on a variety of projects have resulted in ParkHouston being recognized with a Parking Matters award from IPMI in 2017, an Equipment & Technology Award from TPTA in 2017, IPMI Marketing and Outreach Award in 2016, Equipment & Technology Award from TPTA in 2014, IPMI Award of Merit in 2007, and Parking Organization of the Year in 2006. Finally, ParkHouston is designated as an Accredited Parking Organization with Distinction since 2015. ParkHouston will continue to leverage technology to serve the citizens of Houston more effectively and efficiently. They are committed to staying connected to their constituents and teammates, focusing on their four key pillars of public safety, quality of life, sustainability, and economic development. As the City of Houston continues to grow and thrive, so will its parking needs. ParkHouston is well positioned to meet the challenging and evolving parking needs of businesses, residents, and visitors in the Greater Houston area for years to come. ● ●

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

James M. Hunnicutt | CAPP Industry Professional of the Year

Carmen Donnell, CAPP Managing Director, North America PayByPhone

“Carmen is a phenomenal leader, tireless worker, and incredible problem solver. She always brings great ideas to the table when facing a new challenge.” —Jessica Britton, Director, Product Marketing, Global, PayByPhone

For the past 15 years, Carmen Donnell, CAPP, has been building blazing a trail in the parking, transportation, and mobility industry. As a dynamic and adaptive sales leader with a talent for relationship management, Donnell prides herself in viewing parking solutions from the client’s perspective. As a mentor and role model to others in the industry, Donnell has put herself forward in leadership roles that have helped support and encourage those around her to reach their full potential. Donnell joined PayByPhone as the vice president of sales-west and was recently promoted to managing director for North America, making her responsible for functional aspects and members of the commercial team in the U.S. and Canada. This includes sales, RFP, marketing, implementation, and client success groups. Working closely alongside the Chief Client Officer, Global and other PayByPhone operative departments, Carmen’s top focus is to deliver results that are aligned with PayByPhone’s overall growth strategy and ensuring that the clients are happy, all while creating a team that promotes personal and professional growth and development. Donnell’s personal commitment to the parking industry is extraordinary. She is constantly expanding her parking knowledge by being an active sponsor and participant in many industry organizations including IPMI, the Southwest Parking & Transportation Association (SWPTA), and the Pacific Intermountain Parking & Transportation Association (PIPTA) among others. During her career, Donnell has created and presented numerous educational presentations on a variety of topics ranging from technical education to leadership, specifically female leadership, as well as trending topics for parking and mobility in North America. Donnell is a known and trusted leader and provides her expertise by publishing blogs, writing articles, and presenting education sessions. Donnell was involved in SWPTA’s Board of Directors for five years (most recently as vice president), pioneering the Annual SWPTA Awards of Excellence, creating insightful content for the SWPTA website, serving four years on the SRA IPMI Mobility Task Force, as well as the Professional Awards and Awards of Excellence Judging Task Force. “Carmen’s commitment to continuing to foster positive change within the industry has been displayed through her involvement in a number of associations, including but not limited to, PIPTA, SWPTA, and of course, IPMI. Whether it’s through an internal committee or in attendance to an annual trade show, you can rely on Carmen to bring her unique and trusted perspective.” —Roamy Valera, CAPP, Chief Client Officer, PayByPhone. In 2020, Donnell added her CAPP certification to her resume. Receiving a CAPP certification represents Donnell’s dedication to advancing the parking world and demonstrates her commitment to exceed innovation, professionalism, and expertise in this industry. Donnell is extremely supportive and encouraging of her staff, motivating them to take the time to earn their own CAPP certifications. You can count on her to take the initiative to continually educate her team with the best resources available as the technology in our industry evolves. Donnell seeks opportunities to share her experience with fellow women in the parking industry who are looking to walk the same path as she has, as this type of guidance was not available to her during the beginning of her career. In addition to providing private mentorship to several up-and-coming professionals, Donnell herself has two mentors and coaches, one fellow parking professional, and one outside of the industry. By having mentors, she can seek guidance around making certain business decisions, allowing her to foster relationships and partnerships, and overall helping her grow in her professional journey.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

James M. Hunnicutt | CAPP Industry Professional of the Year The belief that technology needs to be integrated with a service to deliver true value—that technology by itself is worthless and may even create more issues for the users—has guided a very successful career for Michael Drow, CAPP. Drow entered the parking industry in 2004 working at Standard Parking, now SP+, before working at T2 Systems and now Parking Revenue Recovery Services. He has had the opportunity to work in operations, product development, technology consulting, and sales roles during his career. Drow has collaborated with many individuals and companies in the parking industry to integrate technology into the delivery of parking and mobility services to advance operational efficiency and customer convenience. He led the redevelopment of one of the industry’s first parking reservation platforms in 2011, which was used at the NFL Superbowl, Vancouver Winter Olympics, and a version of the platform is still in use today at many locations throughout North America under Parkmobile’s platform. He also led the development of some of the first remote management centers in North America. Over the course of his career, Drow has prioritized collaborating with others and sharing information to better the industry. He started to participate in (then) IPI in 2005, joining the Technology Committee in 2007. During his tenure the committee, Drow has collaborated with multiple committee members to create 14 presentations on a wide range of technology topics. While co-chair of the committee, the group developed the initial IPMI Technology Glossary which is now in its third edition (soon to be fourth edition) and expanded its scope through global collaboration with the British Parking Authority. His efforts on the Technology Committee were recognized with the IPMI Chairman’s Award in 2013 and 2018. Drow also contributed to the initial version of the Accreditation Parking Organization standard by writing the technology section, as well as authoring the chapter on technology in the IPMI book Guide to Parking. Among Drow’s many achievements, he has played a key role as champion and guide in the creation of a global parking data specification. An initial concept spearheaded by Drow and co-founded by IPMI has evolved into the Alliance for Parking Data Standards (APDS), a global not-for-profit organization charged with the development and promotion of this global parking data specification. Drow led APDS’ successful effort to convince ISO to adopt a parking data specification based on the APDS work and was instrumental in working with the various country representatives to resolve questions and gain support for the standard. Drow continues to support and promote the data standard by working with various government and commercial entities to understand and adopt the data standard in their efforts. “Mike’s efforts over the past five years developing and promoting the APDS data specification will ensure that the global parking industry has a voice in the world of smart cities, intelligent transportation, automated vehicles, and mobility. Commercial entities and municipalities around the world are now leveraging the APDS data specification to seamlessly integrate complex data sets into their information and transaction systems.” —Nigel Williams, Chair, Alliance for Parking Data Standards Drow’s effort to establish a global data specification for parking will provide years of value to the industry and allow the industry, both service providers and technology solution providers, to interact within parking and with other industries on a cost-effective basis, using terminology and methods that reflect the needs of parking and mobility operators. While Drow contributes his time to educating and sharing information on parking and mobilityrelated technology and services, he also is an advocate for the parking industry with other non-parking groups. He has been a committed advocate of the parking and mobility industry, giving it a voice in many other sectors that need access to parking resources and services. Over his 18 years in the field, Drow has worked to collaborate on technology with his peers in other industries to help them better integrate with the parking sector. Drow works to ensure that parking has a seat at the table with other industries and has worked relentlessly to enable the parking industry to be part of broader discussions on intelligent transport systems, smart cities, curbside management, and many other topics. Drow has worked with automotive manufacturers to discuss automated valet technology and processes and he contributes time to promote the parking industry with various ITS groups around the globe.

Michael Drow, CAPP Chief Executive Officer Parking Revenue Recovery Services, Inc.

“Mike has been a model volunteer in his service to the profession and our industry’s professional education. He is an arduous promotor of the industry and a valuable resource to discuss technology and parking ideas both on a personal and professional level.” —Peter W. Lange, CAPP, Associate Vice President, Texas A&M University

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

Emerging Leader of the Year

Jeshua Pringle, CAPP, AICP Parking Planner, Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc.

“His willingness to take on pioneering projects not only has advanced his career and Kimley-Horn’s presence, but also has enhanced and improved the parking and mobility environments, ecosystems, and budgets of municipalities, universities, and healthcare facilities across the United States. Jeshua is always willing to put in the necessary work to ensure his clients are happy and that his projects are completed with excellence.” —Jeffrey B. Elsey, P.E., CAPP, LEED AP, Vice President, Kimley-Horn

With an unwavering commitment to project success and a focus on details, Jeshua Pringle, AICP, CAPP is a charismatic trailblazer who demonstrates exceptional patience and problem-solving abilities. Pringle is a proven leader within the parking and mobility industry. He continually inspires his team to pursue their visions of growth and achieve their collective goals while keeping clients at the forefront. As a part of Kimley-Horn’s Atlanta team, Pringle has served as a project manager, client liaison, and quality control reviewer for parking and mobility projects across the country. As a parking transportation professional with five years of experience in parking and curbside management planning, Pringle’s practice centers on the relationship between land use and transportation to help clients develop strategies that optimize their use of space and enhance their transportation system. His experience covers a full range of consulting services, including collecting data through license plate recognition technology, travel demand management programming, developing requests for proposals for municipalities, and launching a municipal parking program. He has a particular focus on improving parking operations at hospitals, universities, and municipalities to enhance the customer parking experience. Pringle is passionate about curbside management. Before joining Kimley-Horn as a parking and transportation analyst, he served as a senior management analyst for the City of Atlanta where he spearheaded strategic planning for the city’s Office of Transportation, Division of Parking and Curbside Management. In this role, he developed policies and protocols that improved curbside management and advance the city’s SmartCity transportation objectives. Pringle also has written numerous articles on the curb and its relationship with users, technology, and micromobility. He co-presented at the 2021 IPMI Parking & Mobility Conference on best practices for developing a connected curbside management plan that addresses policies, emerging technologies, and the demands of connected and autonomous vehicle users. Pringle’s passion for the design and implementation of parking continues to grow along with his involvement in the parking industry. His roles as a member of IPMI’s Mobility Task Force, a Certified Administrator of Public Parking, and an approved Accredited Parking Organization reviewer are indicative of his desire to continue learning, connecting, and investing in the parking industry’s progress. As Pringle’s colleagues are quick to note, his skills do not end with parking consulting. He also projects a warm and respectful attitude to everyone he meets. He resolves conflicts and handles difficult situations with remarkable patience and admirable tact. He is an outstanding communicator, an expert with comprehensive technical knowledge, diligent in project oversight, and attentive to budgetary issues. With young leaders like Pringle coming up in the ranks, the future of parking and mobility is bright. He is enthusiastic about the parking and mobility industry and is eager to offer his experience to advance the profession. As the parking and mobility industry evolves in the decades to come, Pringle will be there to influence its future.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

Professional Excellence Award—Operations Michael Edwards has been in leadership positions with UCLA Transportation since 2004, when he was hired as the evening senior supervisor, leading a group of 20 students. From there, he led thousands of parking events each year for four years. Edwards then applied for a day shift senior supervisor position overseeing UCLA’s medical center areas. From 2008 through 2016, Edwards learned all the related operational duties associated with managing parking at the university’s medical areas and the related parking and revenue control system PARCS equipment and software (Amano McGann and SKIDATA). In 2010, the medical center transitioned from a pay-on-entry PARCS system (Amano McGann) to a payon-exit system (SKIDATA). Edwards mostly led this transition from a day-to-day operational perspective and worked closely with the vendor (Sentry Control Systems) to install the new system in the medical areas where a vendor ran the 24/7/365 valet services. He was intimately involved with the integration and installation of the SKIDATA system and Zip Park software to support the valet operation and the vendor who supplied the labor. Edwards’ work to help turn the medical plaza kiosks into self-service lanes resulted in nearly 50% savings in labor, reducing staffing six kiosks per day to staffing three kiosks per day from 8 am to 9 pm, Michael five days a week. The entire endeavor was led and coordinated with Edwards’ leadership. Edwards In 2016, Edwards was part of a team of decision-makers who got ahead of a shift in policy and Field Operations practice to allow outside vendors to operate regularly on University of California (UC) campuses. Manager II, The team ultimately decided to insource the entire 24/7/365 valet operation at Ronald Reagan UCLA UCLA Medical Center in late 2016. Transportation Also, in 2016, Edwards was promoted to medical operations manager and led the process of insourcing the valet operation from an outside vendor. Edwards built and led the transition from having no internal UCLA staff to hiring, onboarding, and training nearly 145 full-time employees in six months. Edwards’ efforts in building an organization from the ground up cannot be underestimated, as there was no template to follow, and this type of transition had never been done or attempted in the UC system. The collaboration and cooperation needed from human resources, insurance “Mike is a force and has “IT”. What I and risk management, hospital leadership, and internal departments in transportation mean is he can design and build an were massive—but Edwards made it all work and built an organization that parks between operation from the ground up; he 800 to 100 cars per day. Pre-pandemic, early 2020, UCLA Transportation was asked to insource all the offsite understands with very little direction parking facilities (four UCLA-owned buildings under UCLA Asset Management) in the what to do and how to do it. He has a Westwood area. Because of the leadership displayed by Edwards and the organization of deep understanding of people and his his staff, the team was asked to take on insourcing the operational side of the business from empathy for people shows through daily. two different vendors who were operating those four facilities, inclusive of a large stack parking operation in one of the buildings. He sets high expectations and doesn’t During this transition, the pandemic took UCLA in a different direction as most staff, waiver in those expectations. Mike, faculty, and students went from coming to campus five days a week to working and learning with the help of others built, from the from home. This change, however, did not apply to the medical center valet operation — ground up, a 24-hour valet operation workers deemed “essential” who maintained their regular schedule. encompassing career and student staff. When COVID protocols were introduced, Edwards was on the front lines, leading his people in all the different modifications needed to receive patients and visitors at the This was a first in the UC system and Mike hospital. With safety protocols for UCLA Health the UCLA campus continuing to evolve, did it with grace, grit and a consistent Edwards’ team remains nimble and flexible in the face of it all. focus on people and process.” As is evidenced by his body of work, Edwards is a builder of organizations with a strong focus on people. He has been and continues to be operationally excellent in all he —David C Wiedeman, Director, engages, possessing sensitivity and a mindset towards superb customer service, especially Commuter and Parking Services in the healthcare industry. His UCLA colleagues say they are lucky to have such a caring, successful leader who upholds UCLA’s True Bruin Values of respect, accountability, (Interim) UCLA Transportation integrity, service, and excellence.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

Professional Excellence Award—Innovation

Regina Clewlow CEO & Co-Founder Populus

“Regina now builds on more than 10 years of transportation expertise as the CEO of Populus, helping cities and shared mobility operators deliver safe, equitable, and eﬃcient streets through data and analytics. Regina’s unparalleled leadership, especially as a woman of color, stands out for bringing innovation to manage the public right-of-way, by bringing cities access to data which will continue to lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and improve public safety and congestion.” —Fletcher Foti, CTO and Co-founder, Populus

Regina Clewlow is one of those innovators who can shift gracefully from fundraising the millions of dollars necessary to build a startup from the ground up, to overseeing strategy in the boardroom, to creating business models and products that transform how our streets and curbs are managed, to leading teams in the acquisition and management of hundreds of customers from all over the world. Clewlow has been called one of the most impressive and thoughtful entrepreneurs of our generation, and it is easy to see why. As co-founder and CEO of Populus, Clewlow has spent over a decade of her career dedicated to advancing the transportation and mobility industry. After serving in academia as a research scientist and lecturer at prestigious institutions such as Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis, she has continued this dedication as a leader in the space in the private sector. Her leadership at Populus has resulted in a strong and continued commitment to partnering with public agencies to ensure that as private services, data standards, and use cases continue to evolve, cities are able to leverage the best data available and make these services equitable, safe, affordable, and reliable for all residents. Clewlow has built a career as a globally recognized expert on the impacts of shared mobility—Uber, Lyft, bikeshare, shared scooters—on cities. A Bay Area native and product of public schools that were the recipient of Teach for America funding, Clewlow was raised by an immigrant mother and father who was the only in his family of four to receive a four-year college degree. She went on to earn an undergraduate degree in computer science from Cornell, as well as a master’s in civil engineering. She later received her Ph.D. in transportation systems from MIT. Despite not having a personal network of wealthy family friends and being one of a handful of female startup CEOs in transportation technology, Regina raised ﬁnancing from highly regarded VCs to launch Populus and build a talented team of transportation industry veterans. Clewlow founded Populus with the vision of empowering cities to manage their public- right-of-way, and when she first co-founded the company, micromobility exploded in cities around the world. It became clear to her immediately that developing the digital technology which would allow cities to manage shared scooters would build the foundation for managing everything that moves, from goods delivery to autonomous vehicles, and we quickly became the leading Mobility management solution. Under Clewlow’s guidance in 2021, the Populus team launched the Curb Innovation Cohort, where leading cities and delivery operators were brought together to collaborate and utilize our innovative solutions to address the increasing demand for limited curb space. Under her leadership, Populus continues to move forward with that work in 2022, adding more partners to their cohort and forging ahead to provide cities and operators with the tools they need to operate in the public-right-of-way safely and efficiently. Clewlow has received numerous honors and awards as a transportation research scientist, including the most competitive national fellowships awarded by the EPA and the Department of Transportation. Clewlow’s research has been featured in publications around the world, from The New York Times to The Economist. She is now a regular contributor at Forbes on the future of transportation. Populus serves on several key forums to advance mobility data sharing for public agencies, including the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Mobility Management committee and Open Mobility Foundation. They were also the only platform to testify at the California Legislature Informational Hearing on Mobility Data in support of cities’ needs and key use cases for trip data.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

Professional Excellence Award—Customer Service Anne Bogan began her career at UW Transportation Services in 2002 as a customer service representative helpingmembers of the UW-Madison campus community with their parking needs. Today she serves as executive assistant to the Transportation Services director’s team and manager for the 14-story building where Transportation Services is headquartered. Throughout her 20 years of service, Bogan has applied her own special style of customer service to provide a positive experience for customers and colleagues alike. As Associate Vice Chancellor Margaret Tennessen of FP&M states, “Anne is a true star.” Bogan’s genuine concern for the experience of others is the essence of her stardom, and the foundation of the excellent support she has provided for parking operations at UW-Madison for two decades. After working the permit counter for two years as a customer service representative, Bogan moved into the field as a special events parking specialist. Working in a supervisory capacity, Bogan gained firsthand experience of the broad range of customers served by Transportation Services. In addition to assisting visitors and supervising event parking, Bogan also helped coordinate logistics for special event parking with UW Athletics and other stakeholders, Anne Bogan always applying her boots-on-the-ground parking experience to bear on planning event Executive Assistant parking. Working directly with campus visitors showed her how providing an excellent to the Director and parking experience contributed to attendees’ overall experience of a special event. Building Manager In 2007, Bogan shifted into an administrative role supporting the Transportation University of WisconsinServices director’s team. In addition to the complex, high-level tasks involved in this Madison Transportation position, Bogan continued finding additional ways to help improve the experience of Services people she worked with. Thanks to her excellence in providing positive experiences for customers and employees, Bogan is now entrusted with high-level tasks supporting parking programs and policies. UW Transportation Services is an auxiliary unit on the UW-Madison campus, and program changes require approval from governing bodies to ensure decisions benefit the interests of both the department and the university. Bogan acts as “Anne’s knowledge, skills, and abilities an ambassador for Transportation Services, always welcoming committee provide indispensable support for members by name to set the stage for important discussions about campus parking operations. Transportation Services leadership. Bogan provides excellent support for campus parking operations by Transportation Services managers, combining her compassion for others’ experiences with her administrative supervisors, and staff, as well as other and program management skills. She constantly asks herself what she can do to create a welcoming environment where people feel heard, seen, and campus stakeholders rely on Anne every valued. She extends her concerns to members of the campus community. day. Anne plays an integral role in ensuring “Anne’s contributions have been instrumental not only to UW Transportation Services successfully Transportation Services, but to the campus community and the City of Madison as well. In 2020, OW-Madison campus administrators partnered executes its mission to provide innovative with Public Health Madison & Dane County to provide rapid COVID-19 transportation solutions to serve and testing sites on the UW campus. Our very own Anne Bogan assisted the support UW-Madison. As building manager, Deputy AVC with the charge to meet this request, and she served as a liaison for the community testing sites. As liaison, Anne managed logistics for she helps ensure that the building is safe, the COVID-19 rapid testing sites, provided inventory control of essential comfortable, and functioning so all tenants supplies utilized by staff, ensured nurses on site had needed supplies, and can efficiently carry out their missions.” worked with campus to ensure appropriate signage and fliers were available for test recipients. Her work played an instrumental role in making sure —A. Gabriel Mendez, CAPP, Director of UW students, employees, and Madison community members had access Transportation Operations, University of to COVID-19 testing.” —Tanara Teal-Tate, Director of Parking Operations, University of Wisconsin, Madison Transportation Services. Wisconsin—Madison Transportation Services

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

/ IBI Group Enhances Mobility-Based Solutions with Acquisition of HotSpot Complementary mobility solution strengthens IBI’s SaaS portfolio and broadens recurring revenue. Global design and technology firm IBI Group Inc. (TSX: IBG) (“IBI” or the “Company”), announced that it has acquired mobility solutions provider, HotSpot (the “Acquisition”). Founded in New Brunswick in 2013, HotSpot began addressing parking issues through technology and has since developed into a suite of integrated mobility solutions. Currently, the platform is in use across Canada and parts of the U.S., with more than 80 municipalities, cities and universities, and 460,000 mobile application users leveraging the platform’s mobility solutions. HotSpot’s suite of solutions will complement and bolster IBI’s traffic and transportation practice and its extensive offering of products and solutions that have been deployed globally, including CurbIQ, Travel-IQ, TRANSIT Data Suite and Smart City Platform. “With a track record of creating complete mobility solutions, HotSpot’s proven technology in Canada and inroads into the U.S. will strengthen our market portfolio of smart city solutions and support our strategic expansion goals in the U.S.,” said IBI Group CEO, Scott Stewart. “We look forward to welcoming HotSpot’s talented staff to IBI and continuing to expand and strengthen our expertise in the mobility sector.” HotSpot specializes in creating products for parking, transit, taxi and merchant payments. Its low infrastructure requirement aids in the rapid rollout of flexible, integrated mobility solutions and provides savings to clients and consumers. HotSpot responds

to community parking needs, creating adaptable solutions, including digital permits, gated-entry solutions, and parking enforcement and citation management solutions. In addition to parking, the platform’s app offers clients a digitized resource, combining taxi and transit information so that users can book a taxi, keep track of travel expenses, receive realtime transit updates, schedule and pay for taxis, and pay for public transit. “We believe we can better serve our existing clients together, and we look forward to seeing HotSpot evolve with IBI through access to new pathways to global markets and a large client base. With a commitment to building sustainable, technologically advanced urban environments, we see many synergies with IBI Group that will support HotSpot’s continued growth across borders and throughout the public-private sectors,” said HotSpot CEO, Phillip Curley. “HotSpot will add payment capabilities to our strong portfolio of mobility solutions in the urban space, and it complements our innovative product, CurbIQ. Together, both solutions will provide a comprehensive set of tools for the parking and curbside management needs of any city,” said IBI Group Global Director, Innovation, Deepak Darda. HotSpot can enhance IBI’s existing traveller information solutions, which have already been deployed in South Africa, North America, and the UK. The Acquisition builds upon IBI Group’s strategic focus on increasing its recurring revenue and adds to its existing transit-oriented solutions portfolio while growing its expert professional staff.

Desman Hires New Project Manager in Ft. Lauderdale DESMAN is pleased to announce the addition of Mr. Frank Fuentes, R.A. as a licensed architect located in DESMAN’s Fort Lauderdale office. Frank brings valuable design experience in the parking, residential, commercial, education, and healthcare industries. Before joining DESMAN, Frank managed his own architectural practice. He is a Syracuse University alumnus and when he isn’t working, he is rowing his sculling boat - Frank used to be a sponsored athlete and was a U.S. Olympic hopeful in 2020.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

Parkopedia launches Amazon Alexa default parking Skill as millions of Americans plan to travel this summer 50 MILLION AMERICANS are expected to be on the road during this year’s July 1–5 holiday period alone, with parking a top priority for drivers The new Parkopedia Alexa Skill enables drivers to use voice interactions to find, reserve and pay for parking from anywhere - at home, on-the-go, or from the comfort of their vehicle en route to their destination Alexa users can just say “Alexa, find parking nearby” or use locations, such as “Alexa, find parking in Seattle”, and Parkopedia will provide them with parking information including accurate location, opening hours, pricing and booking availability Nearly 130 million US drivers currently use incar voice assistants for hands-free convenience, improved safety and 24/7 connectivity2 Parkopedia, has launched a new Amazon Alexa Skill for voice-enabled parking assistance, supporting the millions of Americans who plan to travel by car this summer. According to the American Automobile Association1, a recordbreaking 43.6 million Americans were estimated to have driven to their destinations during the July 1–5 period alone last year - the highest on record, and 5% more than the previous record set in 2019, with this number expected to grow further this year to an estimated 50 million. Parkopedia’s Alexa Skill enables drivers to seamlessly find, reserve and pay for a parking spot, either from home with Alexaenabled smart home devices, on-the-go with ‘Echo Buds’ or the Alexa mobile app, or in the vehicle, using integrated Alexa or supported Alexa auto accessories. Using Amazon’s cloud-based voice service, drivers will have access to the Parkopedia database of almost 75,000 off-street parking locations across America, including more than 6,000 reservable locations - allowing drivers to find the nearest parking spot either to a given address, their current location, or at their final destination. Parking can also be booked ‘hands-free’ in advance of, or during the journey, via any Alexa enabled device. When a driver needs help finding the most convenient parking space, they can just say “Alexa, find parking nearby” or use locations, such as “Alexa, find parking in Seattle”, and Alexa will default to the Parkopedia Skill, providing users with information such as accurate parking location, pricing and facility opening hours, as well as confirming the required parking duration and total cost prior to booking. If a location has multiple parking options, drivers can ask Alexa to skip suggestions until they find a parking spot which best suits their needs. Drivers are also able to ask the Parkopedia Skill to verbally

confirm reservations, make payments via Amazon Pay, or request for an e-receipt to be sent. Data from Juniper Research3 shows that by 2024, the number of voice-interactive devices in use (8.4 billion) is expected to overtake the world’s population, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic creating a surge of interest in contactless, voice-based interfaces for our daily demands. When used behind the wheel, voice assistants can simplify vehicle operability, help keep drivers’ hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, and enable a more comfortable driving experience. Eugene Tsyrklevich, Founder and CEO of Parkopedia, commented: “The growing popularity of at-home voice assistants means consumers now expect a seamless transition with this technology between work, home and in-car environments. When behind the wheel, one voice command can replace several manual actions, vastly improving safety and efficiency. The latest generation of voice assistants now also utilize AI to learn and think - understanding a variety of accents and gaining the ability to action more than one command at a time, as well as analyzing user data to learn individual preferences. The latest Parkopedia Alexa Skill is a progressive step forward for hands-free, in-car driver convenience technology, which is core to our product portfolio and continues to improve the driving experience.” The Parkopedia Skill is planned to expand in the near future to cover more of the company’s existing services, such as on-street parking and dynamic predictably, which directs the driver to the nearest, available parking space, as well as finding parking at known locations, such as ‘work’ or ‘home’ and advising drivers of the distance from the suggested parking space to their final destination.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

/ PayByPhone and Offstreet Announce Partnership to Deliver Comprehensive Validation Solution to Parking Industry PARKING CLIENTS across North America—including municipalities, universities, healthcare campuses, hotels, event venues, and parking operators—can now leverage the combined technology solutions of PayByPhone and Offstreet to digitally manage their parking validations and paid parking exemptions. “PayByPhone’s core purpose is to simplify people’s journeys,” said Carmen Donnell, PayByPhone’s Managing Director, North America. “Partnering with a company like Offstreet, which allows our parking clients to save time and self-manage their parking for employees, customers, residents, and visitors, is just one more way we help to simplify.” PayByPhone continues to innovate and grow by listening to their customers and creating solutions to help solve today’s parking needs. This partnership will allow PayByPhone’s existing customers to seamlessly integrate their validations and paid parking exemptions into their parking management process, while creating new markets for PayByPhone to expand into. “We feel a natural alignment with PayByPhone because they are also a product-led company,” said Matt Fahlman, Offstreet’s CEO. “We’ve built what we think is the best validation product on the market, and our unique relationship with PayByPhone will help us accelerate our growth. We’re extremely excited to be working with their world class team!” This partnership will allow Offstreet to continue focusing on product development, while leveraging PayByPhone’s sales and distribution channels, to reach new markets and serve more customers.

Joshua Crain Appointed as Vice President of Technology for Propark Mobility PROPARK MOBILITY announced that Joshua Crain has been promoted to the company’s Vice President of Technology. “Josh Crain has been a key leader in transforming Propark Mobility from a national parking services leader to a leading mobility and technology company,” said David Schmid, Propark Mobility’s Chief Investment Officer. “From proprietary software development to our Cloudpark suite of technology services, Josh has been instrumental in each of our tech-centric processes as we continue to chart new pathways to success in this particular space.” Josh’s career with Propark began in 2013, when he joined the company as a data scientist. He immediately began to take ownership of the new software department and over time took over management responsibilities of Cloudpark Command, the company’s in-house operations Command Center. His most recent role was Manager of Software Engineering, where he led the company’s technology and software development teams. “Josh is always thinking way outside of the box, and that’s what allows him to push boundaries that we didn’t realize existed,” said Richard DiPietro, Propark’s President. “His thought

leadership is impressive, and he inspires the team around him to reach new heights with respect to the products and services that Propark Mobility develops for our clients and end users.” In his new role, Josh will lead Propark’s team of software engineers, and report to the company’s Chief Investment Officer, as he continues to develop creative, new technologies that help drive Propark’s success internally, while adding value to asset owners and managers, and their guests, externally.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

FLASH Acquires Ballparc Event Parking Management and Enforcement Solutions Provider ACQUISITION INTEGRATES BALLPARC’S parking products and platform with the market’s most dynamic endto-end mobility hub operation system. FLASH, a provider of cloud parking software and mobility transformation, announced the acquisition of Ballparc, a leading developer of event parking revenue control and enforcement systems. The acquisition reinforces FLASH’s commitment to bringing parking asset owners and operators the tools to transform isolated parking assets into connected mobility hubs and participate in the emerging mobility marketplace. Since the start of the pandemic, sports and entertainment venues have sought out an integrated and flexible solution to manage event parking inventory, including presales, season tickets, and drive-ups. The Ballparc acquisition expands FLASH’s position as the cloud-based solution provider for event venues of all sizes, looking for a cost-effective way to digitalize their operation. The acquisition also expands FLASH’s product portfolio for sports and entertainment assets alongside FLASH’s gated and ungated solutions, prior acquisition of ZipPark, and rapidly expanding partner network, including Ticketmaster, AXS, and Major League Baseball. “Bringing the Ballparc team and their event and enforcement partners on board is another key step to

expanding our parking and demand management platform for all types of assets,” stated Dan Sharplin, CEO and Executive Chairman of FLASH. “We admire the approach that Ballparc has taken with their customers over the last ten years and are committed to continued delivery of seamless experiences that grow and diversify their revenue.” Ballparc launched its Ballparc Event product in 2012 and has remained a leader in providing a cost-effective, flexible system to manage event parking for local and community parking lot operators. Ballparc Event allows these operators to accept a variety of payment methods and make operational decisions based on real-time data to boost revenue and streamline operations. Two years later, the company launched Ballparc Enforcement to help operators upgrade legacy enforcement systems to a modern end-to-end violation management platform. “A customer-innovation mindset, ability to quickly deploy customizable solutions, and providing a seamless experience are all areas where Ballparc and FLASH are 100 percent aligned,” said Taylor Chapman, CEO of Ballparc. “We are excited to join the FLASH family and look forward to continuing to provide our customers and more operators like them with the most innovative and productive parking management and enforcement technology platform in the industry.”

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

/ PARKING & MOBILITY CONSULTANTS WALKERCONSULTANTS.COM 800.860.1579

LOOKING FOR MOORETALENT

PLAN. DESIGN. RENEW.

Brian Lozano, PE, PMP 800.364.7300 parking@walterpmoore.com walterpmoore.com

Parking Design | Planning & Mobility | Operations & Technology Forensics & Restoration | Building Envelope

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

Parking, Transportation, and Mobility Planning Parking Design and Consulting Structural Engineering Structural Diagnostics Traffic Engineering Civil Engineering Intelligent Transportation Systems Systems Integration

Opening Welcome Event Sponsored by:

Join us as we kick off the 2022 IPMI CONFERENCE & EXPO at The National WWII Museum!

IPMI’s Opening Welcome Event is known for high-energy networking, captivating entertainment, and a taste of the host city. This evening of unique flavors, sounds, and culture is one you won’t forget. Entertainment will keep you moving through the night while enjoying refreshing beverages and all the networking you can handle!

/ ABM Industries ��5

SKIDATA �� 11

IPS Group Inc �� C2

T2 Systems, Inc. ��1

Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc ��7, 58

THA Consulting ��21, 58

Leonardo/ELSAG LPR Solutions ��22

TKH Security | Park Assist ��13

Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP ��23

Walker Consultants �� 58

abm.com 866.201.9935

ipsgroupinc.com 858.404.0607

kimley-horn.com/parking 919.653.6646

leonardocompany-us.com 877.773.5724

lgbs.com 512.447.6675

ParkMobile �� 19

skidata.com 800.246.6662

t2systems.com 800.434.1502

tha-consulting.com 484.342.0200

parkassist.com 917.793.5400

walkerconsultants.com 800.860.1579

Walter P Moore ��58

parkmobile.io 678.681.9433

walterpmoore.com 800.364.7300

PayByPhone Technologies, Inc. ��9

WGI ��58

paybyphone.com 877.610.2054

WGInc.com 866.909.2220

THE

PODCAST A podcast about parking, mobility, and the people who make it all go. Hosted by Isaiah Mouw with new episodes every other Tuesday at 10 a.m. Eastern. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud or any other major podcast provider. parkingcast.com

Strategic Partner

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

Instructor-led Courses Get best-in-class education from subject matter experts through small group sessions. Member and nonmember rates apply. Each course offers CAPP points.

Frontline Training Industry experts lead interactive, online education for frontline staff. Free for all IPMI members.

Shoptalks Connect and expand your network during virtual, interactive discussions on the most relevant trends and topics. Free to all industry professionals.

Webinars Members register for a single webinar for $35. Each webinar offers 1 CAPP point, and puts you on the CAPP Track!

Dive into Industry Trends and Enhance Your Skills Shoptalk: September 7: Innovations at the Curb Frontline Training: September 13: Change Management: The Frontline Perspective Webinar: September 14: Everything You Wanted to Know About EV Charging But Were Afraid to Ask Instructor-Led Course: September 20 & 22: Wicked Problem Solving Instructor-Led Course: September 29: Analysis & Applications of Technology Instructor-Led Course: October 18, 20, 25, & 27: Parksmart Advisor Training

Find Your Dream Job. Build Your Dream Team. Postings Free for IPMI Members!

Explore your Member benefit, and discover your great adventure or candidate in IPMI’s Career Center. Reach thousands of parking, transportation, and mobility professionals. New positions posted daily at every level.

CALENDAR

2022 JULY 14 Free Member Chat

SEPTEMBER 28 Free IPMI Learning Lab

OCTOBER 18, 20, 25, & 27 Online, Instructor-Led Course

SEPTEMBER 29 Online, Instructor-Led Course

OCTOBER 26 Free IPMI Learning Lab

AUGUST 1 IPMI Call for Volunteers Open

OCTOBER 4, 2022 #IPMI2023 Call for Presentations Closes

NOVEMBER 2 Free IPMI Virtual Shoptalk

AUGUST 22 Call for Volunteers Closes

OCTOBER 11 Free Virtual Frontline Training

NOVEMBER 3, #IPMI2023 Call for Awards Closes

Conference & Expo First Timer’s Orientation Chat

JULY 24-27 2022 IPMI Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo, New Orleans

SEPTEMBER 6 #IPMI2023 Call for Presentations and Awards Opens SEPTEMBER 7 Free IPMI Virtual Shoptalk Innovations at the Curb

Presented by gtechna

Analysis & Applications of Technology

Leading From the Second Chair: The Importance of Empowering Others

OCTOBER 12 Free FHWA Webinar

Mayors’ Commuter Incentives Toolkit: Parking Cash Out and Other Commuter Benefits Ordinance Analysis

SEPTEMBER 13 Free Virtual Frontline Training

OCTOBER 13 Free Member Chat

SEPTEMBER 14 IPMI Webinar

OCTOBER 13 Free Member Chat

Change Management

Everything You Wanted to Know About EV Charging But Were Afraid to Ask—EV Charging Basics

SEPTEMBER 20 & 22 Online, Instructor-Led Course

CAPP

Accredited Parking Organization (APO)

OCTOBER 18 Online, Instructor-Led Course

Parksmart Advisor Training

Presented by Blink

To be announced

NOVEMBER 8 Free Virtual Frontline Training Customer Experience—From the Customer’s Point of View

NOVEMBER 9 IPMI Webinar

Parking Work is Emotional Customer Service Work

DECEMBER 6 Free Virtual Frontline Training

Avoiding Conflict Through Preparation

DECEMBER 7 Free IPMI Learning Lab

Presented by Spot Parking

Accredited Parking Organization (APO) Site Reviewer Renewal Training

Wicked Problem Solving

Stay up to date on industry events and activities! Visit parking-mobility.org/calendar for the latest updates and additions.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG / JULY 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

CALENDAR

State and Regional Events Calendar SEPTEMBER 13–16 36th Annual Carolinas Parking & Mobility Association (CPMA) Conference and Expo

OCTOBER 19–21 Pacific Intermountain Parking & Transportation Association (PIPTA) Annual Conference & Expo

OCTOBER 18–20 New York State Parking & Transportation Association (NYSPTA) Conference & Trade Show

OCTOBER 24–26 Southwest Parking & Transportation Association (SWPTA) Fall Conference

Charleston, SC

Salt Lake City, UT

Las Vegas, NV

NOVEMBER 2 Mid-Atlantic Parking & Transportation Conference and Trade Show Baltimore, MD

DECEMBER 6–9 Florida Parking and Transportation Association (FPTA) Annual Conference and Tradeshow Palm Beach, FL

Buffalo, NY

Stay up to date on industry events and activities! Visit parking-mobility.org/calendar for the latest updates and additions.

PARKING & MOBILITY / JULY 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG