28
Professional Recognition Program Awards
THE INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
20
IPI’S AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
A garage becomes a gathering space thanks to a unique breezeway at the West Hollywood Automated Garage.
34
Promoting Positive Parking Perceptions
42
Diversity in the Parking Industry
46
The Value of Feedback
JUNE 2017
AIMS LPR Enforcement AIMS LPR is a fully integrated in-vehicle and fixed camera enforcement solution. Utilizing advanced License Plate Recognition Technology to provide automated parking management, License Plate Recognition cameras read plates as you drive through parking lots and city streets. AIMS LPR provides lot counting, enforcement, statistics, reporting and more analytics at your fingertips. After implementing the AIMS LPR solution, clients have experienced an increase in compliance due to an increase in citation issuance, leading to increases in revenue! Our clients tell us we provide the best solution in the market! ”The AIMS LPR integration has made our job more efficient and effective. We’re able to keep real time records from data transmitted from our vehicles to the office and are able to immediately see the need for other action based on the history of the license plate being scanned.“ - Georgia Southern University
Call EDC Corporation today for all your parking management needs.
» » » » » » » » »
Ticket Management Permit Managament Event Management Hosting Solutions LPR Enforcement Mobile Enforcement Customer Web Portal System Integration Robust Reporting
sales@aimsparking.com | aimsparking.com | 1-800-866-6316
WAYFINDING JUNE 2017 | Volume 33 | Number 6
Present Future
T
HE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD built the first fully automated, municipally-run parking structure on the West Coast. The new 200-space structure was built above grade on a very small parcel that made a conventional garage impractical and cost prohibitive. The garage serves city hall visitors, employees, residents, and patrons of nearby businesses. It incorporates a PARCS system that is networked to other city parking facilities for ease of use. Parking validations are provided for city hall visitors via electronic validation kiosk or printed follow-up tickets, and keycards are issued to employees and monthly permit holders. Parking provides a valet-like experience without the costs or risks of valet parking. An auto court provides short-term, motorcycle, and bicycle parking, including a station for the city’s bike share program. Neither cars nor pedestrians enter the parking warehouse section of the garage, eliminating security concerns. There is an attendant onsite at all times to guide people through the parking and retrieval process. The compact nature of this parking structure provided greater setbacks from nearby buildings and an efficient loading area for deliveries. The project also created open space with a 4,000-square-foot community plaza between city hall and the garage that is used for civic events and public art displays. As built, this garage uses less than 40 percent of the space needed for a conventional parking garage. This project uses state-of-the-art composite wood panels made primarily from recycled plastic grocery bags and milk jugs. Most of the structure is made from poured-in concrete, and light pollution from the site to the adjacent residential neighbors is greatly reduced due to the solid nature of the parking warehouse and the automated nature of the system. Landscape selections are CATEGORY I— Best Design of a Parking drought tolerant and California native. Facility with Fewer than 800 Spaces The garage has full built-in redunWest Hollywood Automated Garage dancy, including generators for backCity of West Hollywood up power and uninterruptible power West Hollywood, Calif. supplies for the computer system that’s Owner backed up multiple times daily. The garage includes a comprehensive 10-year PROJECT PARTICIPANTS: service and maintenance agreement. Heery International, Construction Manager Because vehicles are non-operaKonsortum1, Electrical Engineer tional during the parking and retrieval LPA, Inc., Architect process, there is a reduction of carT.B. Penick & Sons, General Contractor bon dioxide emissions equivalent to Unitronics Systems, Inc., Automated Parking Vendor removing 92 cars from the road each Walker Parking Consultants, Parking Consultant year or planting 67,000 trees. Funding TOTAL COST: $10 MILLION, INCLUDING A 10-YEAR for the project came from the Parking MAINTENANCE PLAN. Improvement Fund and city bonds.
PRESENT Awards of Excellence winners showcase forward-thinking and outstanding parking and program design.
J
UDGING FOR THE IPI AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE is no small feat: Entries are outstanding, and the competition is fierce.That’s why winning is such an honor—winners are truly leaders in the industry
working toward the future by implementing creativity and innovation that’s successful in the real world. This year’s top entries shine a light on the future with designs and programs that will thrive long past this specific competition.They’re examples for the industry and offer insight for others, with terrific ideas and great examples of what works very well. Without further ado, we present the winners of this year’s Awards of Excellence competition.
20
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
21
we’re drawn to when we need advice, a little mentoring, or to bounce around ideas. They know what they’re doing, no doubt, but they’re also usually friendly, welcoming,
These are the professionals recognized by IPI’s Professional Recognition Program, and this year’s winners exemplify all of those qualities and more. Now in its 11th year, the program acknowledges professionals who operate, maintain, and manage parking operations and those changing the perception of parking as a career and profession. After a tough job judging a lot of truly outstanding entries, it’s time to meet this year’s winners.
Staff Member of the Year Roger Finch Landside Services Agent II
Denver International Airport, City and County of Denver, Colo.
Colleagues and Inspirations
A
Area Manager
Winpark
n underground lot that’s a neighborhood gathering spot? Parking tickets that become Pop Tarts
gets downtown workers to park remotely with a smile? They’re all realities and winners of IPI’s 2017 Parking Matters ® Marketing and “Our 2017 winners set out to achieve
2017 Parking Matters® Marketing and Communications Awards highlight best practices and innovative strategies.
very different goals, from improving the but they all demonstrated outside-the-box thinking and a long-term commitment to their customers and communities,” says IPI CEO Shawn D. Conrad, CAE. “They overcame obstacles along the way but ultimately succeeded in moving the needle. Together, they show that the parking industry does much more than park cars—it serves people and continually looks for ways to make a difference.” Three of the 13 winners received Best of 2017 awards for their marketing programs. 34
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
GREEN
BIKE LANES COMING FALL 2016! Why are the lanes green?new bike
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS In 2016, Texas A&M University Transportation Services embarked on a multi-year campaign to improve bike and pedestrian safety, starting with the renovation of a parking lot egress in an area known for its high volume of pedestrian, vehicular, and bicycle traffic. The effort included construction of an adjacent, Dutchstyle junction that featured the nation’s first green solar luminescent (glow-in-the-dark) protected bike pathways, designed to store solar energy by day and increase visibility at night; it was the first glow-in-the-dark paint to receive Federal Highway Administration approval. parking.org/tpp
The green bike lanes denote protected lanes in intersections, driveways other potential “conflict zones” and
What makes them different from regular bike lanes?
They create designated space on the that physically street separates cyclists from traffic and pedestrian activity
Where and when will we the green lanes? see
The lanes will campus’ first be added as a part of the “Dutch Junction” intersection at the of Street in the Bizzell Street and Ross early fall, near lots 54 & 16
best of
transport.ta
mu.edu/bicycles
2017
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
35
42
R
BY RAYMOND MENSAH, CAPP OPINION
THE ROLE OF
MINORITY EXECUTIVES IN THE PARKING INDUSTRY
“Somehow, the term ‘diversity’ got tangled up with affirmative action and became a racial buzzword. Offering a seat at the decisionmaking table to a minority was translated into jerking it away from a capable white person.”
I
ran into a good friend at a parking conference in Atlanta, Ga., last summer. He provided marketing support for various departments, including mine, at a university where I used to manage the parking operations. This was his first time attending a parking conference; it was down the street from campus, and he had a day’s pass and invitations to a couple of networking events. After exchanging pleasantries, he looked around and commented, “Man, I’ve never been to a conference where it seems like it is filled with a bunch of white guys.” This was an interesting comment coming from a Caucasian male and led me to reflect on the experiences I’ve had during 15 years in the parking and transportation industry. Indeed, the dozens of executives from parking management companies, vendors, and contractors I have interacted with over the years have largely been white males. It makes me wonder if minorities are well-represented in executive leadership positions within the parking industry. Is the diversity of people in the country we live in today well represented in corporate boardrooms? The Challenge Last June, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) released the results of his 2014 Corporate Diversity Survey, which showed that women and racial or ethnic minorities remain significantly underrepresented at the highest ranks of corporate leadership and among corporate supply chains. Menendez said, “Consider this a wake-up call, corporate America. It is unacceptable that while you’re reaping record profits by marketing goods and services to communities of color, women and minorities are sorely underrepresented on your boards and executive teams and as your suppliers.” He went on to say, “That is not just a glaring gap in equity, representation, and inclusion—it’s a shocking business oversight that will ultimately hurt a company’s bottom dollar.”
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
29
42
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
FANG XIA NUO/ ISTOCK; RAWPIXEL.COM/ SHUTTERSTOCK
46 ALUE of FEEDBACK Why annual assessments of parking enforcement officers are critical to departmental success and how to make the most of them. By Natasha Labi, CAPP
LIRAVEGA/ SHUTTERSTOCK
I
46
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
t’s that time of the year again—time to assess your parking enforcement team. This is the opportunity to ensure that the symbiotic relationship between the organization and its individual team members is aligned. What is the symbiotic relationship? It is a relationship in which individual team members meet their professional goals while the organization moves toward attaining its collective, strategic goals and vice versa. Leaders of progressive organizations realize that you cannot have one success without the other. The assessment process should reflect both the organization’s mission and goals and the individual parking enforcement officer (PEO) team members’ professional goals. Basically, it lets all team members know the reason for coming to work every day and offers a clear picture of their role in fulfilling those goals.
parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
The Value of Feedback
The
2
Takeaway: With a little love and care, cities can radically transform underutilized public space into a beckoning hub of activity and relaxation.
Communications Awards.
oger Finch began his career with Denver International Airport (DEN) Parking and Transportation in 1999 and is a valuable member of the team thanks to his expertise about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), his willingness to go above and beyond, and his exemplary customer service. Finch has used his knowledge of the ADA to ensure facility compliance and improve access for customers with special needs. He led a project to accurately map all of DEN’s parking spaces for the disabled—more than 50,000 in 10 facilities. Not only did he independently take the initiative to see the project through to completion, but he worked with several airport partners to digitize the facility maps and ensure ease of use. His dedication to the disabled community is further displayed through his years of volunteer service with the city and county of Denver’s Disability Parking Enforcement program. parking.org/tpp
By Helen Sullivan, APR, Fellow PRSA
and peanut butter for kids who don’t
efficiency of parking to fighting cancer,
Promoting positive perceptions of parking.
best of
2017
have enough food? A program that
Meet this year’s parking superstars.
Becky Cass
ISTOCK / BONOTOM STUDIO
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
He also helped design a new system to track space closures during construction projects and provide a more efficient method to document and track this data. Finch always steps up to ensure customers are provided a pleasant experience at the airport. Whether helping customers find their vehicles or ensuring they arrive to the terminal on time, he consistently does whatever it takes to ensure customer needs are met. He was a 2014 recipient of the DEN Star of The Quarter, an award that recognizes outstanding achievements in customer service. He displays the highest level of professionalism on a daily basis, and his can-do work ethic is a direct reflection of his dedication. He creates a positive working environment for not only himself but his colleagues as well. His cheerful attitude enables him to consistently achieve goals that are above and beyond any frontline job description.
Supervisor of the Year
Meet this year’s parking superstars.
28
of Parking
Ideas Fest
BEST OF 2017 AWARDS EASYPARK LOT 19, VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA Other than functioning as a thoroughfare for office workers, tourists, and commuters, the public plaza above EasyPark’s underground Lot 19 at the corner of West Hastings and Hornby streets in Vancouver didn’t get much respect—until the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) and EasyPark decided to give it some TLC. Thanks to new landscaping, brightly colored tables and chairs, and an exciting activation program, the space was transformed into The Perch, a center for buskers and music performers, Pokémon stations, mini lending libraries, lunchtime yoga classes, drum circles, art installations, and theater performances. It hosts Easy Park’s staff summer barbecue, Simon Fraser University’s annual summer City Conversations program, and informal boardroom sessions for several local businesses. Hastings West’s newly termed “little park with a big personality” has since seen traffic more than double at midday, with 73 percent more people stopping to linger (especially at lunch) and 44 percent more transiting (a survey showed 133,093 people passing through in one month with a daily average of about 4,500). It has become so popular that the DVBIA is working to duplicate its success in other areas of Vancouver.
Promoting Positive Perceptions
Professionals, Colleagues, & Inspirations
OU KNOW THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE NATURAL LEADERS? They’re the ones
and have that extra insight that goes beyond their job descriptions.
Professionals,
Ideas Fest
Awards of Excellence winners showcase forward-thinking and outstanding parking and program design.
28 Y
34
ISTOCK / BONOTOM STUDIO
20
47
Why annual assessments of parking enforcement officers are critical to departmental success and how to make the most of them.
43
The Role of Minority Executives in the Parking Industry What does diversity really mean?
Editor’s Note
DEPARTMENTS
4 Entrance 6 Five Things 8 Consultants Corner 1 0 The Green Standard 1 2 The Business of Parking 1 4 Financial Matters 1 6 Parking Spotlight 1 8 IPI Ask the Experts 5 0 IPI in Action 52 State & Regional Spotlight 5 4 Community Digest 6 0 Parking Consultants 6 2 Advertisers Index 6 2 Parking Break 6 3 Calendar of Events
PROFESSIONALS AND MENTORS
T
he lucky among us can think of professionals we’ve met along the way who became our mentors. In many cases, those are more experienced colleagues who give us their time and interest and offer their expertise to help us develop our own careers. They often become lifetime friends. Mine is Peter. Peter was named executive director of the first association I worked for about a year after I joined the staff. Despite the wide gap between our rungs on the corporate ladder—he was in charge, and I was an assistant editor—he always took time to listen when I had a question, offer his take on things, and encourage me to keep stretching and growing my horizons. Many years later and with nearly 700 miles between us now, we still talk every couple of months, he still lets me bounce ideas around, and he still offers wisdom and friendship. The winners of IPI’s Professional Recognition Program awards are frequently mentioned as mentors by those who nominate them. I think that’s what sets them at the head of the pack every year—they’re not only good at their jobs, but they take time to make sure everyone around them succeeds as well. We hear a lot about their professionalism and parking-industry expertise, but we also hear that they’re patient, generous, and just nice people with whom to work. They are natural mentors and leaders, and their stories (p. 28) are inspirational. I know we’ll all come away with our own new goals from reading about this year’s top parking professionals. Equally inspiring are the winners of the Awards of Excellence, which focus on parking design and operations. It’s always a tough competition, and this year was no exception. As parking grows and evolves, we get more and more amazing entries. Congratulations to the winners—check them on out p. 20. I loved seeing so many of you in New Orleans last month! Hope you’re already blocking off June 3–6, 2018, to join us in Orlando, Fla. It just gets better every year. Enjoy this issue and as always, please be in touch. Until next month…
fernandez@parking.org
parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
3
ENTRANCE Publisher Shawn Conrad, CAE conrad@parking.org Editor Kim Fernandez fernandez@parking.org Contributing Editor Bill Smith, APR bsmith@smith-phillips.com Technical Editor Rachel Yoka, CAPP, LEED AP BD+C yoka@parking.org
Subscriptions Tina Altman taltman@parking.org. Graphic Design BonoTom Studio info@bonotom.com Proofreader Melanie Padgett Powers For advertising information, contact Bonnie Watts at watts@parking.org or 571.699.3011. For subscription changes, contact Tina Altman, taltman@parking.org. The Parking Professional (ISSN 0896-2324 & USPS 001436) is published monthly by the International Parking Institute. 1330 Braddock Place, Suite 350 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: 571.699.3011 Fax: 703.566.2267 Email: ipi@parking.org Website: parking.org Postmaster note: Send address label changes promptly to: The Parking Professional 1330 Braddock Place, Suite 350 Alexandria, VA 22314 Interactive electronic version of The Parking Professional for members and subscribers only at parking.org/tpp. Periodical postage paid at Alexandria, Va., and additional mailing offices. Copyright © International Parking Institute, 2017. Statements of fact and opinion expressed in articles contained in The Parking Professional 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 IPI. Manuscripts, correspondence, articles, product releases, and all contributed materials are welcomed by The Parking Professional; however, publication is subject to editing, if deemed necessary to conform to standards of publication. The subscription rate is included in IPI annual dues. Subscription rate for non-members of IPI is $120 per year (U.S. currency) in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. All other countries, $150. Back issues, $10. The Parking Professional is printed on 10 percent recycled paper and on paper from trees grown specifically for that purpose.
NEW BEGINNINGS By Shawn Conrad, CAE
D
id we have fun in New Orleans or what? It was a delight to see so many parking and transportation community members at the 2017 IPI Conference & Expo. Thanks for joining us. Our education sessions were packed, our general sessions were terrific (how about that Parking Solutions contest?), and as always, the networking was unparalleled. I was glad to meet so many new-to-me people and equally glad to catch up with old industry friends in person. IPI welcomed several new members to its Board of Directors during the Conference: Temitope Longe; Brent Paxton; Geary Robinson, PhD, CAPP; Diego Torres-Palma; and Alejandro Jaramillo Abondano as the international representative. We enjoyed a wonderful first meeting last month, and I’m looking forward to working with them going forward. At the same time, we bid farewell and gave our heartfelt thanks to several people who are moving on after having given their time and energy to IPI as Board members: Rick Decker, CAPP; Laurens Eckelboom; and Andre Piccoli. I send my personal thanks to these people and to everyone who has dedicated themselves to IPI leadership, whether through the Board or by working on committees, presenting at the Conference, exhibiting, or joining us and contributing to conversations along the way. June is a time for new beginnings for us. We’ve wrapped up this year’s Conference and are already looking forward to next year in Orlando , Fla., (June 3–6—mark your calendar!). Our Call for Volunteers will be open soon, and I hope many of you will think about which committee is a fit for your own interests and expertise and consider applying for a seat. Committee membership is one of the best ways to advance the parking profession and IPI; members shape the initiatives, projects, and goals that guide IPI into the future. Visit parking.org/committees to learn about committee membership and toss your hat into the ring. There’s lots ahead for IPI, from the Leadership 100 conference (visit parking.org/100) to next year’s Conference and beyond. Thanks for being on this ride with us—we love having you here.
@IPIParking
4
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
SHAWN CONRAD, CAE, is IPI’s CEO. He can be reached at conrad@parking.org.
ISTOCK / LVCANDY
Advertising Sales Bonnie Watts, CEM watts@parking.org
FIVE THINGS
Five Thoughts on Success
W
ork hard, do the right thing, stay one step ahead. We all know those are keys to professional success, but what’s beyond those bits of conventional wisdom? What makes a parking professional (or any professional) really successful?
We poked around and found thoughts from lots of people who’ve achieved success on huge scales about what
makes them—and other people—really successful. These are five of our favorites. Have another? Let us know: Email
1 2 3 5 4 editor@parking.org.
—Condoleeza Rice, former U.S. secretary of state
I don’t think it matters how small or big the task is. If you can do it just a little bit better than what is expected, you will be noticed and rewarded. —Jeffrey Katzenberg, co-founder, DreamWorks
The job isn’t to catch up with the status quo. The job is to invent the status quo.
—Seth Godin, author, entrepreneur, speaker
6
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
Taking initiative pays off. It is hard to visualize someone as a leader if she is always waiting to be told what to do. —Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook
SHUTTERSTOCK / TINSELTOWN / 2 SHUTTERSTOCK / 360B / 3SHUTTERSTOCK / FEATUREFLASH PHOTO AGENCY / 4WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / BY JOI ITO (SETH GODIN) [CC BY 2.0 (HTTP://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY/2.0) / 5SHUTTERSTOCK / KRISTA KENNELL
—Steve Martin, actor
The most important lesson I think I could impart is don’t let anyone determine what your horizons are going to be. You get to determine those yourself. The only limitations are whatever particular talents you have and how hard you’re willing to work.
1
Be so good they can’t ignore you.
When the
Hubble Space Telescope
was first launched, the engineers discovered that the telescope’s primary mirror was off by a tiny, but imperative 2,200
nanometers.
Many solutions were proposed – all of them too expensive. Finally, they struck upon an
age-old solution: they gave the Hubble eyeglasses in the form of a corrective optics
system. These “corrective allowed us to clearly
lenses” have
see into the furthest
reaches of outer
space.
At ParkingSoft we believe the simplest solutions are often the best. We provide simple and cost-effective technology solutions for your parking operation and we back it up with 24/7 customer service. Our low maintenance hardware and innovative software will get your business off the ground. Call us today to learn more – (877) 884-7275.
www.parkingsoft.com
CONSULTANTS CORNER
TIME FOR A NEW AWARD? By William F. Kavanagh, AIA, NCARB
T
his month’s issue of The Parking Professional is one of my favorites each year. It includes the winners of IPI’s annual Awards of Excellence (read more on p. 20). Now in its 35th year, this awards program recognizes outstanding parking facility designs and innovative parking programs in seven categories:
Harbor Center
building area. I consider such garages to be mixed-use “lite.” Finally, the remaining two garages I would consider mixed-use “heavy” because they have significant building programs other than just parking. In the awards program, the pure parking garage seems more common than the mixed-use parking garage.
Best Design of a Parking Facility with Fewer than 800 Spaces ●● Best Design of a Parking Facility with 800 or More Spaces ●● Best Design/Implementation of a Surface Parking Lot ●● Innovation in a Parking Operation or Program ●● Best Parking Facility Rehabilitation or Restoration ●● Award for New Sustainable Parking & Transportation Facilities Excellence ●● Award for Architectural Achievement As an architect, I am especially interested in the first, second, and seventh categories. Lately, I have been wondering if the seven categories are enough to keep pace with the changing times. Mixed-use parking garages are now the norm, not the exception. Mixed-use development can be defined as development or buildings that blend a combination of residential, commercial, cultural, and institutional uses and parking where those functions are physically and functionally integrated. Mixed-use garages are parking facilities that are combined with these other occupancy types. ●●
WILLIAM F. KAVANAGH, AIA, NCARB, is director of parking design for The Harman Group, Inc., and a member of IPI’s Consultants Committee. He can be reached at bkavanagh@ harmangroup.com.
8
Garages Only A review of the category I, II, and VII award winners for the past five years (2012–2016)—15 total winners—reveals that seven of them are strictly garages. Another six are predominantly garages with some incidental retail or office that is approximately 10 percent or less of the total
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
If a Best Mixed-Use Parking Garage category was added, what would be the programmatic threshold? I would not recommend a garage that was 90 percent parking and 10 percent retail as a good representative of a mixed-use parking garage. In my opinion, an appropriate example would be the Harbor Center in Buffalo, N.Y. It is a mixeduse development that consists of ground-floor retail and restaurants, a 750-space parking garage beneath a 205-room hotel tower, and the local professional hockey team’s training facility with its two indoor ice rinks on top. Nowadays, just building a parking garage may be a missed opportunity for greater density and better use of the land. After review of six mixed-use projects with parking that I am familiar with and believe to be good examples, I would suggest that no more than 80 percent of the total building area can be used for parking for a project to qualify as eligible for such a Best Mixed-Use Parking Garage award. These reviewed projects included combinations of supermarkets, retail, restaurants, apartments, hotels, condominiums, fitness centers, and office spaces integrated with parking garages. The percentage of parking in each of these developments was 35 percent, 38 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent, 78 percent, and 81 percent respectively. This is quite different from the percentage of parking in most of the recent award-winning garages. It will be interesting to see where the 2017 Awards of Excellence winners fall this year. I suspect the trend will continue with strictly garages or “lite” mixed-use properties. If that proves to be the case, I think it will only further highlight the need for a Best Mixed-Use Parking Garage award category. Regardless of the outcome, congratulations to the award winners!
ISTOCK / IAREMENKO / WIKI / FORTUNATE4NOW
A New Category?
THE GREEN STANDARD
GOING GREEN? LEDS MAY NOT BE THE ANSWER By Daniel Gold
T
he Green Standard column in the January 2017 issue of The Parking Professional addressed going green with LED retrofits. It outlined the reduced energy usage by LEDs and discussed savings from lower maintenance costs. I’m not opposed to LEDs—in fact, we use them for many applications—but they’re not the right answer for all parking retrofits, and parking owners should consider all options to make the best decision for each project. Good LED systems are expensive. The savings generated through reduced power consumption may not compensate for their high upfront costs—at least, not as quickly as we might like. Purchasing inexpensive LEDs instead isn’t the answer either. A “Markets and Markets” report issued in October 2016 found low-quality LED products deliver inferior lighting performance and create high maintenance risk. That’s certainly not an ideal option for parking facilities. Even good LEDs, which do last longer than incandescent bulbs, tend to degenerate after a few years, losing brightness or burning out. Because of high initial costs and maintenance expenses, LEDs may not make smart business sense for certain applications, health issues aside. Yes, you read that correctly. There are some reports that say LEDs may cause health effects. The American Medical Association has issued a warning that the light from LEDs can harm retinas and disrupt sleep cycles. As a result, some cities are dimming or changing the color of their LED streetlights to reduce their harmful effects.
Energy-Efficient Alternative
DANIEL GOLD is CEO of Future Energy Solutions. He can be reached at dg@ feslighting.com.
10
So, what options are available? I tell people to at least consider induction lighting systems in many parking applications. If you haven’t heard of induction lighting, you’re not alone. Introduced by Nikola Tesla around the start of the 20th century, induction lighting was pushed into the background by Thomas Edison’s incandescent bulb. Perhaps Edison had better marketing. Induction bulbs can be less expensive than LEDs but provide a similar, bright light that can cover a broader area than narrow-focused LED beams, and may be more dependable, lasting longer. Studies have confirmed
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
induction bulbs can produce consistent lighting for as long as 23 years. They cost less to install and maintain, yet induction lights deliver significant energy savings that may be turned into profit or used to enhance the business.
Energy Department Endorsed The U.S. Department of Energy has labeled induction lighting as one of the greenest technologies available today. It endorses the use of induction lights in hard-to-reach locations where reliability, high lumen output, and high-quality lighting is valued—such as in parking garages and lots. Induction lamps also illuminate immediately and function well in cold environments. Many utilities across the country are promoting the use of induction lighting—some even offering incentives to municipalities and others for switching from old, high-energy use lights.
Audit Energy Usage Businesses should request an energy audit from their lighting provider that includes what they’re presently paying to power their parking garage/lot lights, how much they could save—both on installation and ongoing maintenance—with new technology, and how much they’ll pay upfront for the transition, along with projected maintenance expenses. If the vendor can’t—or won’t—do that, I’d suggest switching to another. According to the Energy Information Administration, energy costs will rise an average of 3+ percent per year from now through 2040. The bad news is your electric bill will go up. Whatever you decide about lighting, it’s important to do your own research. For a great starting point and technical assistance, check out the Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking (LEEP) Campaign at LEEPcampaign.org.
ISTOCK / BUBAONE
To Consider
PLANNINGPARKING PLANNINGPARKING || CREATING CREATING PLACES PLACES
| |
HELPINGPEOPLE HELPINGPEOPLE
Check out some of the great new Check out some of the great new features on TimHaahs’ website: features on TimHaahs’ website: Visit www.timhaahs.com to read Visit www.timhaahs.com to read “Our Story,” meet our leadership team, “Our Story,” meet our leadership team, and view our featured projects. and view our featured projects. Subscribe to our new blog Subscribe to our new blog
“Happenings.” “Happenings.”
Get answers to your biggest Get answers to your biggest parking questions from parking questions from our Parking Database. our Parking Database.
Atlanta Atlanta
Miami Miami
New Brunswick New Brunswick
Philadelphia Philadelphia
THE BUSINESS OF PARKING LEGAL
REDEVELOPMENT AND PARKING: DOES SIZE MATTER? By Leonard T. Bier, CAPP, JD
I
n “Field of Dreams,” the protagonist speaks a phase that has become a mantra for many in the world of parking and redevelopment: “If you build it, they (he) will come.” Up until now, this planning principal or philosophy worked fairly well in urban environments. A larger parking facility within reason (10 to 25 percent) was always better than one that met current parking demand because future parking demand would always increase in a vibrant urban core. Bigger was better! Determining the correct size of a parking facility in an urban center, now more than ever, is critical from both a planning and economic feasibility perspective. Recently, I attended the New Jersey Future Conference planning sympsium. A colleague who is an expert in redevelopment law and planning was the moderator for a panel on parking and redevelopment. He started with a thought-provoking question: “Would you today build and finance a parking garage with 30-year parking revenue bonds?” My answer: It depends. Have your municipal government, zoning and planning boards, or commissions studied and recently adopted or amended local parking ordinances setting forth the required parking ratios for redevelopment projects? If not, regulations are probably compelling developers to provide parking far in excess of what is actually needed. Has your community adopted transit-oriented development (TOD) parking code requirements? Research conducted by a number of U.S. state, regional, and local transit agencies and authorities has determined that TOD residential and office development within a quarter-mile of a transit station or multi-modal transit hub can reduce the number of needed parking spaces in parking facilities by 15 to 25 percent near offices and 5 to 60 percent in residential areas.
Shared Parking
LEONARD T. BIER, CAPP, JD, is the principal of Bier Associates. He can be reached at lenbier@ optonline.net or 732.828.8866.
12
Has your municipal government officially recognized shared parking? Has it amended municipal land use ordinances/code or included the option to share parking spaces in redevelopment areas? If not, outdated principals are compelling builders to construct parking based on the sum of individual parking users. Depending on a development project’s mixed-use components, a parking facility could be shared. Examples of complimentary shared parking uses include residential
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
and office or office and hotel/movie theater. The peak parking times for these uses are not in conflict, and using this kind of model allows parking to be reduced. What about car sharing? According to Wikipedia, the hourly rental/sharing of passenger vehicles was commercially reintroduced in 2000 by Zipcar, which has been joined by several competitors. Car sharing reduces the need for individual car ownership and lowers the number of necessary parking spaces in residential projects. Progressive cites have amended their planning and development regulations to reduce required onsite parking space for residential projects based on the developer including shared vehicles in the project’s parking facility. Car sharing has been successful in dense urban environments with mass-transit systems that can get a resident to work on a daily basis and near university campuses. The last factors affecting urban parking structure planning are autonomous or self-driving vehicles. Remember, when you build an urban parking facility today, it has a useful life of 40+ years. The autonomous car, like the faithful dog that follows you to school, will be told to go home for use by your significant other and/or children or back to a shared-vehicle depot for use by others. If you do not need your car for work, there may no longer be long-term hour parking spaces hosted at your office at your employer’s expense. We don’t know yet what the effect of autonomous vehicles will have on parking space ratios for urban and suburban residential and office development projects. Apple, Google, Ford, Tesla, IBM, BMW, GM, FedEx, China’s Baidu, and Amazon have invested tens of billions of dollars in technologies associated with the development and production of an autonomous vehicle. We all can be certain of one thing: When they build the autonomous vehicle, we will buy it.
Magnetic AutoControl has successfully delivered vehicle and pedestrian ow management solutions for over 25 years. As the market leader, our reputation is built on quality and reliability. We can ooer you:
Comprehensive Portfolio of Products and Accessories
2 Million Cycle Warranty*
Ecological Design, Reducing Energy Consumption
Proven Service Throughout Our Markets
Low Cost of Ownership
Robust Support for Your Needs Through Our Large Network of Dedicated Partners
Customized Solutions for Your Specific Application
www.ac-magnetic.com/usa
*
Vehicle Barriers Warranty: 2 years or 2 million cycles whichever occurs first. Pedestrian Gates Warranty: 1 year or 2 million cycles whichever occurs first
FINANCIAL MATTERS
LIFE INSURANCE AND YOUR FAMILY By Mark A. Vergenes
L
ife insurance has come a long way since the days it was known as burial insurance and used mainly to pay for funeral expenses. Today, life insurance is a crucial part of many estate plans and used to leave much-needed income to survivors, provide for children’s education, pay off mortgages, and simplify the transfer of assets. Life insurance can also be used to cover expenses and taxes that may follow your death and make gifts to charity at relatively little cost to you.
MARK A. VERGENES is president of MIRUS Financial Partners and chair of the Lancaster (Pa.) Parking Authority. He can be reached at mark@mirusfinancial partners.com.
14
Estate Taxes Using life insurance, Frank was able to leave a substantial gift to his favorite charity. Gifts to charity are estate-tax deductible so his gift was not subject to estate taxes. Dave always dreamed of leaving money to his alma mater, but his family couldn’t afford to give any money away when he died.
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
Before buying life insurance, Frank talked to his attorney about the potential tax consequences. The attorney told him that if his estate was large enough, it could be subject to federal and state estate taxes, depending on the applicable law at the time of his death. Frank and his attorney put a plan in place that would allow Frank’s survivors to use his life insurance policy to help pay some of the potential estate taxes.
Be Like Frank, Not Like Dave Dave worked hard to support his family. Frank did, too, but went one step further—he bought life insurance to protect his family after his death. Here’s how you can be like Frank: ●● Use life insurance to ensure that your family has access to cash to help them meet both their shortand long-term financial needs. ●● Plan ahead—buy enough life insurance to cover the potential costs of settling your estate and to ensure that the assets you leave to your survivors aren’t less than you intended. ●● Consider using life insurance to give to charity. ●● Consult an experienced attorney about income and estate tax consequences before purchasing life insurance. MIRUS Financial Partners, nor Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, give tax or legal advice. Opinions expressed are not intended as investment advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of determining your social security benefits, eligibility, or avoiding any federal tax penalties. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no representations as to its completeness or accuracy. All economic and performance information is historical and indicative of future results.
MHJ / ISTOCK
Let’s compare what happened upon the death of two friends: Frank, who bought life insurance, and Dave, who did not (these illustrations are hypothetical). Frank bought life insurance to help ensure his survivors wouldn’t suffer financially when he died. When he died, his family had enough money to maintain their lifestyle and live comfortably for years. Because Frank’s life insurance proceeds were available very quickly, his family had cash to meet their short-term financial needs. Life insurance proceeds left to a named beneficiary don’t pass through the process of probate. Dave didn’t buy life insurance. Even though Dave left his assets to his family in his will, they couldn’t be distributed until after the probate of his estate. Because probate typically takes six months or longer, Dave’s survivors had none of the financial flexibility a life insurance policy would have provided. Life insurance can replace wealth lost due to expenses and taxes. Frank planned ahead and bought enough life insurance to cover the potential costs of settling his estate, including taxes, fees, and other debts his estate would have to pay. By comparison, these expenses took a big bite out of Dave’s estate, which had to sell valuable assets to pay the taxes and expenses that arose as a result of his death.
PARKING SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM
OFFERING A NEW LOOK FOR PARKING ARBITRATION By Sandy Ziegler, CAPP
O
ne of the main benefits of working in parking on a college campus is the plethora of resources many institutions offer. Taking advantage of these resources helps keep costs and expenses down and assists in customer satisfaction. At the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), some of the resources we use include parking arbitration with our law school, student adjudication through our Office of Student Conduct, and the placement of registration holds through our registrar’s office. Parking arbitration is offered to anyone who receives a parking citation and is an opportunity to educate appellants to avoid future violations and for law students to earn service hours. Thanks to a partnership between our department and the William S. Boyd School of Law, the program has been successful and well-received by staff, students, and the university.
How It Works Once selected as arbitration officers, law students must become well-versed on all parking rules and regulations. Although hearings are under complete control of the arbitration officer, a law professor is present at every hearing to oversee the process. Since the start of this arbitration program, our department has tried our best to make the process as easy and convenient as possible for customers. The law school
16
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
provides a list of dates and times when arbitration officers are available. We do our best to schedule arbitration hearings during different days of the week and various times of the day. Each case takes about five to 10 minutes and there is a limit of 20 cases per hearing date. Every person who receives a citation has the right to arbitrate within 30 days. After 30 days, the citation amount will double and the customer forfeits any appeal. UNLV has two tiers of arbitration: The first is handled verbally and over the counter with a parking staff representative. If no resolution can be made, the customer may formally appeal and go to the second tier. The second tier begins when the customer makes a deposit in the amount of his or her violation. When payment is made, the customer fills out an arbitration form and agrees to all of the terms listed on the legally binding contract; after this he or she picks the day and time for a hearing. During the hearing, the driver provides a statement, pictures, documentation, and/or any other witness testimony he or she would like. A parking representative explains to the arbitrator why a citation was issued. After hearing both sides, the arbitrator determines the outcome of the case. Anyone who can’t attend his or her hearing may send in a statement instead. Both parties are notified of the decision within a couple of weeks, and refunds are mailed if awarded. Our department has enjoyed a good success rate in the arbitration process, whether because drivers don’t attend or because the cases are ruled in our favor. Typically, the types of citations that are appealed are for expired meters, invalid/lack of permit, and improper display. The arbitrator may ask questions of the appellant or the parking representative for clarification and makes an unbiased decision based on the testimony and evidence provided.
Student Code Major infractions that violate the student code of conduct mean students are subject to consequences through the Office of Student Conduct. The student must schedule a meeting with a representative from that office to explain the situation. The conduct officer determines how the student is handling the situation and decides if further discipline is necessary. Consequences usually range from writing a letter of reflection to community service to more fines. Students are given a fair and equitable opportunity in this process without university interference, discrimination, or bias. This process shapes students’ characters to enable them to act in a more professional, honest, and law-abiding manner. Student adjudication benefits our department by ensuring growth in integrity of students and colleagues through enforcement of university standards.
Collections As we all know, the collections process can be a challenge. To ensure all parking citations are paid, we issue dollar-amount warnings, impound vehicles with high unpaid fines, use email notification reminders, and place academic registration holds through the university. Through the registrar’s office, we are able to prevent students who have outstanding balances from adding or dropping classes, receiving transcripts or mid-semester and final grades, and receiving their diplomas after graduation. For the student to move ahead academically, the entire balance must be paid. Once this is done, his or her registration hold is released and the parking account is cleared. Even after graduation, a former student’s registration may be placed on hold until the balance is paid. Former parking.org/tpp
students can’t receive official transcripts until holds are released. Our department uses campus resources for in-house collection rather than employing the services of an outside company. Using a third-party collection service might be perceived negatively by our visitors and not provide flexibility for the students. Although we want to hold all of our customers accountable for their citations, we understand the burden of college fees and different financial situations customers may face. To ease the burden of financial responsibility, our department offers payment plans to all students who are enrolled at the university full time. To initiate a payment plan, the customer must enter into a legal contract between him or her and the university. The payment plan requires that the student put down 50 percent of the balance. The remaining balance would then be split into three monthly payments with the flexibility to pay at any time. Payment plan stipulations include being placed on an academic registration hold, keeping current and making payments on time, and refraining from parking in violation during the payment plan. After signing the payment plan, students then provide a copy of the signed contract. If any terms are violated, the student’s vehicle is impounded immediately and the student must pay off the entire balance and is referred to the Office of Student Conduct. Our department is thankful for the resources we have to make university parking more efficient and flexible for all who come to campus—they offer customers a variety of options and improve our efficiency. Every customer who goes through these processes provides us with a learning opportunity to make improvements for the future.
SANDY ZIEGLER, CAPP, is program manager with the department of parking and transportation services at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She can be reached at sandy. ziegler@unlv.edu.
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
17
IPI’S ASK THE EXPERTS
Jennifer Tougas, PhD
Dan Kupferman, CAPP
Western Kentucky University
Walker Parking Consultants
Director, Parking and Transportation Services
Go to the IPI Conference & Expo and network with your colleagues to learn more about the profession. Get CAPP certified and get involved!
L. Dennis Burns, CAPP
Regional Vice President Kimley-Horn
I think the best way for young parking professionals to advance their careers is to find a mentor. In my experience, one of our greatest strengths as an industry is the degree to which parking professionals are willing to share their experiences and expertise.
Director of Car Park Management Systems Learn, stay informed, pay attention. Work hard. Find a mentor. How? Read the trades. Attend conferences, trainings, and webinars. Network, network, network.
Roamy Valera, CAPP
Senior Vice President, Municipal and Institutional Services SP+
Find a mentor who is willing to take on the role and learn from someone who has walked the walk. Join and attend industry-specific events to enhance the professional knowledge and ever-changing marketplace.
Larry Cohen, CAPP Executive Director
Lancaster Parking Authority
You must be willing to take on new responsibilities to make yourself more valuable to the organization. Once you have established yourself as a trusted and dedicated employee who does a great job, you will become more valuable and position yourself for a promotion or a new job.
Have a question for IPI’s experts? Send it to fernandez@parking.org and watch this space for answers.
18
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
The opinions, beliefs, and thoughts expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of the International Parking Institute or official policies of IPI.
What’s the best way for novice parking professionals to proactively advance their careers?
PRESENT Awards of Excellence winners showcase forward-thinking and outstanding parking and program design.
J
UDGING FOR THE IPI AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE is no small feat: Entries are outstanding, and the competition is fierce.That’s why winning is such an honor—honorees are truly leaders in the industry
working toward the future by implementing creativity and innovation that’s successful in the real world. This year’s top entries shine a light on the future with designs and programs that will thrive long past this specific competition.They’re examples for the industry and offer insight for others, with terrific ideas and great examples of what works very well. Without further ado, we present the winners of this year’s Awards of Excellence competition.
20
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
T
HE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD built the first fully automated, municipally-run parking structure on the West Coast. The new 200-space structure was built above grade on a very small parcel that made a conventional garage impractical and cost prohibitive. The garage serves city hall visitors, employees, residents, and patrons of nearby businesses. It incorporates a PARCS system that is networked to other city parking facilities for ease of use. Parking validations are provided for city hall visitors via electronic validation kiosk or printed follow-up tickets, and keycards are issued to employees and monthly permit holders. Parking provides a valet-like experience without the costs or risks of valet parking. An auto court provides short-term, motorcycle, and bicycle parking, including a station for the city’s bike share program. Neither cars nor pedestrians enter the parking warehouse section of the garage, eliminating security concerns. There is an attendant onsite at all times to guide people through the parking and retrieval process. The compact nature of this parking structure provides greater setbacks from nearby buildings and an efficient loading area for deliveries. The project also creates open space with a 4,000-square-foot community plaza between city hall and the garage that is used for civic events and public art displays. As built, this garage uses less than 40 percent of the space needed for a conventional parking garage. This project uses state-of-the-art composite wood panels made primarily from recycled plastic grocery bags and milk jugs. Most of the structure is made from poured-in concrete, and light pollution from the site to the adjacent residential neighbors is greatly reduced due to the solid nature of the parking warehouse and the automated nature of the system. Landscape selections are CATEGORY I— Best Design of a Parking drought tolerant and California native. Facility with Fewer than 800 Spaces The garage has full built-in redunWest Hollywood Automated Garage dancy, including generators for backCity of West Hollywood up power and uninterruptible power West Hollywood, Calif. supplies for the computer system that’s Owner backed up multiple times daily. The garage includes a comprehensive 10-year PROJECT PARTICIPANTS: service and maintenance agreement. Heery International, Construction Manager Because vehicles are non-operaKonsortum1, Electrical Engineer tional during the parking and retrieval LPA, Inc., Architect process, there is a reduction of carT.B. Penick & Sons, General Contractor bon dioxide emissions equivalent to Unitronics Systems, Inc., Automated Parking Vendor removing 92 cars from the road each Walker Parking Consultants, Parking Consultant year or planting 67,000 trees. Funding TOTAL COST: $10 MILLION, INCLUDING A 10-YEAR for the project came from the Parking MAINTENANCE PLAN. Improvement Fund and city bonds.
parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
21
T
HE CITY-OWNED PHOENIX BIOMEDICAL CAMPUS (PBC) is a 30-acre, urban medical, bioscience, and educational campus that when built out will consist of 6 million square feet of biomedical-related research, academic, and clinical facilities. The city selected The Boyer Company to fund, CATEGORY 2— Best Design design, build, and operate a parking garage of a Parking Facility with 800 on city-owned land to not only serve the or More Spaces campus but allow for redevelopment of directions improve circulation patterns. Signage neighboring surface lots into building elevates the user experience through creative Phoenix Biomedical sites and landscaped open space. use of color and imaginative design accents. Campus Parking Structure The garage was one of the first conPARCS includes two gated entry/exit locations The Boyer Company structed in downtown Phoenix under new with three lanes each, one of which is reversible Irvine, Calif. planning and development guidelines to allow greater capacity at peak morning and Owner that require parking structures to feature evening hours. A permit validation system sepPROJECT PARTICIPANTS: architectural screening and street-fronting arates public, office, and medical user groups. Okland Construction, Contractor amenities such as retail space and shade Working with the City of Phoenix, the design SmithGroupJJR, Design Architect canopies. Extensive collaboration with the team incorporated an underused utility island Watry Design, Inc., Structural contractor was required to develop design west of the site into the project, creating a new Engineer & Parking Consultant solutions that minimized cost per stall and public plaza and green space. A shade canopy TOTAL COST: $19 MILLION maximized overall architectural impact. with enhanced lighting covers sidewalks for The design team incorporated a metal pedestrians, and bike lockers at street level panel screen and canopy that tie the buildsupport multi-modal transportation. Variable ing into the architectural character of the rest of the campus. The refrigerant flow and heat recovery systems provide independent micro-perforations of the metal panel provide views from the control for each of the core rooms for areas with simultaneous garage to the surrounding mountain parks and downtown skyline cooling and heating requirements. LED lighting with motion sensors while simultaneously filtering the strong sunshine of Phoenix and and photocells further reduces energy consumption. diffusing natural daylight throughout the garage. A canopy of native paloverde trees and metal paneling provide The eight-level, 397,000-square-foot garage houses 1,211 parking shade outside and within the garage. The openings and perforations stalls and 2,250 square feet of retail. Two vehicular entry and exit of the metal skin reflect diffused daylight deep within the structure locations and a double park-on ramp system configured in opposite and exceed the natural ventilation requirements required by code.
22
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
T
HE TORONTO PARKING AUTHORITY (TPA) IN ONTARIO, CANADA, opened a new, green, 33-space surface parking lot at 1624 Queen St. W., Carpark 256, in 2015. This formerly vacant commercial property was redeveloped with the collaborative efforts of the Parkdale Village Business Improvement Area, the local community, Marton Smith Landscape Architects and the TPA. Many green elements were incorporated into the final design, including permeable pavers to facilitate sustainable stormwater management, a tree planting layout to reduce urban-heat island effect, and a planting scheme chosen for its drought tolerance and seasonal interest. One pay-and-display machine accepts credit cards and cash while mobile pay lets users pay, track, and add parking time from their smartphones. LED lighting, low-profile plants, and regular patrols by security professionals help keep everyone safe, and the lot is barrier-free for pedestrians. Tree cover and high-albedo pavers reduce heat, and panels were installed that will accommodate electric-vehicle charging stations should they be desired in the future. With TPA’s support and in partnership with a community-based initiative led by the city of Toronto’s StreetARToronto program (a group that enables local artists to create murals that help decrease vandalism and illegal graffiti) the mural located on the lot’s western boundary was created. Its design is a symbol to help galvanize the community, and it proposes proactive strategies and actions, development without displacement, participatory democracy, decent work, food security, and shared wealth. The mural was designed by visual artists Sean Martindale, Alexa Hatanaka, and Patrick Thompson. The lot and all features have been met with praise by the local community, particularly its creative and innovative aspects, and has provided inspiration for various other TPA projects in the design phase.
CATEGORY 3— Best
Design/ Implementation of a Surface Parking Lot 1624 Queen St. W. (Carpark 256) Green P+ Toronto Parking Authority Toronto, Ontario, Canada Owner PROJECT PARTICIPANTS:
Brutto Consulting, Planner Councillor Gord Perks, Ward 14 Parkdale-High Park Fabian Papa & Partners Engineers, Engineer Marton & Smith Landscape Architects, Inc. Mopal Construction, Contractor Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust, Mural Partner, Community Lead StreetARToronto Program, Public Realm Section, City of Toronto Transportation Services TOTAL COST: $350,000
parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
23
CATEGORY 4— Innovation
in a Parking Operation or Program SANDAG Regional Parking Management Toolbox San Diego Association of Governments San Diego, Calif. Owner PROJECT PARTICIPANTS:
Kimley-Horn Consultant TOTAL COST OF PROJECT: $100,000
I
N 2013, THE SAN DIEGO ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS (SANDAG) IN CALIFORNIA began the development of its comprehensive Regional Parking Management Toolbox, intended to be a process-driven tool that jurisdictions could use to determine specific parking problems, how to address them, and how to implement and manage strategies. In 2014, the agency unveiled the toolbox and provided its members access to the online interactive document that walks them through: ●● Data collection and analysis processes. ●● Identification of specific problems. ●● Strategies to address problems and the intended benefits. ●● Marketing, education, and communication strategies. ●● Ongoing management options. ●● Case studies from peer and industry-leading jurisdictions. The toolbox provides the 18 cities and County of San Diego with best practices for managing parking in a variety of settings to help promote smart growth, sustainable development, and alternative transportation choices. Since the toolbox’s completion in 2014, cities in the San Diego region have demonstrated a greater understanding of the importance of parking management and are putting it to good use. For example, the city of Carlsbad is applying the toolbox’s complete step-by-step process to develop a comprehensive parking management plan for its village, barrio, and beach communities. The city of La Mesa adopted an in-lieu fee program. The city of San Diego has also implemented innovative parking management strategies that encourage shared mobility. The toolbox consolidates lessons learned from peers into a thoughtful, process-driven approach that demystifies the concept of parking management for communities that are not well-versed in parking. It simplifies and explains the process of managing parking demands and operations and lays out meaningful strategies and the intended benefits of each solution. While the toolbox was developed for the communities in the San Diego region, its approach is limitless. The concepts and strategies defined in this approach do not relate only to the region but to any community, university, or entity within our industry. The ideals laid out in the toolbox are universal and meant to help any agency determine the next logical steps in the evolution of its parking program.
24
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
T
HE THIRD AVENUE GARAGE was first in a series of multi-tier facilities built following the formation of the Pittsburgh Parking Authority in Pennsylvania. During a 14-month period starting in mid-2015, it was the focus of the largest capital repair project in the organization’s 73year history. With just five stories of above-ground spaces—a basement level is designated for the exclusive use of premium leaseholders—Third Avenue does not reach the height of other high-rise authority locations. Importantly, however, its architectural profile remains attractively compatible with the streetscapes that surround it, and its interior floor plan is sufficiently broad to accommodate the nearly 600 customer vehicles—very much the capacity standard for its construction time more than 70 years ago. Today, the building also houses the organization’s busy Parking Court function, a shoe repair service, and a bicycle parking and maintenance area for both free and subscription use. Third Avenue’s customers, largely transient demographically, reflect the eclectic mix of destinations that rim the building’s location and include attendees of daytime and evening classes at Point Park University, visitors and diners, and those attracted by the seasonal water feature and ice skating installations at PPG Place. With CATEGORY 5— one of its structures sharing an exterior garage Best Parking Facility wall, the PPG complex functions as the core of Restoration or Rehabilitation the building’s use by commuting workers, and its presence is a guarantor of the sector’s long-term Third Avenue Garage vitality. Critically, the project’s lengthy period Renovation of mobilization and construction had to occur Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh without damage to any PPG venue. Owner Levels of customer demand required that no PROJECT PARTICIPANTS: more than 200 spaces be removed from service DESMAN, Architect & Structural at any time as traffic in non-construction zones Engineer continued uninterrupted. The proximity of Point Nathan Contracting, Contractor Park student dormitories required that each TOTAL COST: $7.4 MILLION day’s construction progress be concluded by 10 p.m., and complete closures of the facility were scheduled for holidays and weekends only. The principal nature of the project’s direction, however, was determined by a building footprint and configuration—each parking deck is flat and spans a full 3,300 square feet—that favored the use of hydro-demolition techniques that doubled the pace of work from that required for conventional jackhammer drilling. The hydro mode also created a white-noise effect and nearly eliminated the need for dustproofing sequential work areas. Applied at a pressure level of 20,000 psi throughout construction, the approximately 8 million gallons of water involved in the demolition phase passed through an onsite filtration system to ensure compliance with prevalent quality standards. Additional water control functions requiring temporary piping, settling tanks, filtration systems, sump pumps, and water diversion materials were installed as work progressed. This structure’s configuration was not without obstacles to easy repair. Parking levels are accessed by two one-way helix ramps situated on opposite corners of the building. Construction activity led to a scheduling strategy that limited their periods of two-way use together with the adoption of a traffic light system to ensure worker and patron safety. The importance of maintaining the Parking Court’s annual revenue stream required that it remain open despite the severely damaged condition of the first-level slab beneath it; a structural support system was placed below the slab and injected with a sufficient volume of flowable fill to create a monolithic condition that would permit loads to be transferred to the newly installed steel frame. At Third Avenue, all interior and exterior repair objectives—including several that materially improved its aesthetic appearance and operating efficiency—were achieved. parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
25
CATEGORY 6— Award
for New Sustainable Parking & Transportation Facilities Excellence Partners Healthcare Garage-Corporate Campus Partners Healthcare Somerville, Mass. Owner PROJECT PARTICIPANTS:
Buro Happold, Mechanical Engineer Code Red Consultants, Code Consultant Gensler, Architect HLB Lighting Design, Lighting Consultant Leggat McCall, Owner’s Representative McNamara/Salvia, Structural Engineer RDK Engineers, Security/Low Voltage Engineer Richard Moore Consultants, Sustainability Consultant SP+, Parking Consultant & Operator Suffolk Construction, Construction Manager
26
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
P
ARTNERS HEALTHCARE BROKE GROUND on its new corporate campus in the Assembly Row neighborhood of Somerville, Mass., in December 2014 with a mission to create an environment that would not only be enjoyed by the Partners team but by the entire Somerville community. The project was developed with a number of goals in mind, including consolidation of the 15 offices scattered throughout the city of Boston, creation of an outdoor space that would be enjoyed by the Somerville community, and a special emphasis on sustainability. The $56 million, seven-level garage is just one piece of this plan. The garage features an elaborate LED lighting system; a massive solar photovoltaic array that is a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Ameresco and provides power to the garage and the EverSource power grid; a sophisticated parking guidance system that provides a 20 percent reduction in search times, resulting in reduced CO2 emissions; community green space; and more than 100 bicycle storage spaces. These features, coupled with future plans for electric vehicle charging stations, vehicle ride-sharing options, and more, make the Partners Healthcare campus a great place to work.
T
HE SPECIAL PARKING GARAGE in the Dutch town of Katwijk is an integral part of the town’s new water defense system, protecting the town against the North Sea. The garage is situated behind a new dike and is located underneath a natural dune landscape. Integrating the parking garage with the water defense system not only protects Katwijk from the sea but also offers tourists an opportunity to park directly near the beach. Commissioned by the city of Katwijk, Royal HaskoningDHV drafted the architectural design of the parking garage and translated it into a thorough master plan. Based on this master plan, Ballast Nedam and ZJA drafted the integral design (architectural, functional, structural, and installation) for the realization of the parking garage. Special attention was given to the integration and materialization of the entrances in the dune landscape as one of the main principles of the architectural master plan and the public domain, which was designed by OKRA Landscape Architects. The garage has a capacity of 670 cars, which enter and exit the complex at both short ends. The upper dunes have a network of paths that connect five pedestrian entrances with the town and the beach. These entrances are harmoniously integrated with the dunes. At the entrances, the dune landscape is lifted to create an obvious entrance, allowing the landscape an uninterrupted flow over the roof of the entrance. This gesture not only ensures that the character of the dunes stays intact, it also provides for the vital admission of daylight into the underground parking garage, benefitting orientation within the parking garage. In the design, the underground car park is considered a high-quality public space. This is subtly achieved by using a pallet of sturdy, qualitative materials. The guidelines from the master plan required a consequent corporate image and integrated wayfinding. A family of maritime-inspired icons and colors was designed in such a way to guide its visitors in a relaxed and natural manner toward either the center of the town or the beach.
CATEGORY 7— Award
Excellence
of Architectural
Kustwerk Katwijk Municipality Katwijk Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands Owner’s Client PROJECT PARTICIPANTS:
Ballast Nedam, Prime Contractor OKRA Landscape Architects, Landscape Architect Royal HaskoningDHV, Architect & Design Consultant ZJA Zwarts & Jansma Architects, Architect TOTAL COST OF PROJECT: $16 MILLION
parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
27
Professionals,
Colleagues and Inspirations Meet this year’s parking superstars.
28
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
Y
OU KNOW THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE NATURAL LEADERS? They’re the ones we’re drawn to when we need advice, a little mentoring, or to bounce around ideas. They know what they’re doing, no doubt, but they’re also usually friendly, welcoming, and have that
extra insight that goes beyond their job descriptions. These are the professionals recognized by IPI’s Professional Recognition Program, and this year’s winners exemplify all of those qualities and more. Now in its 11th year, the program acknowledges professionals who operate, maintain, and manage parking operations and those changing the perception of parking as a career and profession. After a tough job judging a lot of truly outstanding entries, it’s time to meet this year’s winners.
Staff Member of the Year Roger Finch Landside Services Agent II
Denver International Airport, City and County of Denver, Colo.
He also helped design a new system to track space closures during construction projects and provide a more efficient method to document and track this data. Finch always steps up to ensure customers are provided a pleasant experience at the airport. Whether helping customers find their vehicles or ensuring they arrive to the terminal on time, he consistently does whatever it takes to ensure customer needs are met. He was a 2014 recipient of the DEN Star of The Quarter, an award that recognizes outstanding achievements in customer service. He displays the highest level of professionalism on a daily basis, and his can-do work ethic is a direct reflection of his dedication. He creates a positive working environment for not only himself but his colleagues as well. His cheerful attitude enables him to consistently achieve goals that are above and beyond any frontline job description.
Supervisor of the Year Becky Cass Area Manager
W
Winpark
inpark’s Becky Cass began her parking career with the company in 2014. Since then, she has demonstrated skills in leadership, entrepreneurship, and resourcefulness.
ISTOCK / BONOTOM STUDIO
R
oger Finch began his career with Denver International Airport (DEN) Parking and Transportation in 1999 and is a valuable member of the team thanks to his expertise about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), his willingness to go above and beyond, and his exemplary customer service. Finch has used his knowledge of the ADA to ensure facility compliance and improve access for customers with special needs. He led a project to accurately map all of DEN’s parking spaces for the disabled—more than 50,000 in 10 facilities. Not only did he independently take the initiative to see the project through to completion, but he worked with several airport partners to digitize the facility maps and ensure ease of use. His dedication to the disabled community is further displayed through his years of volunteer service with the city and county of Denver’s Disability Parking Enforcement program. parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
29
Emerging Leader of the Year Before joining the parking industry, Cass was the youngest general manager in Buffalo Wild Wings’ history; there, she oversaw five restaurants and a staff of more than 75 servers, cooks, and bussers. She joined Winpark, Houston, Tex., during a time of rapid change. Her leadership skills and management abilities have been key in managing multiple projects while overseeing as many as five operations that generate several million dollars in revenue annually and include heavy night and weekend event operations at the famed Alley Theatre. The events require strong management and planning skills to keep parking operations cost-effective. The Alley Theater and Bank of America garages are managed with oversells in excess of 20 percent without closing the garages to visitors. It takes years for many managers to learn how to effectively control oversell and parking volumes, but Cass has been effective in keeping the garages as full as possible. The Houston Chronicle had been the sole tenant of the Chronicle Garage since its construction in 1977, but the publisher moved headquarters and operations out of downtown in 2015. Cass was tasked with coordinating the six-month move-out of 400 employees and backfilling the garage with paying customers. In addition, Winpark leased the operation and was responsible to the garage’s new owner for a substantial monthly payment. The garage had no revenue control equipment and an outdated access control system, but Cass successfully managed a delicate balance between capacity, availability, and revenue throughout 2015 and 2016, brought the garage to profit, and allowed for improvements to be made in the facilities. In another garage, she built a successful valet operation from scratch despite never having worked in a valet operation before. She also implemented equipment automation projects at multiple locations. In her two years with Winpark, she’s shown virtuoso skill at supervision and management, and she commits herself to the company’s success. She is a key member of Winpark’s training committee and has played an essential role in the development of its training program and manual. She does not accept second best in any project and is a fundamental part of Winpark’s corporate transitions. As a co-worker says, “Becky is Winpark at its best.”
30
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
JC Porter, CAPP Assistant Director, Parking & Transit Services
Arizona State University
JC
Porter began his career in the parking and transportation industry as an office specialist and appeals officer for Boise State University’s transportation and parking department in 2006. Eight years later, he was named assistant director of Parking and Transit Services at Arizona State University (ASU), the largest public university in the nation in terms of enrollment. In one decade, he became a highly decorated member of the industry, blazing trails of innovation with a laser focus on customer satisfaction and sustainability. Porter leads by example; as one Boise, Iowa, reporter wrote, “Some talk the talk; others walk the walk; J.C. Porter rides the ride.” To say that Porter is an avid cyclist would be an understatement. He makes his 20-mile (oneway) work commute on his bike and offers invaluable insight into what makes bicycling a more attractive option for ASU students and employees. One of his greatest accomplishments in Boise was establishing the university’s Cycle Learning Center, which offers bicycle education, repair, supplies, and rental. Under his watch, the center turned a $60,000 profit above operating costs in its fourth year. He also helped the city of Boise write the business model and start a bike-share program and is currently replicating that effort in Tempe, Ariz.
At ASU, Porter opened bike valet stations where attendants parked more than 30,000 bicycles on campus during the 2015–2016 academic year, and he spearheaded the effort to add bike boxes at several intersections on campus, sharrows along campus and adjacent city streets, and a contra-flow bike lane along one of the most heavily bicycle-traveled streets leading to the university. He also initiated the implementation of a shared-use path along University Drive, giving electric carts, bicyclists, skateboarders, and pedestrians a safe route while keeping them out of the roadway. Soon after Porter’s arrival at ASU, the Tempe campus was designated a Gold-level Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists, and he earned recognition from the city of Tempe, which also earned Gold-level status from the League. In 2015, he oversaw ASU’s transition to a new carshare provider, which lowered the hourly rate for students and offered international students the ability to use their home country driver’s licenses. Last January, he helped introduce the shift to the university’s intercampus shuttle system to a new provider; passengers now enjoy riding on double-decker buses complete with Wi-Fi, GPS tracking, electrical outlets, and USB ports on trips between ASU’s four campuses. Porter’s astute management skills resulted in transporting more passengers on each leg of the route at a $1.5 million savings. Porter had an immediate effect on the way parking citation appeals are adjudicated at ASU. Under his leadership, the appeals office was reorganized and is now comprised of student staff, cultivating a peer-to-peer experience for Sun Devils. He’s served as co-chair of IPI’s Sustainability Committee and served on Pacific Intermountain Parking and Transportation Association’s (PIPTA) board of directors. He also represents the university at city of Tempe transportation meetings, Arizona State Parking Advisory Committee and Arizona State Bicycle Advisory Committee meetings, and Maricopa Association of Governments bike and pedestrian meetings. He frequently shares his knowledge by presenting at conferences such as IPI, Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT), PIPTA, and Southwest Parking and Transportaion Association and by giving webinars to IPI constituents and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. Porter was recognized as a Future Leader in the Parking Industry by PIPTA in 2009. In 2012, Porter was bestowed the 40 Under 40 Award by ACT, and in 2011 earned the Making a Positive Impact Award from the Commuter Transportation Association of Idaho. parking.org/tpp
Parking Organization of the Year Arizona State University Parking & Transit Services
A
rizona State University Parking (ASU) & Transit Services’ (PTS) mission is to provide sustainable transportation and access solutions for one of the nation’s largest public universities in terms of enrollment. PTS is charged with administering parking and transportation options to assist more than 90,000 students and 12,000 employees in their travels to, from, and between campuses. PTS’s PARCS and Parkmobile pay-by-phone implementations have allowed ASU to expand visitor options into previously unavailable areas on campus. Bringing the interactive Park+ system to ASU has given PTS a sought-after seat at the planning table. Notable is the revolutionary way it adopted PARCS by developing a utility model that allows the university to lease the equipment, including life-cycle maintenance and upgrades. PTS heeded the university president’s call to significantly improve customer service among all campus departments and incorporated service blueprinting into its culture to visualize service processes and delivery from a customer’s point of view. More than 60 PTS employees have completed service blueprinting workshops and programs, and as a result, the department has made several adjustments to existing policies and procedures, including modifying the permit renewal and guest reservation processes to create a more seamless experience for the customer. Additionally, PTS was one of the first non-academic units to adopt the customer relations management tool within the Salesforce application, streamlining communication between customers and PTS while keeping the correspondence transparent for both parties. ASU has bold sustainability goals, including becoming transportation carbon-neutral by 2035. PTS is playing a major role by offering a wide array of alternate transportation options to university students, faculty, and staff; its bike program boasts four card-access bicycle parking structures and three bike valet stations; more than 6,000 registered bicyclists; and 25 percent more bike racks on campus than there were just three years ago. The Tempe campus was designated a Gold-level Bicycle Friendly JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
31
University by the League of American Bicyclists in 2014, and the Downtown Phoenix and Polytechnic campuses earned bronze-level distinction in 2015. Other notable transportation options include the ASU U-Pass and Employee Platinum Pass, a transit pass sold at a deeply discounted rate—and subsidized by PTS—that grants unlimited access to the Phoenix-area bus and light rail system. The Eco-Pass allows 30 all-day in/ out parking privileges at a designated parking structure or lot, making alternate forms of transportation more attractive by offering commuters a safety net when they need one. PTS also offers an intercampus shuttle system to the campus community to transport Sun Devils between the four ASU campuses; other services include car share, electric vehicle charging stations, and an on-campus circulator at the Tempe campus. In 2012, ASU began the Benefactor Program to donate parking revenue to a university program or student-run organization. PTS auctions off two reserved parking spaces and proceeds, plus all monies collected at two centrally located meters for a full academic year are donated to that year’s program recipient.
James M. Hunnicutt, CAPP, Parking Professional of the Year Molly Winter Executive Director, Department of Community Vitality
City of Boulder, Colo.
IPI will begin accepting nominations for the 2018 awards competition beginning Sept. 17, 2017, through Nov. 6, 2017. Visit the IPI Awards & Recognition section of parking.org or contact prp@parking.org for more information.
32
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
M
olly Winter is not only a consummate parking professional but a proactive champion for the industry who’s taken greater mobility to new levels, bringing her community along with her for the better. Executive director of Community Vitality for the city of Boulder, Colo., she oversees parking and access for three commercial districts (downtown Boulder, University Hill, and the Boulder Junction transit-oriented development) and oversees and promotes economic vitality efforts and development, and her community has definitely taken notice. Winter has worked with the Downtown Boulder Partnership to increase capacity and use of existing parking through innovative pricing, technology, and the use of public-private partnerships, and she has advocated to ensure parking is part of any development discussions. She created an employee EcoPass program that funds employee transit passes with parking revenue, encouraging transit use and freeing up spaces in the process. And she’s worked to improve both pedestrian and bicycle access in the area, along with developing a program to offer discounts on ride-sharing services to people who choose to use them instead of driving downtown. Winter is a past IPI Board member and currently serves as a member of the board of the Boulder Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, among many volunteer roles she’s held, including with the Boulder Ballet, Historic Boulder, and the Colorado Music Festival. She’s been recognized time and time again for her work; awards include two IPI Awards of Excellence, Governor’s Award for Downtown Excellence, University Hill Alliance Super Achievement Award, Best Places for Commuters District Award from the International Downtown Association, and being named a Community Member of Distinction by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. In 2015, Winter formed the Department of Community Vitality, where she initiated an access management and parking strategy program to update, improve, and evolve access; completed a TDM toolkit; developed a shared public-private parking policy within districts; worked on multiple parking development and improvement projects; and initiated a mobility-as-a-service, customer-focused pilot program. Additionally, she expanded the TDM access district to include properties for a future Google campus and initiated an annual survey of residents to monitor multi-modal use. Winter’s accomplishments fill pages; she is a true advocate for the industry and model for its professionals.
PA R K I N G S O L U T I O N S C O M P E T I T I O N 2 0 1 8
DO YOU HAVE THE NEXT BIG IDEA?
Call for Entries opens October 16, 2017. The Parking Solutions Competition is a design and development parking challenge for college students. Finalists demonstrate creativity, innovation, realism, applicability, scalability, and presentation skills. Visit parking.org/parkingsolutions and follow #IPIparkingsolutions for competition details and announcements.
parking.org/parkingsolutions
Ideas Fest
Promoting Positive Perceptions
of Parking
A
By Helen Sullivan, APR, Fellow PRSA
n underground lot that’s a neighborhood gathering spot? Parking tickets that become Pop Tarts
and peanut butter for kids who don’t have enough food? A program that gets downtown workers to park remotely with a smile? They’re all realities and winners of IPI’s 2017 Parking Matters ® Marketing and “Our 2017 winners set out to achieve very different goals, from improving the efficiency of parking to fighting cancer, but they all demonstrated outside-the-box thinking and a long-term commitment to their customers and communities,” says IPI CEO Shawn D. Conrad, CAE. “They overcame obstacles along the way but ultimately succeeded in moving the needle. Together, they show that the parking industry does much more than park cars—it serves people and continually looks for ways to make a difference.” Three of the 13 winners received Best of 2017 awards for their marketing programs. 34
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
2017 Parking Matters® Marketing and Communications Awards highlight best practices and innovative strategies.
ISTOCK / BONOTOM STUDIO
Communications Awards.
BEST OF 2017 AWARDS EASYPARK LOT 19, VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA Other than functioning as a thoroughfare for office workers, tourists, and commuters, the public plaza above EasyPark’s underground Lot 19 at the corner of West Hastings and Hornby streets in Vancouver didn’t get much respect—until the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) and EasyPark decided to give it some TLC. Thanks to new landscaping, brightly colored tables and chairs, and an exciting activation program, the space was transformed into The Perch, a center for buskers and music performers, Pokémon stations, mini lending libraries, lunchtime yoga classes, drum circles, art installations, and theater performances. It hosts Easy Park’s staff summer barbecue, Simon Fraser University’s annual summer City Conversations program, and informal boardroom sessions for several local businesses. Hastings West’s newly termed “little park with a big personality” has since seen traffic more than double at midday, with 73 percent more people stopping to linger (especially at lunch) and 44 percent more transiting (a survey showed 133,093 people passing through in one month with a daily average of about 4,500). It has become so popular that the DVBIA is working to duplicate its success in other areas of Vancouver.
best of
2017
Takeaway: With a little love and care, cities can radically transform underutilized public space into a beckoning hub of activity and relaxation.
GREEN
COMING FBIAKELLANES L 2016! Why are the lanes green new bike ?
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS In 2016, Texas A&M University Transportation Services embarked on a multi-year campaign to improve bike and pedestrian safety, starting with the renovation of a parking lot egress in an area known for its high volume of pedestrian, vehicular, and bicycle traffic. The effort included construction of an adjacent, Dutchstyle junction that featured the nation’s first green solar luminescent (glow-in-the-dark) protected bike pathways, designed to store solar energy by day and increase visibility at night; it was the first glow-in-the-dark paint to receive Federal Highway Administration approval. parking.org/tpp
The green bike lanes denote pro lanes in inte tected rse other potent ctions, driveways and ial “conflict zones”
What make s from regulathem different r bike lanes ?
They create design that physica ated space on the stre lly separates et cyclists from traffic and pedestrian activity
Where an when will we the green dlan see es?
The lanes will campus’ firs be added as a par t of the t “Dutch Jun intersectio ction” at the n of Street in the Bizzell Street and Ros early fall, nea s r lots 54 & 16
best of
2017
transport.tam
u.edu/bicycl
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
es
35
To introduce the innovative paint and promote proper use of the junction, the Transportation Services Marketing & Communications team executed a far-reaching marketing campaign that gained national and international media coverage and stimulated unprecedented social media activity. With a small budget, the team relied on creative resources, using its website and cost-effective design elements such as electronic infographics, interactive marketing clings, digital advertising, an online and printed FAQ page, and social media to maximize coverage and expand reach. Google Analytics revealed more than 24,000 page views augmented by 6,900 shares on Facebook and national and international media interest, including pick-up by a Netherlands Reddit forum and metro-area public transportation blogs. Takeaway: Efforts to promote safety at a college campus can be greatly enhanced using social media and other inexpensive communication tools.
civic club meetings, town halls, and community fairs. Compliance proved easy with reliable equipment and current technology—and meter revenue quickly increased. The investment yielded a 29 percent increase in meter revenue, a 25 percent increase in meter transactions, and a 9 percent decrease in expired meter citations. Takeaway: When new technology is deployed, it is critical to educate and involve all staff members to ensure ownership of the message. Compliance soon follows.
ADDITIONAL WINNERS ACE PARKING’S NATIONAL PARK FOR PINK CAMPAIGN
PARKHOUSTON, HOUSTON, TEXAS When it comes to technology, what was considered cutting-edge 10 years ago is likely due for an update. The city of Houston’s decade-old, 1,054 smart pay stations were no longer performing efficiently, plagued by long processing times, paper jams, bad batteries, and other issues. New pay stations installed in early 2016 feature pay-by-plate, extend-by-phone, improved battery performance, faster transaction times, and paper jam sensors. To promote the new pay-by-plate feature, ParkHouston developed a “What’s on Your Plate” information card with a detachable key tag that features a place to write license plate numbers. Parking ambassadors wearing white shirts provided customer assistance. The pay stations were equipped with eye-level decals showing operating hours, time limits, payment methods, and a number to call for service. The effort engaged all team members, with staff members training each other and providing special training for city council members, hearing officers, and 311 call center representatives. The marketing effort included outreach at monthly
best of
2017
36
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
As he watched family members and employees struggle with cancer, Ace Parking’s third-generation Owner and Managing Partner Keith B. Jones realized his company could become a catalyst for positive change. This was the genesis for Park for Pink, an annual campaign to raise awareness and generate funds to aid research toward finding a cure for cancer and help those struggling with the disease. In 2016, Ace Parking partnered with one of its health care clients to assist oncologists, helping purchase a state-of-the-art, da Vinci Xi robotic surgical system that will enable doctors to perform minimally invasive, complex surgeries. This device has been demonstrated to yield effective, positive outcomes for patients with operable cancers, and its use is cost- effective for patients. “Because so many are either directly or indirectly impacted by this disease, I am privileged to use Ace Parking as a platform from which to support those who are suffering from it, as well as those who treat cancer patients and to assist those who will one day find a cure,” Jones says. “We see the people, not the cars.” Takeaway: When parking companies undertake individual public-service initiatives, they can have a significant beneficial effect.
PASSPORT’S MOBILE PAY PARKING BUYER’S GUIDE
POP TARTS FOR TICKETS, LUBBOCK, TEXAS After seeing the success of its annual Toys for Tickets and other citation-dismissal programs, Texas Tech University Transportation and Parking Services (TPS) decided to incorporate the concept year-round to create campus awareness of community needs and demonstrate the department’s commitment to public service. The Junior League of Lubbock’s Food2Kids program proved just the ticket. Every Friday afternoon during the school year, sacks of kid-friendly food are handed out to give a growing number of hungry elementary school children sustenance during the weekend, when they have no access to school breakfasts or lunches. Finding Pop Tarts in the sack is a big treat and helps students feel like their more-advantaged peers. Competition with numerous back-to-school promotions and programs provided additional challenges, but the marketing program became a team effort: A local bakery donated Pop Tarts topped with the program name in icing, and TPS created a postcard-sized graphic and shared it with 81,560 people via Facebook and Twitter. TPS’s ePermit management software queried students and employees with eligible citations, letting them know about the program and the benevolent opportunity for dismissal. Media attention provided the needed fuel. TPS dismissed 73 citations valued at $1,519—enough to provide 3,402 sleeves of Pop Tarts, or three weeks of Friday treats. The program cost less than $8 for the boxes of Pop Tarts used for artwork, but the payoff was big: TPS gained new community and campus allies, generated positive media attention, and helped feed 1,200 hungry children in the community. Takeaway: Enforcement is necessary, but a little creativity can convert citations into a community service project that generates goodwill and much more. parking.org/tpp
Choosing a provider for mobile pay parking technology can be daunting for municipalities and government agencies, requiring detailed research, competitor comparisons, and a thorough evaluation of one’s own needs and wants. Requests for proposals (RFP) are often mandatory, but cities and agencies don’t always know what to ask service providers or what they need in a new service despite its potential effect on the entire parking operation. Passport created the “Mobile Pay Parking Buyer’s Guide” e-book in 2016 to help cities, agencies, and parking operators determine what to ask and know before selecting a mobile-pay parking provider. Written and designed by Passport’s marketing team in collaboration with the RFP team and other departments, the easy-to-read guide covers requirements, cost, use, and pricing and serves as a successful best-practice piece to educate members of the parking industry. Promoted on all Passport social media channels, it has garnered more than 4,000 impressions and has proved successful in helping cities, agencies, and operators tackle the buying process for a mobile-pay parking solution.
The
MOBILE PAY PARKING Buyer’s Guide What you should know and ask before selecting a mobile pay parking provider
Takeaway: A digestible guide can make it much easier for decision-makers to ask the right questions and make informed buying decisions.
MAWAQIF PARKING PROGRAM, ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES One of the key missions of the Abu Dhabi Parking Division (MAWAQiF) of the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport’s (DMAT) comprehensive and JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
37
EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA With passenger numbers down, jetSet Parking realized that acquiring a new customer segment was its only chance of growing or maintaining revenues. To increase overall market share, the company needed to change parkers its competition into customers by highlighting the company’s advantages over its competitors. The PROMISE campaign challenged passengers to find a better airport parking deal during spring break, offering to beat any other offer that came close. It pledged a 25 percent discount on its daily rate with no hidden taxes or fuel surcharges. Through geo-targeted radio, television, online advertising, social media ads, and two in-airport displays, the jetSet PROMISE campaign penetrated the airport parking market. The four-week campaign proved successful: Online bookings rose 10 percent, and revenue increased 1 percent even though passenger counts were down by 7 percent—yielding a more than 200 percent return on advertising investment through online bookings alone. After the media campaign concluded, jetSet extended the promotion code to encourage further bookings
CLEVER SHIFT... SMART FUTURE RED16 99698 S 1
MyPatrol S 3
PAY FROM ANYWHERE WITH YOUR MOBILE PHONE Send an SMS to 3009 as follows: “Vehicle Plate Colour & Category<Space> Plate Number <Space> Parking Type (Standard or Premium “S or P”) <Space> Duration in Hours” E.g., RED16 99698 S 1
FOR NON ABU DHABI PLATES, CREATE AN ACCOUNT ON (
)
Send an SMS to 3009 as follows: Nickname<Space>Parking Type (Standard or Premium “S or P”)<Space> Duration in Hours” E.g., MyPatrol S 3
www.mawaqif.ae | 800 3009
admawaqif
integrated parking program is to ensure a greener, more accessible, safer, and less congested city—ultimately improving the quality of life for its residents and visitors. The Emirate’s 2030 Plan seeks to make Abu Dhabi one of the leading world capitals in mobility, connectivity, safety, and transport, with focus on safeguarding the environment. The communication campaign focused on smart parking payment options and raising awareness of safety in responsible parking. Starting with a review of a customer satisfaction survey and international case studies, MAWAQiF produced educational materials to educate the public about parking laws, regulations, violations, and enforcement, reinforcing MAWAQiF’s brand identity and mandates. Posters, video, TV advertising, a website, and other communication vehicles in both Arabic and English focused on smart parking solutions and safety. The successful campaign reduced parking-related road incident injuries by 21 percent and produced a noticeable shift to smarter and more convenient payment solutions. It also raised customer satisfaction to 87 percent and regulation compliance to 98 percent. Takeaway: Plan for short- to long-term marketing and communication campaigns by establishing goals, objectives, audience, tools, and anticipated results.
38
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
for two more weeks, bringing in 300 additional online bookings (a 210 percent return). Fueled by this increase, the airport decided to extend the media-supported campaign into the summer, bumping its ROI to more than 400 percent and generating a four-time return on its media investment. Print, online, and webpage graphics were produced internally, and vehicle displays were fabricated through existing partnerships so the only outside costs were $76,000 for radio and television buys and production. Takeaway: Adopting new positioning that mirrors competitors’ pricing, when supported by a catchy advertising campaign, can net a significant return on investment.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO CAMPUS SERVICES, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS In its ongoing quest for new ways to educate 29,000 students and 4,000 faculty members about parking, University of Texas at San Antonio Campus Services has successfully and significantly decreased the revenue earned from citation fees. Its peanut butter parking campaign, inspired by an initiative at the University of Alaska Anchorage, proved to be an easy way to spread the word, accomplishing the joint mission of educating students about parking rules and regulations and feeding the hungry.
For one week at the start of the fall 2015 and 2016 semesters, $100 and $50 permit violations were payable with 80 and 40 oz. jars of peanut butter, respectively. The campaign followed a week of warning cards issued by the enforcement team and was supported by social media (including animated GIFs and video updates on Snapchat), signs in high-traffic locations, a webpage, elevator posters, flyers, and a bookmark in the citation envelope on each vehicle. As the number of peanut butter jars multiplied, the marketing and customer service parking.org/tpp
staffs built a towering display and educated each donor about how to avoid future infractions. Outreach to local media produced coverage on TV, radio, websites, and blogs, as well as national recognition in College Services magazine. The campaigns collected nearly 1,500 pounds of peanut butter, saved $10,000 saved in citation fees, and provided countless meals to the local community. Takeaway: A fun event can advance community involvement, promote campus engagement, and educate people about parking.
EASYPARK, ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
How to & Rules: 1. Fill out & submit 2 forms: a Parking Agreement form and a Parking Agreement Employee Discount Verification form. 2. Only allowed to park on the 5th floor or higher if using a garage permit. Failure to do so will disqualify you. 3. You are not leasing a space, but securing access to the facility/lot/zone during enforcement hours. Spaces are not guaranteed.
Call 276-PARK to apply
Downtown Employee Parking Program
4. All sales are final at time of purchase regardless of use, including a one-time $20 application fee. 5. To qualify, new employees must supply their most recent paystub, while existing employees must supply their 2 most recent paystubs. Photocopies not accepted. Sensitive information may be redacted. 6. A copy of your current employer issued work schedule is also required.
Apply for 70% off parking if you work downtown!
EasyPark’s pilot Downtown Employee Parking Program was created to encourage workers’ use of inexpensive parking permits for off-street parking locations in downtown Anchorage and maximize street parking for visitors. Through a collaboration with the Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall, the program initially offered discounted parking to part-time and low-wage hourly employees but expanded the 70 percent parking discount to all downtown workers at 11 EasyPark lots and garages. To encourage workers’ use of parking permits, EasyPark made personal visits to mall shopkeepers and downtown businesses. The decision to charge at street meters on Saturday initially met with some political pushback and was temporarily halted by the mayor until more data was collected to support it. The meter charge was adjusted to offer the first hour of Saturday mall parking for free. Overall, the creative parking programs have enhanced economic growth in downtown Anchorage. They have been embraced by workers, who can park without worrying about time restrictions and hunting for open spaces on the street, and downtown shoppers who appreciate the increased availability of street parking. Takeaway: With personal outreach, research and data collection, and the flexibility to make adjustments as needed, parking challenges can become opportunities. JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
39
ANCHORAGE DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP, LTD. AND EASYPARK, ANCHORAGE, ALASKA Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Ltd. and EasyPark combined forces to launch Safety First, a strategic approach to improve public safety and maximize the security resources in downtown Anchorage. The campaign featured a number to call or text to get assistance or report suspicious behavior, panhandling, public drinking/inebriates, and suspected drug dealing or use, as well as to report graffiti and the need for trash removal or sidewalk cleaning. The effort enhances EasyPark’s existing 24/7 security dispatch line, with Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Ltd.’s Security Ambassadors providing an extra set of eyes and ears for residents. The combined effort has increased both safety coverage and response time. With the help of a public relations representative, outreach to downtown businesses included window clings and communication to their staff, family, and friends. Covenant House, a social service provider and program partner, adjusted its staff hours so representatives could accompany security ambassadors on welfare checks and provided additional services. Rollout was initially directed to large groups for maximum effect, then supported with consistent messaging from both agencies about website information and phone number changes.
transformation. The murals had to be transcendent, extending beyond the limits of ordinary experience, and transient, reflecting the movement of people to and from Miami during the last 50 years. They also had to portray the landscape’s diversity, contrasting the Everglades’ natural beauty with Miami’s urban sophistication. The 13 students worked daily through the fall semester to design a harmonious concept that incorporated their diverse talents and skills. They were allowed to modify elements along the way provided they were in keeping with the overall concept. The resulting murals expressed the students’ collective vision: one mural organic in nature, the other industrial. The project proved to be a win-win for the students, the city, and the MPA.
Takeaway: When a community organization and a parking company join forces, a city’s residents can benefit from increased public safety and services.
MIAMI PARKING AUTHORITY (MPA), MIAMI, FLA.
HELEN SULLIVAN, APR, Fellow PRSA, is IPI’s communications counsel. She can be reached at sullivan@ parking.org.
40
The high school and college students attending the New World School of the Arts (NWSA) were a natural choice to create a series of murals to be unveiled following Art Basel 2016. The school is located a block from the offices of the Miami Parking Authority, and the green space next to MPA’s Courthouse Garage is a lunchtime mecca for the young artists. The project was designed to accomplish several missions: to encourage and support talented local artists; provide a semester-long project, create and grow an art-in-public-space program in MPA facilities, foster a partnership with the school, and spark an interest in art in public spaces. MPA offered a small stipend to support the young artists’ education and covered the cost of materials. The assignment was to create two murals in the Courthouse Garage depicting Miami’s evolution and
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
Takeaway: Reaching out to students to create public art helps support young artists and beautifies a parking garage for the enjoyment of everyone.
The Parking Matters® Marketing & Communications awards program will accept 2018 entries Nov. 15—Dec. 31, 2017.
We
our Volunteers.
IPI thanks all of our volunteers for making the 2017 IPI Conference & Expo a smashing success! We invite members – both experienced and new to the industry – to apply to join our team of talented volunteers. Consider one of the following committees: i Awards of Excellence i Conference Program
Mark your calendar, and be on the lookout for the Call for Volunteers in June 2017.
i Planning, Design, and Construction i Education Development i Membership i Parking Matters® i Parking Research i Parking Technology i Professional Recognition i Safety & Security i Sustainability
THE ROLE OF
MINORITY EXECUTIVES IN THE PARKING INDUSTRY 42
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
FANG XIA NUO/ ISTOCK; RAWPIXEL.COM/ SHUTTERSTOCK
B Y R AY M OND M E NS AH, C A PP OPINION
“Somehow, the term ‘diversity’ got tangled up with affirmative action and became a racial buzzword. Offering a seat at the decisionmaking table to a minority was translated into jerking it away from a capable white person.”
I
RAN INTO A GOOD FRIEND at a parking conference in Atlanta, Ga., last summer. He provided marketing support for various departments, including mine, at a university where I used to manage the parking operations. This was his first time attending a parking conference; it was down the street from campus, and he had a day’s pass and invitations to a couple of networking events. After exchanging pleasantries, he looked around and commented, “Man, I’ve never been to a conference where it seems like it is filled with a bunch of white guys.” This was an interesting comment coming from a Caucasian male and led me to reflect on the experiences I’ve had during 15 years in the parking and transportation industry. Indeed, the dozens of executives from parking management companies, vendors, and contractors I have interacted with over the years have largely been white males. It makes me wonder if minorities are well-represented in executive leadership positions within the parking industry. Is the diversity of people in the country we live in today well represented in corporate boardrooms? The Challenge Last June, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) released the results of his 2014 Corporate Diversity Survey, which showed that women and racial or ethnic minorities remain significantly underrepresented at the highest ranks of corporate leadership and among corporate supply chains. Menendez said, “Consider this a wake-up call, corporate America. It is unacceptable that while you’re reaping record profits by marketing goods and services to communities of color, women and minorities are sorely underrepresented on your boards and executive teams and as your suppliers.” He went on to say, “That is not just a glaring gap in equity, representation, and inclusion—it’s a shocking business oversight that will ultimately hurt a company’s bottom dollar.”
parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
43
To address this challenge, we first need to understand if there is a genuine concern for or focus on minorities being well-represented on executive boards and leadership positions in general. It is not clear whether there are even sufficient numbers of talented minorities in parking to develop from mid-level management roles into executives or CEOs. Information about similar experiences in other professions and industries can begin to provide initial insights. For example, in controversies surrounding a lack of black nominees during last year’s Oscars, Dahleen Glanton wrote in the Chicago Tribune that black actors Idris Elba and his 15-year-old Ghanaian co-star Abraham Attah were both overlooked by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences: “And for the second year in a row, they released an all-white slate of nominees for the coveted awards. That’s what happens when the decision-makers are 90 percent white and 70 percent male. With a membership consisting primarily of people with the same background, the same life experiences, and the same points of view, it is easy for the academy to ignore films depicting the lives of blacks and Hispanics.” The article provided historical information that showed numbers of black employees and managers rose sharply in the late 1980s and 1990s, but then decreased. According to Glanton, “It appears that many corporations are reverting to their philosophies from a half-century ago. Somehow, the term ‘diversity’ got tangled up with affirmative action and became a racial buzzword. Offering a seat at the decision-making table to a minority was translated into jerking it away from a capable white person. With budget cuts and staff reductions hovering overhead, diversity is the last thing on the minds of most corporate executives these days. It is no longer fashionable to seek out ideas from those with different life experiences. It’s alright once again to shut out the voices of minorities who might upset the status quo. It’s fine to relegate minorities to stereotypical roles that offer no chance of advancement.”
Positive Movement A number of industries are, however, stepping up to the plate to address these challenges and implement changes to improve the situation. In August 2015, the White House organized an event to highlight women and minority founders in technology. This event and President Obama’s push for diversity and inclusion in the technology sector was the catalyst of major tech companies announcing new diversity initiatives. Players such as Facebook, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon all jumped in to show their commitment to being inclusive of minorities in their recruiting efforts.
44
Research has shown that diversity in the workplace drives innovation, makes recruitment easier, avoids high turnover, captures more of the market, increases adaptability, provides a broader service range, offers a variety of viewpoints, and tends to be more effective in execution. What about Parking? Corporations in the parking industry face similar challenges. Why has this not been a dominant conversation at conferences, from professional organizations within the parking realm, or the focus of companies? It’s important to start the conversation because of the nature of our business and the diverse makeup of our customer base. We need diversity in leadership positions to be more effective at meeting the needs of our clients. Diversity has to start at the top to be successful at creating a diverse and inclusive culture. In my quest to find answers to these questions, I contacted the International Parking Institute—the world’s largest and leading association of professionals in parking—and researched similar organizations to obtain data and demographics surrounding leadership positions in the industry. There was no data or research available for this, indicating a lack of specific focus on diversity within the industry. My next step was to conduct unofficial research at numerous websites of vendors, parking operators, suppliers, software companies, etc. An immediate observation was that unlike large corporations elsewhere, parking organizations had limited and, in some cases, no information. After countless searches on the web I found a marketing document for one of the major parking operators tailored for government services/operations. In the ad, the company mentioned its dedication to
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
UBER IMAGES / ISTOCK
building business partnerships with minority and disadvantaged businesses and included this statement: “With over 75 percent of our employees in minority categories, we are proud to say that we are a diverse employer.” Ironically, when I reviewed the company’s executive profiles, only two of 35 executives listed were minorities. I am assuming the 75 percent mentioned are primarily frontline, low-wage employees. Three out of four major parking management companies’ websites I visited listed the profiles of their executive teams. A total of 75 executives were listed but only four (.05 percent) in my estimation were minorities; all four were African Americans. Companies that supply equipment and software specific to the parking industry listed 24 executives, but none were minorities. In the non-private sector of the industry—parking operations within municipalities, airports, and universities—there was some diversity and inclusivity in executive levels. Parking operations within these organizations seem to have benefited from academia and governmental organizations’ focus on diversity. They appear to be more in tune with diversity challenges in the workplace, with a focus on diversity and inclusion especially as it relates to recruiting.
The Benefits Research has shown that diversity in the workplace drives innovation, makes recruitment easier, avoids high turnover, captures more of the market, increases adaptability, provides a broader service range, offers a variety of viewpoints, and tends to be more effective in execution. Sylvia Hewlett, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbin from the Center for Talent Innovation indicate in their article in the Harvard Business Review that there are two dimensions to diversity: “Inherent diversity, which involves traits you are born with, such as gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation; and acquired diversity, which refers to traits you gain from experience.” According to the authors’ study on two-dimensional (2-D) diversity, companies with 2-D diversity in leadership tend to out-innovate and outperform others when correlated with market outcomes. Employees at these companies were 45 percent likelier to report that their firm’s market share grew during the previous year and 70 percent likelier to report that the firm captured a new market. The research found 2-D diversity unlocks innovation by creating an environment where outside-the-box ideas are heard. “We’ve found that when at least one member of a team has traits in common with the end user, the entire team better understands that user. A team with a member who shares a client’s ethnicity is 152 percent likelier than another team to understand that client.” parking.org/tpp
For every 10 percent increase in racial and ethnic diversity on the senior executive team, earnings before interest and taxes rose 0.8 percent. This is one of several reasons companies in the parking industry should embrace ethnic and racial diversity in their top ranks. Consulting firm McKinsey & Company recently conducted research on diversity in which 366 companies were examined globally. They found that those with the most women at the top of the corporate ladder were 15 percent more likely to have operating earnings above the median in their industry. However, companies that had more racially and ethnically diverse executives fared even better. Companies in the top 25 percent for racial and ethnic diversity were 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians. The report revealed that for every 10 percent increase in racial and ethnic diversity on the senior executive team, earnings before interest and taxes rose 0.8 percent. This is one of several reasons companies in the parking industry should embrace ethnic and racial diversity in their top ranks.
Increasing Diversity So what are some things that can be done in the parking industry? There is not much industry-specific information available. Therefore, a key step would be to improve research and data collection. This would allow companies to assess where they stand in terms of diversity in the industry. The results of the assessment would provide helpful information to organizations interested in implementing changes to their policies and practices to improve. Implementing diversity changes does not come without inherent challenges, and as such, issues like communication, resistance to change, and successful management of diversity in the workplace will need to be considered as well. It would be great to see the parking industry take a leading role in improving the minority representation at executive-level positions throughout corporate America. I look forward to a culture shift where there is an emphasis on attracting, developing, and mentoring minorities in to leadership positions. As we continue to operate in a global and diverse world, it is important to embrace diversity and take advantage of the returns provided by diverse leadership teams. We should take advantage of all the talent out there and not just a specific group.
RAYMOND MENSAH, CAPP, is director of parking and transportation services at the University of South Florida. He can be reached at rmensah@ usf.edu.
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
45
LIRAVEGA/ SHUTTERSTOCK
46
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
The
ALUE of FEEDBACK Why annual assessments of parking enforcement officers are critical to departmental success and how to make the most of them. By Natasha Labi, CAPP
I
t’s that time of the year again—time to assess your parking enforcement team. This is the opportunity to ensure that the symbiotic relationship between the organization and its individual team members is aligned. What is the symbiotic relationship? It is a relationship in which individual team members meet their professional goals while the organization moves toward attaining its collective, strategic goals and vice versa. Leaders of progressive organizations realize that you cannot have one success without the other. The assessment process should reflect both the organization’s mission and goals and the individual parking enforcement officer (PEO) team members’ professional goals. Basically, it lets all team members know the reason for coming to work every day and offers a clear picture of their role in fulfilling those goals.
parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
47
The assessment process should consist of continuous communication and feedback between team leads and team members. To ensure the effectiveness of feedback, the PEO team should be divided into smaller teams with specific managers and supervisors as leaders. Managers and supervisors should be able to monitor each PEO both in the office setting and in the field, getting firsthand knowledge of the PEO’s performance and gaining the ability to give kudos or make corrective suggestions on the spot. It is advised that each PEO meet formally with his or her lead supervisor or manager to ensure that the PEO is progressing toward organizational goals and the PEO’s own personal goals. If that happens, when semiyear appraisals occur, there are no surprises or miscommunication about the individual PEO’s performance and his or her ability to advance organizational goals. In the ParkAtlanta parking enforcement team, several goals are used to assess the PEO: customer service, positive attitude, productivity, dependability, and accountability.
Customer Service The parking industry is a service industry. There is no tangible product sold, but we can focus on serving customers in the best possible way to encourage repeat business. Huffington Post blogger Vala Afshar, chief digital evangelist with Salesforce, quotes customer service guru Esteban Kolsy’s 50 important customer experience stats for business leaders: ●● Eighty-six percent of consumers are willing to pay more for an upgraded experience. Air travel and hospitality are examples in which upselling better experiences can generate incremental revenue and bolster customer loyalty. ●● Eighty-four percent of consumers are frustrated when the agent does not have information. ●● Customer frustration leads to the following: 13 percent of customers tell 15 or more people if they’re unhappy. Conversely, 72 percent of consumers will share a positive experience with six or more people. Customer service should be the center of your PEO assessment program. The officer is your program’s frontline customer service representative. Parking enforcement stakeholders, including city leaders, business leaders, universities, neighborhood community leaders, and citizens, judge your program by their interaction with your PEOs, so each must display professional, courteous, and empathetic behavior to both internal (other team members) and external (customers and stakeholders) customers at each interaction and with each contact. The PEO anticipates customer needs by assisting with meters, giving directions, providing supervisory assistance when requested, sharing information about the adjudication process, and providing the citizen with the customer
48
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
service phone number, email address, or website. Most importantly, the PEO must always display calm, courteous, professional demeanor with dealing with all customers.
Positive Attitude “A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and good outcomes. It is a catalyst, and it sparks extraordinary results.” —Wade Boggs, retired professional baseball player Having a positive attitude is the choice each professional PEO team member makes every day. As a catalyst for extraordinary results, a positive attitude will turn the sometimes challenging world of the PEO into something great. PEOs have the opportunity to change every negative customer interaction (both internally and externally) into a positive experience in which the customer wishes to do business with him or her again. When an angry customer approaches the PEO, every parking professional has the choice to respond with a positive attitude and empathetic listening skills to offer appropriate solutions. The customer should leave the PEO with a sense of content. For a professional PEO, a positive attitude is key in the attainment of personal career goals. A positive attitude is catalyst that extends to all aspects of one’s life. A positive attitude is infectious to everyone a PEO comes in contact with. A PEO’s display of a positive, can-do attitude will definitely catch the attention of his of her management and be reflected in the assessment process, opening up endless opportunities with the potential of higher pay and career advancement. The true symbiotic relationship will be attained by the organizational goals and the individual PEO goals.
Productivity Measuring productivity in the service industry proves much more difficult than in product-based industries (can’t just count the widgets). Assessing productivity within the parking enforcement environment must be done even more carefully without a hint of a ticket quota system. Ticket quotas in the enforcement environment are unethical and illegal in most states. The perception of undue hardships from quotas will lead to distrust of the entire parking enforcement program by the community. Productivity must be centered on enforcement activity: How well did the PEO provide coverage in his or her assigned area? Thanks to enforcement technology, management is provided with statistical data on each assigned area in which a PEO has worked. Productiv-
The PEO must be consistent in performing all aspects of his or her job every day. Each PEO’s performance moves the entire organization toward strategic goals, such as providing excellent customer service.
ity can be assessed by comparing each PEO’s personal productivity to that of other PEOs who are performing similar tasks in a similar work environment and with similar equipment. Comparing PEOs’ performance allows parking enforcement management to identify trends and anomalies that may lead to the establishment of organizational enforcement best practices.
Lack of dependability causes a drain on resources and energy that could be applied in other aspects of the organization. In an enforcement program, a budget is composed with a staffing plan. When a PEO is not dependable, the bottom line is affected by overtime and, in extreme cases, the necessary resources to re-hire and re-train another team member.
Dependability
Accountability
Dependability is a work ethic valued by all organizations and the first requirement of a PEO. The PEO must show up for work on time, in a neat professional uniform, and be ready to work and remain on the job during the day to complete all duties until the shift ends. Attendance is easily recorded by management, and any problems should be addressed immediately with the PEO. Tardiness is the failure of a PEO to report at his or her scheduled time and is also easily recorded. Dependability goes beyond attendance and tardies by requiring that the PEO be in a neat professional uniform and ready to work. These qualities dictate that the PEO is physically and mentally ready to give an outward appearance of his or her commitment to providing excellent customer service at every customer contact during his or her entire shift. Dependability affects every aspect of the organization. Absenteeism and tardiness cause more work for other team members. When a PEO fails to show up for his or her shift, management must move other team members to cover the shortfall in enforcement activity. Other PEOs may be required to stay past their shift end and give up their scheduled personal time. This can quickly turn into bad feelings among PEOs who follow the rules and practice good work ethics.
PEO accountability is germane to the success of each parking enforcement program. Accountability can be defined as the PEO’s responsibility to complete task and job requirements according to department policies, procedures, and accepted practices. The PEO must be consistent in performing all aspects of his or her job every day. Each PEO’s performance moves the entire organization toward strategic goals, such as providing excellent customer service. Customers and stakeholders want PEOs to have the knowledge to handle their problems. When a customer receives a ticket, the customer will expect the PEO to be able to clearly articulate the reason behind the ticket and explain the steps of the adjudication process. The assessment process in the parking enforcement industry is an opportunity to ensure the symbiotic relationship of the organization and its individual PEO team members for the advancement of organizational and individual PEOs’ professional goals. Constant feedback allows for constant measurement of organizational goals and individuals’ professional goals. Regular assessments will help confidence spread throughout enforcement areas, ensuring that the parking enforcement program and its professionals are seen as assets to the entire community.
parking.org/tpp
NATASHA LABI, CAPP, is director of business development with Parking Company of America. She can be reached at natashalabi@gmail. com.
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
49
IPI IN ACTION SOCIAL MEDIA
FEELING SOCIAL? By Kim Fernandez
T
o twist a quote by the venerable Sally Field, do you like us? Do you really like us? And are you feeling social?
Social Media Today says we spend a lot of time clicking around social sites online—two hours a day or five years and four months during the average lifetime. Most of us spend about 35 minutes a day on Facebook and 25 minutes a day on Instagram, and we’re starting to spend nearly as much time on social media as we do watching television. There are good reasons for the shift: Social media is fun, it’s a great way to keep up with friends who don’t live nearby or who we don’t see as often as we’d like, it’s a 24/7 opportunity to network with others in our industry, and it’s quickly becoming a top outlet to keep up with our communities and the world—breaking news now appears faster and spreads quicker on Twitter and Facebook than on even the television news networks. We’ve definitely embraced social media, which brings me back to my question: Do you like us? I don’t mean in the traditional sense but on social sites. Do you follow IPI on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn?
IPI’s social pages are fun ways to engage with the parking community all week long. We know we’re all on social media during the day, and we all enjoy puttering on Facebook and Twitter and spreading our professional wings on LinkedIn. Plus, social media is a growing source of news and information. So it’s time to put two and two together and integrate IPI—the largest and leading association for parking, transportation, and mobility professionals—together. How? Good news—it’s easy!
KIM FERNANDEZ is IPI’s director of publications and editor of The Parking Professional. She can be reached at fernandez@parking. org.
50
Lots of you like us and are friends with us on social media, but for those who haven’t yet joined the party, here are our top five reasons to join us online: 1. The networking! Connect with friends you already have and meet some great new ones through IPI’s LinkedIn group (thousands of professionals strong) and Facebook page. 2. The news! Word spreads fast on social, and IPI’s pages are no exception. Something going on in parking? Hear it from us on Twitter. 3. The jobs! Jobs listed on IPI’s CareerHQ (parking.org/ careerhq) are automatically posted to IPI’s Twitter feed, giving followers an instant heads-up on opportunities throughout the industry. 4. The insider view! IPI feeds share information from other leaders in parking, transportation, and mobility for different perspectives and information from all sectors, in quick, easy-to-digest bites throughout the day. 5. The fun! From photo challenges on Facebook to graphics fun on Instagram to tidbits of hilarity on Twitter,
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
It’s easy to find IPI on lots of social media platforms: ●● facebook.com/ipiparking ●● twitter.com/ipiparking ●● instagram.com/ipiparking ●● linkedin.com/company/ipiparking Once you’ve liked or friended us, get your typing fingers ready because the point of social media is—you guessed it—to be social! Please jump right into the conversation—launch a topic or add your thoughts in a LinkedIn Group thread, tag @IPIParking in a Twitter post or reply to one of ours, tag us in a great parking photo on Instagram, or comment on a Facebook thread or post a new one. Share a cartoon, tell us about a great quote you heard, and post your news with our tag at the end—it all adds to the conversation, and we love every bit! We hope you’ll join us on social media and enjoy networking, friendship, and information-sharing all year long. We’ll ask again—do you like us? If you have questions about joining in the fun, please contact me directly—my email address is in my bio at left. See you on social!
ISTOCK / LIGHTCOME
Finding IPI Top Five
Post your openings here. Now on Twitter and Facebook, too.
Parking
Connect PREPARED Careers Efficient
GROWTH
Mobiblity
Fulfilled
Quality EFFICIENT
EASY
RESULTS MORE Interviewed
For the resources you need to find a job in parking, visit: parking.org/careerhq
GOALS
User-friendly MORE
GUIDED
NETWORK
Advnacment Accomplish Opportunities
Streamlined
STATE & REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT NEW YORK STATE PARKING ASSOCIATION
NYSPA TAKES A BITE OUT OF THE BIG APPLE By Chris Austin, CAPP
T
he New York State Parking Association (NYSPA) decided to take a bite out of the Big Apple this year. Although New York is not the largest state in the U.S., its unique division of regions presents considerable challenges for NYSPA in engaging all of its parking professionals. If you ask someone from New York City, anywhere not in the city is upstate. NYSPA has had strong membership engagement in upstate regions since its inception 25 years ago. However, as large as it is, the Big Apple has eluded NYSPA—until now.
“The NYSPA New York City meeting fostered several lively and thought-provoking discussions of technology, taxes, marketing, and management,” says Barbara Chance, PhD, who delivered the keynote presentation on parking technology at the event. “The interaction was particularly dynamic because the group assembled included program managers, parking owners/operators, technology vendors, and consultants. Everyone in the industry was represented, and everyone participated!” Equally exciting and in tandem with the New York City event, NYSPA took an industry first step into the living laboratory by leveraging the bright minds of a sophomore marketing class at Ithaca College to solve
a problem: How to engage and market to the membership in downstate New York. Much like IPI’s Parking Solutions Competition (see next month’s issue of The Parking Professional for more), teams of Ithaca students took on the semester-long challenge with an end goal of presenting a deliverable set of solutions to NYSPA and, of course, achieving high marks from their professor. The results of this experiment could not have better represented a win-win for the industry. All three proposals and presentations impressed the NYSPA board of directors, providing creative, actionable ideas for moving forward. The students were equally energized by the breadth and depth of the parking industry, leading them to encourage the engagement of millennials in particular, not only about NYSPA but about the parking and transportation industry generally. The public relations pitches received to date are to be followed up with three detailed white papers outlining campaign strategies, messaging, and goals. “I have been a fortunate beneficiary of deliverables from the living laboratory, but one of the most exciting results of a project is the opportunity to educate and connect with future parking professionals,” says Bridgette Brady, CAPP, senior director of transportation and mail services at Cornell University.
Turning 25 Together NYSPA is celebrating its silver anniversary, having served New York State parking professionals for 25 years! The inaugural meeting was held in November 1993 at the
52
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
New York state capital of Albany. Michael Dalton, deputy director of the Yonkers Parking Authroity, and Sally Palermo, director of parking and transportation for the Rochester Medical Center, headed the Steering Committee. Founder and current Past President Craig Barber of Allpro Parking headquartered in Buffalo says, “There came a time when a handful of young New York state parking professionals, drawn together by common issues, recognized the need and value of pulling together an organization that, in addition to the educational and networking advantages, would put a more positive profile on the face of our industry. We worked diligently and intelligently to develop an enduring framework and many years later I couldn’t be more proud of NYSPA and its accomplishments.” Much has changed in our industry since that inaugural conference in 1993. In addition to frequently changing technology and its continual effect on how we deliver parking (and transportation) services, the parking profession is now the equivalent of what a university would term an “interdisciplinary” field, crossing paths with so many other professions—police/safety/security, marketing/advertising, public relations, customer service, employee relations, sustainability, planning, engineering, and transportation, just to name a few. The NYSPA board of directors is preparing a conference and trade show that will offer something for parking.org/tpp
every sector. It feels appropriate to return to where it all started—Albany—as we celebrate learning and growing together, Oct. 10–13. Feel free to message any board member or email us at nyspa@nyspa.net for information on exhibiting, presentation proposals, and sponsorship opportunities. We will tee things off with our annual golf tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 10, followed by a Mix & Mingle Reception. The education agenda is still in development but is sure to include some of the best and brightest minds and teachers our industry currently has to offer, with a healthy mix of those who have played a role in the parking profession over the past 25 years!
Summer Is Near! Registration is now open for NYSPA’s 10th Annual Summer Training, set to take place on Tuesday, June 20. More than 100 state parking professionals are expected to gather; it is always an afternoon to remember! The event will start at 11 a.m. with a keynote presentation, followed by three 10-minute Fast Pitch presentations on industry topics. Team-building and networking activities will follow, along with a BBQ lunch at historic Hinerwadel’s Grove, a location that has provided central New York with superior seafood, salt potatoes, and clambakes for more than 100 years! Visit our website at nyspa.net to register and review additional information.
CHRIS AUSTIN, CAPP, is director of parking and transportation services at the University at Buffalo and president of the New York State Parking Association. He can be reached at chaustin@ buffalo.edu.
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
53
COMMUNITY DIGEST
Denver International Airport Adds 800 Parking Spaces
D
ENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (DEN) opened a new parking
lot at the 61st & Peña Regional Transportation District (RTD) University of Colorado A Line commuter rail station. The new lot adds a total of 800 parking spaces to the airport’s extensive parking system and includes 609 spaces covered with solar canopies tied to a cutting-edge, microgrid system that is part of an innovative public-private partnership at the site. “Denver International Airport is proud to partner with Panasonic and Xcel Energy in bringing this truly unique parking project to life,” says airport CEO Kim Day. “Not only will the parking lot at 61st and Peña provide convenient, covered parking through our unique solar canopy, but it also provides a platform in which we can test new technology that promotes sustainable growth and innovation.” The new lot, located on airport property at 6195 N. Panasonic Way, is easily accessible via 61st Avenue and Tower Road and provides air travelers and daily commuters with a new option when taking the RTD commuter rail train to the airport or to downtown Denver. Rates for the new lot are just $2 per 12-hour period or $4 daily for overnight parking. Monthly parking is available for $36. There are eight conveniently located credit card pay stations throughout the lot, and drivers will have access to additional free services such as
vehicle location, jump starts, tire inflation, and lockout assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 303-342-4650. The new parking lot also includes access to 11 new, Level 1 electric vehicle charging stations that are free to use for people who pay to park. DEN now offers a total of 52 electric vehicle charging stations located in the new parking lot and in the east and west parking garages. The Peña Station NEXT development—which will include residential, office, and hotel space with a focus on sustainability and cutting-edge technology—is currently being developed near the 61st & Peña Station by L.C. Fulenwider. The new parking lot—which was also constructed by L.C. Fulenwider—ties into this vision via large solar canopies that provide covered parking for vehicles and feed green solar electricity into an onsite battery storage system. These solar canopies will initially help power the Panasonic Enterprise Solutions corporate office building that sits adjacent to the parking lot. Eventually, the solar canopies will help power an electric microgrid at the Peña Station NEXT development as part of a public-private partnership among DEN, Xcel Energy, and Panasonic. The solar canopies that cover 609 of the 800 parking spaces were constructed by Sun Power, Panasonic and Namastè. “Panasonic’s smart city technology will be a catalyst for future sustainable growth in Denver, and we’re excited to see those efforts taking shape at the 61st & Peña Station,” Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock says. “Denver International Airport has long been a leader among the world’s airports when it comes to investing in sustainability, and this public-private partnership furthers those commitments.” The $4.5 million parking lot and carport solar system was paid for by the airport’s capital improvement project fund. DEN is an enterprise of the city and county of Denver and does not receive taxpayer money from the city’s general fund.
Sentry Control Systems Expands into San Francisco Bay Area SENTRY CONTROL SYSTEMS opened a new
office in the San Francisco suburb of Burlingame, Calif. Sentry installs and services many of the parking industry’s most popular and advanced technologies, including SKIDATA parking access and revenue control equipment (PARCS), Frogparking sensors and analytic software, INDECT parking guidance systems, and Global Parking Solutions multispace meters. With this expansion, Sentry becomes SKIDATA’s exclusive distribution and servicing representative in the Bay Area. Sentry is a subsidiary of SKIDATA.
54
“We have been active in the Bay Area for a long time, so it made sense to establish a permanent presence here,” says Lester Mascon, executive vice president of Sentry Control Systems. The new San Francisco office already services parking technology suites for numerous Bay Area businesses, including many of the area’s largest and best-known parking operators. Sentry recently completed the installation of a new parking package at famous PIER 39 in San Francisco. Sentry’s parent company, SKIDATA,
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
Inc., was selected by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency last year to upgrade 22 parking garages with a combined total of more than 15,000 spaces throughout the city. Sentry will play a key role in servicing the contract, which included upgrades to parking access and revenue control systems, coordination with the city’s SF Park Program, and the introduction of a state-of-the-art license plate recognition system to secure revenue, enhance security, and introduce exciting new customer service amenities.
In Memoriam: Steven Monetti STEVEN MONETTI, president of the New Jersey
known for its outstanding social and networking
Parking Institute; former executive director of the
events—those were regularly attended by local and
Fort Lee, N.J., Parking Authority; and former chair-
state lawmakers who valued Monetti’s expertise
man of the North Bergen, N.J., Parking Authority,
and company.
passed away in late April. He was 67 years old.
Monetti spearheaded New Jersey’s purchase
Monetti grew up in North Bergen, N.J., and
of handheld computers for parking enforcement
enjoyed a long career in parking. His first job was
officers, and the state embraced a single system
as a special police officer in Fort Lee, and it wasn’t
to issue, process, and adjudicate parking offenses.
long before town officials noticed his work ethic
He also brought residential parking permits and
and professionalism. He started with the parking authority
payment-in-lieu-of-parking programs to the state. He served on
and was a founding member of the New Jersey Association
the New Jersey Transportation Advisory Committee for 10 years
of Parking Authorities and Agencies, which later became the
at the governor’s request, served on the IPI Board of Advisors,
New Jersey Parking Institute. He served as its president for 35
and served a term on the IPI Board of Directors.
years and then chaired its board of advisers. He was a driving
Monetti is survived by his wife, Josie; son, Steven, and his
force behind the association’s annual conference, which drew
fiancee, Michelle; and daughter, Melissa Cuello, and her hus-
parking professionals from far-away places every year and was
band, Pedro; along with several siblings.
Westfalia Technologies Opens New Automated Parking Testing Facility WESTFALIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC. recently opened a new automated parking
testing facility at its York, Pa., headquarters. The 3,600-square-foot facility allows the company to test its palletless automated parking systems, including new enhancements to the system, such as wireless electric vehicle charging. Ian Todd, director of automated parking systems at Westfalia Technologies, says, “We are committed to delivering high-quality, reliable, automated parking solutions. Our new testing facility will enable us to fully test our palletless parking systems to ensure our customers receive a product that not only solves the growing challenge of providing ample parking but also stands the test of time.” Westfalia will also use the facility to test upgrades and enhancements to its current design, such as software or hardware changes, in a controlled environment. Moreover, the new building will serve as a training facility to provide customers and service personnel with hands-on training on the automated parking system. Westfalia’s palletless parking systems increase parking capacity while using less square footage than a conventional parking garage by replacing traditional ramps and internal circulation space. The systems use Westfalia Satellite® technology to adjust to the length of the car’s wheelbase, allowing the system to handle multiple car sizes. Unlike pallet-based parking systems, empty pallet handling is eliminated, which increases system throughput or speed. The structures for palletless systems also have the flexibility to be constructed using either concrete or steel, which can further reduce construction costs.
parking.org/tpp
• Proven performance (since 1958) • Collect unpaid fines • Models for all applications • Parking enforcement • Anti-theft applications Prevent wheel damage! Use Rhino D, H, HG & PB Series (US PAT. 5,865,048 6,032,497)
CALL FOR CATALOG 3183 HALL AVENUE GRAND JUNCTION CO 81504 970-243-9500 fax 243-9200 toll free 1-866-545-6484 services@mitico.com website: mitico.com PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
55
COMMUNITY DIGEST
Resort Cuts Ribbon for New Smart Garage PECHANGA RESORT & CASINO held a grand opening celebration to mark the completion of its new East Parking Garage adjacent to the casino/resort property. The five-level, 2,400-space garage is the first phase of Pechanga’s $285 million resort expansion to be completed. Pechanga Development Corporation President Edith Atwood also announced solar panels will be installed on the roof this summer. The system will generate about 650 kilowatts, which is enough renewable energy to power approximately 100 homes. “Completion of this garage marks an important milestone in the Pechanga resort expansion,” Atwood says. “This facility replaces and adds to the parking that was displaced with the resort expansion. This new facility is geared with the latest state-of-the art technology, from wayfinders to electric charging stations.” As one of the most technologically advanced and ecologically minded casino/ resorts in the country, Pechanga Resort & Casino adopts the latest-available wayfinding systems and electric vehicle charging stations inside the new parking garage. Electronic sensors on each floor communicate available spaces to lights above each stall and to space counter
boards for greatest ease of use. These additions help cut down the time guests spend circling for available spots. Forty-four electric vehicle charging stations can be found on the first floor; three are available exclusively for Tesla vehicles. The resort’s parking areas now feature a total of 57 EV charging stations among 11,209 parking spaces. Pechanga and McCarthy Building Companies broke ground on the new garage in December 2015. The project put 400 regional construction tradesmen and women to work. Materials used in building were also sourced from Southern California. Builders poured 104 million pounds of concrete into the Pechanga East Parking Garage. More than 3 million pounds of reinforcing steel went into the structure, along with 173,000 lineal feet of conduit and cable wiring. It took crews 4,930 gallons of paint to beautify the exterior. The perimeter is also lined with dozens of pepper and sycamore trees and other lush foliage. The garage features natural-looking rock walls that tie in the decor and look of other areas of the resort, lush landscaping around its perimeter, and European-style planter boxes hung from each of the five levels to face Pechanga Parkway.
SpotHero Acquires Parking Panda SPOTHERO ACQUIRED PARKING PANDA, the
leader in event parking reservations in the United States and Canada.
“We’re thrilled to combine forces with Parking Panda to bring easy parking to more drivers faster,” says Mark Lawrence, co-founder and CEO of SpotHero. “We’ve long admired Parking Panda’s talented team and ability to drive product innovation. SpotHero’s consumer focus and great mobile experience are further strengthened by Parking Panda’s strong B2B technology and partnerships.” Prior to the acquisition, Parking Panda established more than 800 strategic partnerships, including event parking partnerships with numerous professional sports teams as well as major convention centers, sports arenas, theaters, and munic-
56
ipalities. In 2016, the company leveraged this strength in partnerships and event parking to enter the Canadian market, quickly achieving scale. SpotHero will leverage Parking Panda’s momentum in Canada to continue building holistic mobility solutions for drivers and parking companies in 47 major cities across North America. With what is already the largest network of connected garages in the United States and the broadest base of mobile-first consumers, SpotHero is positioned to replicate this success in Canada. SpotHero also will accelerate its aggressive B2B product road map with the integration of Parking Panda’s robust suite of tools and technology, including unique SaaS offerings designed for the parking industry. For
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
consumers, the expanded engineering team will mean rapid innovation to SpotHero’s award-winning platform with a heavy focus on driver convenience. “This is the most natural progression for our company,” says Parking Panda CEO Adam Zilberbaum. “By joining forces, we will have a greater impact on the transportation landscape, making parking more convenient through technology. We’ve long held values similar to those of SpotHero, including putting drivers first, investing in our people, and building great products.” SpotHero’s co-founder and CEO, Mark Lawrence, will continue to serve as CEO, and Parking Panda’s leadership team of CEO and Founder Adam Zilberbaum and COO James Bain will remain with the company.
ISTOCK / ANSONMIAO
All Traffic Solutions Launches TrafficBridge ALL TRAFFIC SOLUTIONS recently launched TrafficBridge™, a customizable cellular gateway that allows connectivity and manufacturer-neutral integration of traffic devices and sensors toTraffiCloud™. TrafficBridge makes it possible for cities, municipalities, communities, and organizations to build and operate their integrated traffic environments in one place for total traffic management both today and into the future. “Until now, agencies, municipalities, and organizations that manage traffic safety have been limited in their ability to connect their devices and data,” says All Traffic Solutions CEO Jim Weaver. “By delivering vendor- agnostic connectivity to our TraffiCloud traffic management ecosystem with TrafficBridge, organizations are no longer locked into specific hardware and can maximize their TraffiCloud investment.”
Powered by a small box attached to each piece of traffic equipment, TrafficBridge allows users to seamlessly manage all their devices and data in
TraffiCloud, regardless of manufacturer, from any internet-ready device. TrafficBridge-managed devices connected to TraffiCloud deliver a complete picture of any traffic pro-
gram as well as fast retrieval of data analytics for efficient prioritization, more informed decision-making, faster program execution, and the most precise measurement. “TrafficBridge is an open, extensible, flexible platform that is fully scalable. TrafficBridge gives teams simple yet powerful tools that allow them to manage their traffic programs remotely from any internet connection, just like in organizations 10 times their size,” says Andy Souders, All Traffic Solutions CTO and vice president of engineering. “As an innovator in cloud-based traffic management solutions, All Traffic Solutions has fully leveraged the IoT (internet of things) to change the way organizations everywhere manage their traffic programs for the future.”
Get a Handle on Things.
@ IPI and parking – they just go together. That’s why IPI is now @IPIparking on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Follow us for fun and informative industry updates.
Advancing the parking profession
TM
parking.org/tpp
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
57
VISUALIZE YOUR SUCCESS: EARN OR MAINTAIN YOUR CAPP CREDENTIAL CAPP Certification Program CAPP Certification Program
CANDIDATE HANDBOOK Presented by the CAPP Certification Board
RECERTIFICATION GUIDELINES Presented by the CAPP Certification Board of the International Parking Institute
of the International Parking Institute
CAPP information and sample exam available today at parking.org! 1330 Braddock Place, Suite 350, Alexandria, VA 22314 571.699.3011 Phone | 703.566.2267 Fax 1330 Braddock Place, Suite 350, Alexandria, VA 22314
capp@parking.org | parking.org/capp
571.699.3011 Phone | 703.566.2267 Fax capp@parking.org | parking.org/capp
Have you considered earning your CAPP? It’s the world’s leading credential in parking and a pathway to personal accomplishment and career opportunities.
Good news: It’s now more convenient to prepare for the CAPP credential and find an exam testing center near you. Take the first step. Start here:
parking.org/CAPP
58
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
CAPP is a rigorous certification program that covers seven topic areas: I. General Knowledge II. General Management III. Operations Management IV. Financial and Operational Auditing V. Federal, State, and Local Laws VI. Marketing and Public Relations VII. Analysis and Application of Technology
2018 IPI Conference & Expo |
June 3-6, 2018 | Orlando, Fl.
WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;LL BRING THE BEST EDUCATION, NETWORKING, AND THE LARGEST EXPO FEATURING CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY. YOU YOU BRING BRING THE THE SUNSCREEN. SUNSCREEN.
Save the date: June 3-6, 2018 Join the largest gathering of parking professionals and thought leaders in the parking industry at the 2018 IPI Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida. You will LEARN about the latest industry trends to develop best business practices. NETWORK with like-minded professionals who hold the same interests from around the world. And meet with peers to gain personal and professional advice to propel your organization to SUCCESS.
Call For Presentations Opens August 15, 2017.
parking.org
PARKING CONSULTANTS
DESMAN
Design Management National Parking Specialists Architects Structural Engineers Parking Consultants Planners Transportation Restoration Engineers
▪ Parking Structure Planning & Design ▪ Studies & Operations Consulting ▪ Restoration Engineering ▪ Structural Engineering
800-FYI-PARK carlwalker.com
Rich & Associates, Inc. Parking Consultants - Planners Architects - Engineers Southfield, Michigan 248-353-5080
Lutz, Florida Chicago, Illinois 813-949-9860 312-421-7593
www.richassoc.com
60
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
Boston Chicago Cleveland Denver Ft Lauderdale Hartford New York Pittsburgh Washington, D.C.
Green Parking Consulting
Providing Parking Solutions for Over 40 Years
w w w. D ES M A N . co m
Leverage Data | Metrics Guidance | Optimize Resources Safeguard Assets | Analysis Consensus | Reduce Risk Plan Effectively | Decisions Policies | Improve Service Innovate Smartly | Alternatives Providers of objective advice for more than 30 Years
• PARKING FACILITY DESIGN • RESTORATION ENGINEERING • PARKING STUDY SERVICES
Philadelphia, PA n 215-564-6464 n www.chancemanagement.com Parking
800.860.1579 l WWW.WALKERPARKING.COM
n
Transportation
n
Access Management
Architecture | Engineering | Consulting The leading expert in developing structured parking solutions.
www.ipd-global.com | 877 IPD PARK
parking.org/tpp Parking Professional IPI - IPD Ad FINAL.indd 1
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE 12/12/2016 4:21:29 PM
61
ADVERTISERS INDEX Carl Walker, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 carlwalker.com 800.FYI.PARK
IPS Group Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3 ipsgroupinc.com 858.404.0607
Rich & Associates, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 richassoc.com 248.353.5080
CHANCE Management Advisors. . . . . . 61 chancemanagement.com 215.564.6464
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.. . . 9, 61 kimley-horn.com/parking 919.653.6646
Southland Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 southlandprinting.com 800.241.8662
DESMAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 desman.com 877.337.6260
Magnetic AutoControl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 ac-magnetic.com/usa 321.635.8585
Timothy Haahs & Associates, Inc. . .11, 60 timhaahs.com 484.342.0200
DPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 dpstickets.com 877.375.5355
MITI Manufacturing Co., Inc... . . . . . . . . 55 mitico.com 866.545.6484
Toledo Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 toledoticket.com 800.533.6620
EDC Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2 aimsparking.com 800.886.6316
Parkeon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 parkeon.com 856.234.8000
Walker Parking Consultants. . . . . . . . . . 61 walkerparking.com 800.860.1579
International Parking Design.. . . . . . . . . 61 ipd-global.com 877.437.7275
ParkingSoft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 parkingsoft.com 877.884.PARK
PARKING BREAK
JIM BASS is landside operations manager at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, Little Rock, Ark. He can be reached at jbass@fly-lit.com or 501.537.7354.
62
INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JUNE 2017
Highlighted are IPI and IPI Allied State and Regional Association Events
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2017 June 6–7
August 15
October 8–11
Pennsylvania Parking Association Summer Training Easton, Pa. www.paparking.org
New England Parking Council Golf Tournament Stow, Mass. newenglandparkingcouncil.org
Campus Parking & Transportation Association (CPTA) Norman, Okla. cptaonlione.com
June 14–15
September 11–13
October 10–13
Southwest Parking and Transportation Association Reno, Nev. www.southwestparking.org
Southwest Parking and Transportation Association Annual Fall Conference Las Vegas, Nev. southwestparking.org
New York State Parking Association Silver Anniversary Albany, N.Y. nyspa.net
September 20–22
Canadian Parking Association Annual Conference Banff, Alberta, Canada canadianparking.ca
June 20 New York State Parking Association Summer at Hinerwadel’s Grove Syracuse, N.Y. nyspa.net
July 11–13 National Sports Safety and Security Conference Orlando, Fla. NCS4.com
July 12–14 Pacific Intermountain Parking and Transportation Association Tacoma, Wash. pipta.org
GPALs Summit at the European Parking Association Rotterdam, Netherlands parking.org/gpals
September 27–29 Pennsylvania Parking Association 2017 Annual Conference & Expo Erie, Pa. paparking.org
September 27–29 Carolinas Parking Association Annual Conference & Tradeshow Asheville, N.C. carolinasparking.org
October 17–20
October 23–24 IPI’s Leadership Summit Atlanta Beach, Fla. parking.org/100
October 25–27 Parking Association of the Virginias Annual Conference Williamsburg, Va. parking.org/calendar
November 8–10 Greenbuild Boston, Mass. greenbuildexpo.com
November 15–17 California Public Parking Association Annual Conference Monterey, Calif. cppaparking.org
November 28— December 1
ISTOCKPHOTO
Florida Parking Association Conference & Tradeshow Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. flparking.org
JUNE 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE
63
the Discount for online training for IPI
Attendees—take
Enforcement Course!
Post new job on Career HQ—now
pushing out on Twitter. Need great new parking professional...
More information, ev ents, courses, features, a nd fun!
parking.org
r o f r e t Regis t i m m u S p i h s r e d Lea 0 0 3 $ t —Jus Sign up all team members to receiv e the magazine— login at parking.or g.
PARK SMARTER™ MOBILE APP
NEXT GENERATION DMS
LEADERS IN INNOVATION EXPERIENCE A TRUE
DOME SENSORS
FULLY-INTEGRATED PARKING SOLUTION
SIGN UP FOR A
FREE TRIAL
PERMITTING
OR FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT
ipsgroup.com/NPfreetrial
ENFORCEMENT
1.877.630.6638 | ipsgroup.com © 2017 IPS Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
1.800.533.6620
TOLEDOTICKET.COM
VERY G REEN. V E RY F L E X I B L E .
Gumby and Gumby characters are trademarks of Prema Toy Company, Inc. All rights reserved. ©2017 Prema Toy Company, Inc.
JUNE 2017 The Parking Professional ● AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE ● PARKING SUPERSTARS ● MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS AWARDS ● DIVERSITY IN PARKING ● THE VALUE OF FEEDBACK