Accredited Parking Organization (APO) is a designation for parking, transportation, and mobility organizations that have achieved a comprehensive standard of excellence.
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Tacoma, WA – Nine months after its introduction, the integration of Amano McGann’s Amano ONE Parking Access and Revenue Control System (PARCS) with TagMaster North America’s CT-45 License Plate Recognition (LPR) camera is delivering proven value for operators across airports, municipalities, universities, hospitality, and commercial parking environments. Amano ONE has quickly become one of the industry’s most flexible and forward-looking PARCS platforms. With its open-architecture approach, Amano ONE seamlessly integrates with leading LPR providers to give operators the freedom to choose the right solution for their site-specific needs. This commitment to innovation ensures simplified operations, improved patron experience, and long-term investment protection. As part of this ecosystem, the TagMaster CT-45 brings advanced, field-tested reliability to vehicle identification. Its compact, all-in-one design reduces hardware and installation costs, while varifocal dual-sensor imaging (infrared + color) delivers accurate plate reads in low light, inclement weather, and challenging conditions. With onboard AI processing, the CT-45 eliminates the need for external servers, lowering complexity while boosting performance. Fully TAA/NDAA compliant, the CT-45 is ideally suited for airports, municipalities, government facilities, and other environments with strict security requirements. “Since the launch of the TagMaster integration earlier this year, we’ve seen momentum from operators looking to tailor their parking technology stack,” said Ryan Nester, VP of Sales & Marketing at Amano McGann. “By expanding our LPR ecosystem with proven, best-in-class technologies, Amano ONE gives clients the flexibility to choose the solution that fits their operations best while ensuring a frictionless experience for their parking patrons.” “At TagMaster North America, our mission has always been to deliver reliable, innovative, and easy-to-deploy solutions that drive measurable value for operators,” said Ali Khaksar, President of TagMaster North America. “The CT-45 was designed with that in mind — providing unmatched accuracy, simplicity, and compliance. Seeing these results come to life within the Amano ONE platform reinforces the strength of our partnership and the impact it’s having for customers across the industry.” For hospitality clients, Amano ONE’s Auto-Enroll feature further enhances efficiency. When paired with a hotel’s Property Management System (PMS), guest licenseplate data is automatically registered at check-in, granting seamless access throughout the stay. This not only simplifies the guest experience but also reduces administrative workloads for hotel staff. With real-world deployments proving the value of Amano ONE and TagMaster North America together, operators are realizing greater flexibility, operational efficiency, and revenue capture. Amano McGann and TagMaster NA continue to lead the way in delivering powerful, scalable, and reliable parking solutions. To learn more about Amano ONE, email insidesales@amanomcgann.com To learn more about TagMaster North America, Inc., email sales@tagmasterna.com About Amano McGann Amano McGann, Inc. is a member of the Amano Group, a worldwide organization with annual revenues in excess of $1 billion. As world leaders in the manufacturing and distribution of hardware and software solutions for the parking industry, Amano McGann distributes nationally through branch offices and an authorized distribution network and provides a level of service and experience unmatched in the industry. For more information about Amano McGann’s integrated solutions visit www.amanomcgann.com. About TagMaster North America With nearly two decades of proven deployments across North America, TagMaster North America (TMNA) is a trusted leader in vehicle identification and mobility technology. As a premier provider of both long-range RFID and advanced License Plate Recognition (LPR) solutions, TMNA delivers reliable, field-tested platforms that enhance security, streamline operations, and promote sustainability across parking, security, and transportation markets. From airports and municipalities to universities, healthcare campuses, and commercial facilities, TMNA solutions are designed to scale, adapt, and provide long-term value in even the most complex environments. For more information, visit www.TagMasterNA.com.
Los Angeles, CA – Metropolis Technologies, Inc. (“Metropolis”), the leader in applied AI for the real world, announced the closing of a $1.6 billion capitalization, including a JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. arranged $1.1 billion Term Loan B and a $500 million Series D funding led by a fund managed by LionTree. The Series D values Metropolis at approximately $5B and saw participation from BDT & MSD Partners’ affiliated credit funds, DFJ, Eldridge Industries, Slow Ventures, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Tekne Capital, and Vista. The financing positions the company with the institutional capital to support continued expansion into both new verticals and new markets, advancing the transformative capabilities of its real-world AI applications. Following three major acquisitions — including the 2024 take-private of SP+ and the 2025 acquisition of Oosto, a pioneer in AI-powered biometrics — Metropolis has built an unparalleled foundation for growth. Metropolis processes more than $5 billion in annual transaction volume at 4,200-plus locations and is growing, with over one million new Members joining per month. These strategic moves have expanded the company’s capabilities in and out of the vehicle, across fueling, retail, mobility, hospitality, and office. “With this new capital, we’re continuing to scale our platform and forge the foundation of the Recognition Economy, building a new paradigm for how AI is deployed in the real world,” said Alex Israel, CEO and co-founder of Metropolis. “As one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the United States, Metropolis is transforming how people move and transact in the physical world. We’re eliminating friction and repetition and creating recognition at scale for nearly 20 million Members. As we deploy our technology into retail, hospitality and fueling, Metropolis will go beyond just processing transactions by embedding speed and simplicity into everyday experiences.” Metropolis is leading the Recognition Economy, a new age of personalized intelligence where presence replaces devices and credentials as the foundation for a more intuitive, connected and human world. It’s founded on a new era of intelligent infrastructure, where the physical world recognizes presence and context, learning and adapting in real time. It replaces friction with recognition, turning everyday actions into seamless, personalized, automated experiences. “Metropolis is demonstrating that AI can be thoughtfully commercialized at real-world scale,” said Ramin Arani, Head of Investments at LionTree. “From mobility to retail and hospitality, Alex and his team are developing innovative solutions as part of a generational opportunity to create an enduring, smarter environment for consumers. We’re excited by the Metropolis team’s success to date and look forward to supporting the next phase of their growth.” “When we partnered with Metropolis in 2022, Alex and his team were leveraging AI to transform the parking industry into the foundation for a more modern, seamless built environment,” said Todd Boehly, Chairman of Eldridge Industries. “Over the last few years, their vision has achieved remarkable scale, expanding across multiple industries to now reach nearly 20 million members. Metropolis exhibits exponential potential as the Company utilizes AI to reshape how people and businesses interact with the physical world.” Over the past 12 months, the company expanded beyond parking, leveraging its technology to new use cases in and out of the vehicle — anywhere that personalization is needed. Through partnerships with retailers, asset owners and real estate partners, Metropolis is working alongside the world’s most influential brands to build an intelligent infrastructure layer. Transformative partnerships in refueling and quick-serve restaurants are now paving a clear path to hotels, retail environments, stadiums and more, to build a world where infrastructure recognizes you, moves with you, predicts your needs, and most significantly, saves time. ADVISORS BDT & MSD Partners, LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and Fenwick & West LLP served as legal advisor to Metropolis. JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. served as the sole and exclusive Administrative Agent, and JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, and PNC Capital Markets LLC served as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners for the Term Loan B. Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal advisor to LionTree. Sidley Austin LLP served as legal advisor to Eldridge Industries. ABOUT METROPOLIS Metropolis is an artificial intelligence company for the real world. Its Computer Vision platform eliminates friction from daily life, powers checkout-free payments and unlocks seamless, predictive and personalized experiences everywhere consumers transact. Metropolis is pioneering the Recognition Economy, transforming physical spaces into responsive environments with an Intelligence Layer that understands presence, anticipates needs and personalizes moments. Leveraging AI, Metropolis’ platform understands, adapts and responds to Members in real time. Adding more than 1 million Members each month, it is one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the United States and envisions a future where transacting in the real world is even easier than online. Following its take-private acquisition of SP+, Metropolis is now the largest parking network in the United States, with 4,200+ locations and operations in 40 countries worldwide. Its proprietary AI technology touches 50 million customers and processes over $5 billion in payments annually. To learn more, please visit www.metropolis.io. ABOUT LIONTREE LionTree is a differentiated global investment and merchant banking firm focused on media, technology, telecom and the consumer sectors. Founded in 2012, LionTree works across offices in New York, San Francisco, London and Tel Aviv to serve clients and community through strategic M&A, capital raising, and investments across the globe that capture opportunity and provide best-in-class execution. The firm leverages its unique insight and relationships across its integrated Client Advocacy, Merchant Banking, Institutional Investor Membership (IIM) and LT Growth focus areas to connect clients with the tailored ideas, actionable opportunities and resources that drive results. Since its formation, the firm has advised on over $900 billion in transactions by bringing capital together with ideas, investing in and alongside its relationships to accelerate growth and innovation. ABOUT ELDRIDGE INDUSTRIES Eldridge Industries invests in businesses across the Infrastructure, Technology, Mobility, Culture, and Luxury & Lifestyle landscapes. The firm seeks to build and grow businesses led by proven management teams that have demonstrated leadership and experience to scale an enterprise. Eldridge Industries has offices in Miami, Greenwich, Beverly Hills, New York, and London. To learn more about Eldridge Industries, please visit eldridgeind.com. SOURCE Metropolis
Tybee Island, GA – The City of Tybee Island, Georgia, has expanded its partnership with Passport, the leader in curbside payment solutions. This continued collaboration unifies enforcement, permitting, paid parking, and payment processing into Passport’s centralized software suite. This enhancement builds on Tybee Island’s existing use of Passport’s platform, which powers its paid parking operations through the ParkTYB app, and further unifies the city’s curbside management. With the launch of digital permitting, residents and visitors can now apply for, purchase, and manage permits online, eliminating paper-based processes and reducing administrative overhead. Additionally, city staff gain access to integrated tools that simplify financial management, track inventory, and provide real-time insights into usage and trends. “What once required managing multiple vendors and financial processes is now streamlined into one hub, delivering cost savings to the customers and operational clarity for our staff, as well as a smoother experience for our entire community,” said Kat Potter, Parking Supervisor, City of Tybee Island. With a proven track record of facilitating seamless transitions and a deep commitment to supporting cities’ evolving needs, Passport is equipping more than 800 communities across the country with the tools to thrive. “Our partnership with Tybee Island reflects Passport’s commitment to supporting cities as their mobility needs evolve,” said Sam Warnecke, VP of Sales at Passport. “By expanding this collaboration, we’re helping the city build a more connected foundation for managing mobility, one that positions them for long-term efficiency and growth.” Visit the company website to learn how Passport’s parking compliance platform streamlines on-street parking, enforcement operations, and curbside payments for cities of all sizes. About Passport Passport is the trusted technology partner for over 800 cities and private operators across North America, unifying paid parking, enforcement operations, and payment infrastructure into one platform. By simplifying how municipalities manage and monetize the curb, Passport empowers local leaders to boost compliance, unlock new revenue opportunities, and improve how people move around their communities. Passport helps cities thrive by delivering the tools and insights they need to meet evolving mobility challenges and create community-focused outcomes. Media Contact: pr@passportinc.com
Professional Development
Accredited Parking Organization (APO) is a designation for parking, transportation, and mobility organizations that have achieved a comprehensive standard of excellence.
IPMI offers industry-leading certification that places those who earn the designations as the leaders of the profession. The PTMP credential is respected worldwide as the leading parking and mobility credential.
The IPMI Conference & Expo brings together professionals representing every level of experience and segment of the parking, transportation, and mobility industry. The event delivers four days of exceptional education, the largest display of parking- and mobility-specific technology and innovations, networking, and the opportunity to connect with a global community – to advance the industry.
Employees are an organization’s most valuable asset. An investment in staff training and education brings a high rate of return in job performance and satisfaction. IPMI offers custom, agency-specific trainings on these topics for your staff. Our training team is made up of industry veterans who can help your organization soar.
Parking Enforcement & Compliance Professional™ (PECP) is the next step in your career path as a parking enforcement professional.
Virtual education includes live online training in the form of webinars, Frontline training , and instructor-led learning courses. IPMI also offers a robust online library for on-demand learning.
Enhance your visibility and increase your bottom line with IPMI’s publications, platforms, and events.
Work with the IPMI team to create a customized package to reach your target audience and exceed your sales goals.
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When you think of the largest buildings in any city, your mind probably goes to soaring skyscrapers, massive stadiums, or sprawling airports. But in Wisconsin, the largest building by square footage isn’t a tower or arena—it’s actually the Parking Garage at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. This six-story, 8,000-space post-tensioned (P/T) structure was built in three phases. The Red Section, closest to the terminal, was originally constructed in 1977. A 1989 expansion, known as the Blue Section, added 126,000 square feet per floor along the western edge, and a 2002 expansion, the Yellow Section, extended the garage along the northern side, adding another 209,000 square feet per floor. Altogether, the garage covers more than 3.5 million square feet, making it the largest building—by square footage—in the entire state of Wisconsin. For comparison: U.S Bank Center (Milwaukee): Tallest building in Wisconsin – 42 stories, 1,077,607 sq ft Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons (Milwaukee): 32 stories, 1,100,00 sq ft Clinical Services Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison: 1,897,439 sq ft Lambeau Field (Green Bay): 1,900,000 sq ft During these expansions, a total of six elevators were added: two in the 1989 section and four more in the 2002 expansion. The 2002 project also introduced an enclosed pedestrian skywalk on the third level, featuring two sets of moving walkways. This climate-controlled corridor connects the garage to the terminal, offering comfort and convenience for travelers during Wisconsin’s hot summers and frigid winters. For most of the year—aside from peak travel periods like Spring Break—this massive structure has ample capacity to accommodate nearly all travelers who choose to park there. So next time you’re planning to park at MKE, choose the garage and take a moment to look around and appreciate the sheer scale of this remarkable facility. You can proudly say, “I’m standing in the largest building in Wisconsin!” Vincent Campagna, PTMP, is a Manager, Parking & Ground Transportation for Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. Vincent can be reached at vcampagna@mitchellairport.com.
Every fall a new group of incoming students move into their dorms and call campus their home. We were approached by University Housing to assist them this past year with the logistics of parking and traffic control for the move-in of 4,500 new incoming students over the course of two days for the fall of 2025. In the past few years since COVID, the approach has been hands off from a parking standpoint. With occupancy of resident students increasing over the last few years traffic congestion, parking demand outpacing supply and frustrated drivers led to the need for a controlled and welcoming move-in experience. Thoughtful and strategic planning would be essential to our move-in experience success. Initial planning began with a high-level overview of what University Housing’s overall vision would be. Some of their needs included one-way traffic around the most populated dorms, express unloading zones, signage recommendations, and staffing of parking attendants to direct parking. Move-in 2025 was ultimately a success and there was positive feedback from those new students and families. Some key takeaways for success were planning logistically and communication. We started our logistics planning internally in February. This allowed enough time to decide what resources, signage and external parties were needed to be successful. We started communicating with stakeholders early in the process. We wanted the campus community to have realistic and clear expectations when students were moving in. University Housing took on the heavy lift of communicating plans through emails, meetings and social media. The week of move-in we started our setup with signage and barricades. This was a visual reminder for stakeholders as well. The last, and arguably the most important step in our planning process was to debrief and discuss lessons learned to improve the process. We met internally and with University Housing to discuss. Overall, move-in 2025 was a positive experience for those new students and their families and we are ready to start planning for 2026! Meredith Garrett, CAPP, is the Assistant Director of Public Safety, Parking & Transit Services for Kent State University. Meredith can be reached at mgarre12@kent.edu.
In recent conversations with three different parking enforcement officers who recently started utilizing wearable cameras, a harsh reality became clear: there is a void in the existing toolset that officers face when trying to do their job while documenting interactions and staying safe while doing it. Increasingly, officers find themselves stuck in the middle of two groups of people: those who are verbally and physically aggressive or confrontational, and those who make accusations of rudeness or harassment. While radio reports and written reports can provide a starting point, organizations are finding that POV video offers an objective view into what officers face in the field every day. Organizations and Municipalities are shaping the future of safety and efficiency in the industry via: Video with audio transcription – an exact recounting of interactions to cut out the question, “What did they say and how did you respond?” Livestream for supervisors to tap into emergency situations from anywhere, anytime. Safety highlights – real time alerts to see critical situations as they occur. Reporting – standardization of incident reporting through the use of a wearable camera. If you work in an office, you most likely have tools that record video meetings, take notes while you’re speaking to people, and organize your day using technology. Making the same essentials easy and accessible to field workers through wearable technology is proving to be an avenue that provides them with the confidence to do their job while staying as safe as possible. Henry Broback is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for Plix AI Body Cameras. Henry can be reached at henry@plix.ai.
Event management has been a struggle to keep everyone on the same page since I stepped into my role in 2024. We would receive multiple requests for event parking each day through a variety of different avenues. Phone calls and emails to different people within the department, never any consistency. Sometimes multiple phone calls AND emails for the same event! The ability to be able to charge for special event parking and offering a variety of options (hangtags, dashboard permits, do not enforce a lot) was also a hurdle I was up against. I needed a solution and fast, because I was spending an exorbitant amount of time on phone calls and emails just for events. I was ready to start exploring vendor options, but I knew I would really have to make a strong case in order to implement an event management system. That’s when I started exploring the possibility of working with our university events and conference services. They already had a system in place to receive requests and then bill. They were able to easily add parking as an option for any event request. Parking event requests went live in July 2025 through our events and conference services. I now receive all parking requests in one system where I can approve or deny the request. Revenue that was once not captured for event parking is now efficiently charged along with whatever other expenses the customer incurs for their event. Bonus, the university is capturing all events for the university calendar because of the demand for parking when previously only large events were scheduled. Meredith Garrett, CAPP, is the Assistant Director of Public Safety, Parking & Transit Services for Kent State University. Meredith can be reached at mgarre12@kent.edu.
The October Ask the Experts column featured some great responses from IPMI thought leaders, but there is never enough space for all the great answers! Here are more thought-provoking responses. How can large-scale parking operations (education, healthcare, airports, business parks, retail centers, etc.) leverage emerging technologies to improve both parking management and the overall mobility experience? Scott Petri, President, Mobility Parking Advisors “Analyzing gaps in existing technology or identifying best-in-class technologies for operational functions provides efficiencies, potential revenue, enhancements, and greater customer satisfaction, particularly when viewed from community needs and customer surveys.” Cameron Lang, Sales Manager US, HotSpot Parking, a Product of Arcadis “Cities and large-scale parking operations can use new technologies like curbside data, mobile apps, and automated payment systems to make parking easier and more efficient. These tools help maximize parking space usage, simplify entry and payment processes, and reduce paperwork. They also improve the overall traveler’s experience by offering real-time updates on available spaces and connecting parking systems with other transportation options for seamless travel.” Katherine Beaty, PTMP, President, Beaty Solutions “When parking works well, people do not notice it. Leveraging the right tech is what makes us invisible, and really, that is the goal. For example, airports can sync with return flight information, allowing travelers to come back to a seamless handoff when using a valet.” Erik Nelson, PCIP, Principal, Walker Consultants “Large-scale operations need to carefully plan for the implementation of emerging technologies. Pilot programs are a good way to test functionality, but they can’t demonstrate a system’s ability to scale. That requires careful coordination with the vendor and stress tests of their system prior to broader rollout.” Chris Phenner, VP of Business Development, Flash, Inc. “Creating Digital Locations within platforms like Apple Maps, Google Maps, Ticketmaster, and TomTom can drive millions of dollars in bookings annually, and this channel is growing faster than expected.” Brett Wood, PE, PTMP, President, Wood Solutions Group “With an abundance of technologies supporting multiple facets of operations and management, we have more data than ever to truly understand user behaviors. Advanced operations are beginning to better utilize this data to better align resources and policies to the needs of the users, helping to better balance demands across all modes of transportation in the mobility spectrum.”
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