By Mary Mabry, CAPP

When we discuss why parking, mobility and transportation industry professionals love what they do, it involves many aspects of what I term conflict resolution. In my conversations with numerous professionals, I have heard how difficult it is to maneuver opportunities, provide options, and stay on top of what individuals or groups feel is a travesty as far as their idea of convenient parking is concerned.

Those of us who have been in the industry awhile know we have resources and knowledgeable professionals who have been there, done that, and have the T-shirt. I have found they are always happy to share their solutions. However, what do our newer industry co-workers do? In my opinion, the first step should be to reach out to their state  or regional association–each group has a vast amount of resources and networking opportunities.

Next would be to look at additional options to develop those relationships and grow your resource pool. For me, that was my introduction to IPMI and my first class toward obtaining my CAPP certification. On my first day, walking out to go to lunch, I called my boss to thank him for allowing me to attend. He knew I struggled daily trying to fit into the mold of management, working under the police side, meeting the needs of the university campus community, and working in a gray area. My first words to him were, “I have found a new group of individuals who understand me, who actually relate to me and my job, and have opened up so many doors for me that I feel like I belong here.”

For some professionals, this may be a bit over the top but for those  who struggle trying developing the middle ground of conflict resolution,  you know how difficult this can be. If no one has told you or involved you, please know we are all here to help each other and reach out. That is what is so special and amazing about this profession and industry.

Mary Mabry, CAPP, is product manager/client advocate-parking solutions, with Cardinal Tracking, Inc.