Hartford, CT – Propark Mobility announced that the company has acquired VIP Valet, a premier provider of valet parking services based in Cleveland, Ohio. “VIP Valet has built an impressive legacy in Cleveland, delivering exceptional service with great care and attention to detail,” said David Schmid, Chief Executive Officer of Propark Mobility. “Their customer-first approach and commitment to client satisfaction are exactly what we value at Propark. We’re excited to work together to raise service standards even further and support their longstanding relationships throughout the region.” Founded in 2009 by Max Niyazov, VIP Valet has grown into a leading name in Cleveland’s hospitality and service industries. Specializing in valet services for hotels, restaurants, private events, and healthcare facilities, VIP Valet has consistently prioritized reliability, professionalism, and guest satisfaction. Their tailored approach has made them a preferred service partner across Northeast Ohio. “Partnering with Propark Mobility is a meaningful opportunity for VIP Valet to build on our core values and amplify the service we provide,” said Max Niyazov, Founder and President of VIP Valet. “Since the beginning, our focus has been on delivering personalized, high-quality experiences for every guest. With Propark’s support, we can keep doing what we do best — while tapping into new resources that help us serve our clients and guests even better.” This acquisition continues Propark Mobility’s strategic expansion across key U.S. markets, from Boston and Washington, D.C., to Houston and Los Angeles. For more information about Propark Mobility and its acquisition process, visit www.propark.com/acquisitions. About Propark Mobility Propark Mobility is a national, innovation-driven parking management company that provides full-service parking and mobility services for over 1,000 hospitality, healthcare, commercial, and off-airport locations in over 140 cities across the United States. For more information, please visit www.propark.com.

How did Princeton evolve to meet the new demand for parking? With a multi-pronged approach, they integrated cutting-edge technology, incentivized alternative commutes, and rolled out transit programs, all while maintaining operations on a 275+ year-old campus amidst major construction. Join the Princeton University team as they showcase how data can drive smarter decisions, ease parking stress, reduce congestion, and ultimately improve the campus experience. 

Winners of the 2025 IPMI Professional Recognition Program showcase dedication to their colleagues, organizations, and communities. Parking, mobility, and transportation professionals at all stages of industry careers will be recognized with the 2025 IPMI Professional Recognition Program International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) this month at the 2025 IPMI Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo, June 8-11, 2025, in Louisville, KY. IPMI’s Professional Recognition Awards acknowledge professionals and organizations operating, maintaining, and managing parking and mobility operations at extraordinary levels. The awards celebrate the individuals elevating the industry’s perception as a career and profession. Award winners are nominated by their peers and selected by a committee of industry judges. “Each year, we’re inspired by the dedication and forward-thinking spirit of professionals across the parking and mobility industry,” said IPMI CEO Shawn D. Conrad, CAE. “The 2025 Professional Recognition Program winners have again raised the bar, championing innovation, sustainability, and service. We’re proud to celebrate their achievements and their positive impact on communities everywhere.” This year’s winners are: Organization of the Year: Virginia Commonwealth University Parking and Transportation Organization of the Year: University of California, Riverside Transportation Services Industry Professional of the Year: Brett Wood, PTMP, President, Wood Solutions Group Emerging Leader of the Year: Josh Stone, PTMP, Executive Director, Virginia Commonwealth University Parking and Transportation Professional Excellence Award for Technology: David G. Onorato, PTMP, Executive Director, Pittsburgh Parking Authority Professional Excellence Award for Customer Service: Mario Gonzalez, Assistant Manager, Client Services, EasyPark Professional Excellence Award for Leadership: Shylah M. Hales, PTMP, Regional Manager, Diamond Parking Services Professional Excellence Award for Leadership: Chris Sherman, Chief Commercial Officer, Metropolis Professional Excellence Award for Leadership: Aaron Nuque, PECP, Assistant Manager, Parking Enforcement Program, EasyPark This year’s award winners will be featured in the July issue of Parking & Mobility magazine. The 2026IPMI Awards competition will open this fall. Please watch IPMI’s website for details. About IPMI The International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) is the world’s largest association of professionals in parking, mobility, and transportation. IPMI works to advance the parking and mobility profession through professional development, certification, research and data collection, advocacy, and community building. With experts worldwide in dozens of specialties, IPMI helps parking, mobility, and transportation function efficiently so people, businesses, and communities can keep moving.

The IPMI Policy & Legislative Cohort administered a survey aimed at identifying the most pressing industry policy topics.  Among the top issues are policies around new technologies that could revolutionize parking management by reducing friction. One of the highest friction points in an operation is the ability to consistently facilitate curbside compliance, aka parking enforcement.  As curbside demands have exponentially increased, the parking enforcement tools in our policy toolbox have generally remained the same. I’m not here to write about the legislative barriers to reduce friction in the parking enforcement process (there are many) or the growing number of case studies of cities that have embarked on their automated enforcement journey (that number is growing).  What I’m here to write about today are the policies that your organization should be thinking about when you are able to reduce the friction in your parking enforcement process and move towards automated enforcement.  Before we begin, what do I mean by automated enforcement.  For the purposes of this discussion, automated enforcement is the ability to utilize fixed or mobile camera technology to identify a parking violation and process that parking violation without placing a parking citation on the violating vehicle. Imagine for a minute your organization has the legislative ability to implement automated enforcement.  Would you be able to implement by the end of the week, month, year?  Here are just a few policy topics your organization should think about when moving towards automated enforcement: Violation Types – does it makes sense to automate enforcement for all violation types? Are there more severe safety related parking violations that should be prioritized for an initial rollout of automated enforcement? Payment/Appeal Deadlines – mailing a parking citation to a registered owner adds time to the notification process. Do your payment and appeal deadlines need to shift to accommodate this new process? Violation Fine Structure – cities that have implemented automated enforcement have seen citation issuance increase exponentially. Knowing this may occur, are there opportunities to revise the fine structure for certain violations? This may be an opportunity to introduce first-time warnings, early payment discounts, or progressive pricing for repeat violators. Don’t get me wrong, the legislative framework to allow for automated enforcement is a top priority to enable your organization to leverage new and emerging parking enforcement technologies.  Equally as important is your policy framework for administering an automated enforcement program. Policies matter, and when developed in a comprehensive manner can lead to long-term success for your operation.  Let’s keep the conversation going on Forum Online Community and the dedicated “Policy and Legislation” community. Robert Ferrin, PTMP is a Mobility & Parking Senior Project Manager with Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. and is serving his third term on the IPMI Board of Directors.  Robert can be reached at robert.ferrin@kimley-horn.com.

The next version of the Parksmart program will be open for public comment this summer. At this chat, join staff as we discuss upcoming program changes.