Tag Archives: IPI

A New Home Base

by Rachel Yoka, CAPP, LEED AP 

IPI builds a new website for members and the parking community.

IPI has a new online look, but our new website is far more than just a costume change. When IPI staff and the Board of Directors made the decision to launch a new website, we focused on a number of key elements that required change from the ground up. The design of the new site was what marketers might call a “white paper” or “blue sky” enterprise. What that means is we chose not to update or review our existing site and make incremental changes. It means that we started with a blank page to build a new mobile-friendly resource for members and the industry alike.

The Heart of the Site
The Resource Center is a living, changing, ever-growing database of articles, blogs, publications, events, and more. We sought to build the most content-rich resource possible.

Looking for that The Parking Professional article on green walls from awhile back? Or that blog post on self-driving cars? Go to the keyword search box and type away. If you prefer, you can add specifics and search by content type (articles, blogs, and more). Searches will reveal not only the full text of the article but also a downloadable pdf version and the ability to immediately email, share, and print.

We did some of the searching in advance for you, as well. Categorized by major topics in our industry, you can select a topic and browse the most recent additions in the following areas:

  • Certification Programs.
  • Consumer Resources.
  • Education & Training.
  • Finance.
  • Frontline.
  • Management & Human Resources.
  • Operations.
  • Parking Matters®.
  • Planning, Design, & Construction.
  • Recognition & Awards.
  • Regulatory Environment.
  • Research.
  • Safety & Security.
  • State & Regional Associations.
  • Sustainability.
  • Technology.
  • Transportation & Mobility.

Blog All About It
The Parking Matters® Blog launched in 2012 featuring the voices of our industry and publicizing the great work done by parking and transportation professionals worldwide. Utilized by media and parking pros alike, the blog platform provided members with the latest on the industry and the trends that will shape our shared future. This resource continues to do so on our new platform.

The blog is now embedded right in the IPI website and gets home page real estate in our front page feed. If you haven’t signed up yet, now is the time—look for daily posts throughout the week to keep you talking about the issues that matter. Same terrific and up-to-date information, with even greater visibility and frequency.

But wait, there’s more! Our members are the most active in the business—and we know you have a whole lot to say. IPI wants to hear directly from you so we made it as easy as we could. Membership has its privileges, as they say, and all members are encouraged to submit blog posts and join in the conversation. Blog posts should be 150 to 200 words on a relevant topic, event, or news story and can be easily submitted online. When you decide to blog with us, think short, sweet, and informative. We can’t wait to hear what you have to say.

To sign up and submit your blog post, check out any footer page of the website or go to parking.org/blog.

Your Personal Planner
If you are a planner, you know that everyone loves a good calendar. (And if you don’t have the planner gene and prefer to go with the flow, we’ve got you covered, too.) The calendar provides links and registration information for all IPI conferences, events, and trainings, as well as state and regional association events. These events include all scheduled educational opportunities, including webinars and face-to-face trainings. Plan ahead to make sure you make the most of your 2016 (and beyond)!

The Hallmark of IPI
Education and professional development is the hallmark of IPI. Our mission is to advance the parking profession, and the most critical component of that mission is to advance parking professionals themselves through numerous and varied educational opportunities to foster individual growth and development. It’s a lofty goal, and we are up to the challenge.

IPI provides a depth and breadth of training that is unmatched in the industry—and we know it’s a lot of information. One of our primary goals was to make sure members and colleagues have the many tools and resources at their fingertips (or their laptop, tablet, or smartphone). So we wanted to provide you with a brief outline of the very dense and resource-rich pages that talk about professional development.

Professional Development includes:

  • Accredited Parking Organization (APO).
  • Awards & Recognition.
  • CAPP.
  • Education & Training.

As you can imagine, each of these topics is chock-full of information, enough to fill many magazine editions and too much to print here. To give you a taste of the information available, here’s a sampling of what you will find when you go exploring Education & Training:

  • Annual Conference. With more than 50 education sessions and informal learning opportunities, as well as face-to-face CAPP point classes, this is the most intense (and productive) week all year to amp up your expertise and knowledge.
  • Online learning. Did you know IPI has invested in one of the best online learning programs on the market? From here, you can access multiple self-paced CAPP point and CEU offering courses for you and your team, especially those new to the industry. Selections include the following, with more on the horizon:
  1. Conflict Resolution.
  2. Customer Service.
  3. Foundations of Finance (NEW)
  4. Introduction to Parking.
  5. On-Street Parking Management.
  6. Parking Enforcement.
  7. Sustainability in Parking.
  8. Technology Trends in Parking.
  • Onsite Courses. Choose to bring IPI training right to your office and elevate your entire team, or participate in regularly scheduled trainings, offered in a variety of locations. Courses include:
  1. Conflict Resolution.
  2. Customer Service.
  3. Media Training.
  4. Parking Design, Maintenance & Rehabilitation.
  5. Parking Enforcement.
  6. Tactical Communications.
  7. Green Garage (now Parksmart) Assessor Training.

There’s a lot to offer a parking pro (or newbie) here so we encourage you to discover the kind of education that is the best fit for you and your team.

Engage and Reap Big Rewards
IPI is a big community with big member benefits. Many of these are built right into parking.org. Members can pitch articles and submit blog posts, as well as share news releases about their companies and the industry.

Members and subscribers to The Parking Professional have immediate access to all issues and articles in a new format for online access. To see the latest, log in to your account and navigate to the magazine. Industry and member news feeds are right on the home page. If you would like to see your organization’s news front and center, visit parking.org/submitnews.

Do you have a request for proposal (RFP) or request for qualifications to publicize? Visit parking.org/rfp to post and get greater visibility for your upcoming project. Are you looking for the best talent in the industry? Navigate to parking.org/careerhq to post a position and find your next rising star.

Tips and Tricks

  • Did you know that our Board of Directors has superpowers? Do you know who has the ability to do a cartwheel better than any other non-YPIP? Get to know your board (and our staff ) just a little bit better in the About section (at the very top of the site).
  • Make parking.org a favorite on your browser of choice. Most sites perform best on Firefox and Chrome, and we recommend these browsers to get the most out of your browsing time.
  • Subscribe to the IPInsider, our biweekly newsletter, and the blog. Delivered right to your inbox, this quick step will save you time and keep you up to date.
  • Be your own content marketer and build your personal brand—when you see a post that made you smile or read an article that opened your eyes to a new trend, share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
  • Keep us posted, and share your feedback—this is your home page and your organization. We’ve received great comments and ideas so far, so please keep them coming!

RACHEL YOKA, CAPP, LEED AP, is IPI’s vice president for program development. She can be reached at yoka@parking.org.

TPP-2016-06-A New Home Base

Community Assets

By Natasha Labi, CAPP tpp-2016-06-community-assets_page_1

The intrinsic value of parking enforcement officers to their neighborhoods.

ON AN OLD EPISODE OF “PARKING WARS,” a Philadelphia parking enforcement officer (PEO) walked solemnly back to his vehicle as an irate parking violator hurled such vulgar profanity in his direction that mandatory Federal Communications Commission bleeping was required. In another episode, a citizen constantly yelled at an officer to get out of her neighborhood and go get a real job. Citizens are frequently shown verbally abusing the PEOs.

As a parking enforcement manager, I watch the show sporadically but know this is the type of behavior my team is subjected to every day, sometimes several times a day. I want to step into these television scenes and educate these citizens. PEOs are just like everyone else: hard-working citizens attempting to do their jobs to the best of their ability. More importantly, PEOs offer intrinsic values to the communities they serve in very tangible ways.

Agents of Commerce
PEOs are agents of commerce. Parking enforcement is defined as the management of on-street real estate in municipalities—parking spaces. Usually, this real estate lies in the busiest part of the municipalities or cities, sometimes called a central business district. The businesses in this area are supported by the parking spaces. Customers must have access to these parking spaces to patronize these businesses.

Customers consider accessibility and parking in a city not as a perk but as a commodity that has to meet certain standards. Most municipalities and cities have put into place parking laws and ordinances to meet these standards. There are parking time limits to maximize the value for business owners by ensuring the efficient turnover of the spaces. More turnover of parking spaces equates to more potential customers for the business owners. PEOs manage the turnover of parking spaces.

If a vehicle remains in the same parking space without proper payment, it prohibits other potential customers from visiting nearby businesses and spending money there. The PEO monitors these spaces and cites violators. The revenue from these violations and other parking revenue help finance other municipality and city-budget items. During the recent economic downturn, parking revenue was a dependable stream of finance for municipalities and cities, which led to the reduction of parking surcharges in several major cities. Thus, PEOs are agents of commerce in the communities they serve.

Crime Deterrents
PEOs serve as trained additional eyes and ears for local police in the fight against crime. Crime is a threat to citizens, businesses, municipalities, and commerce as a whole—people generally shy away from doing business in neighborhoods they feel are unsafe.

In most municipalities and cities, reduction of crime is a high priority, and enforcement departments have ongoing efforts to reduce high crime rates in the communities they serve. Some of the efforts have centered on increasing the number of enforcement officers on the streets.

Consider Atlanta, where privatized parking enforcement initiatives have increased the actual number of city police officers on the street. Off-duty and retired Atlanta Police Department (APD) officers are employed by the privatized enforcement agency, increasing the number of law enforcement personnel on the streets at no additional cost to the city. While their main focus during those hours might be enforcing Atlanta’s parking enforcement laws and ordinances, the APD officers enforce all laws while they’re out. These officers have assisted in everything from the capture of bank robbers to routinely providing additional traffic support to major Atlanta events such as the Chik-fil-A Bowl and March Madness competitions.

Because these APD parking enforcement officers are very visible, they may serve as deterrents to crime also. In enforcing parking laws and ordinances, these officers are enforcing beats on the streets. This provides a very community-oriented type of enforcement.

Atlanta also hands some community enforcement to non-sworn officers—lay people trained to provide parking enforcement services. When a crime is committed, these non-sworn officers are able to use their constant radio communication to get a quick response of all enforcement officers in the area and be a source of information. These officers have become very knowledgeable about the city’s citizens and businesses.

PEOs are also involved in the war on terrorism. State and local governments are tasked with the responsibility of providing homeland security strategies for their citizens. This strategy also emphasizes the importance of planning, equipping, training, and establishing programs to minimize damage from potential attacks. As frontline enforcement employees, PEOs assist in first-responder efforts.

They are constantly on city streets with radio communication. Formal training is given to PEOs in many cities and municipalities. PEOs are trained to identify anomalies in communities and especially on the streets of their neighborhood noticing things such as an unmarked van parked inconspicuously in an alley of a government building. The PEO is able to notify police via radio communication immediately. Being part of the enforcement environment allows PEOs to truly serve the community.

Parking enforcement is defined as the management of on-street real estate in municipalities— parking spaces. More turnover of parking spaces equates to more potential customers for the business owners. PEOs manage
the turnover of parking spaces.

Ambassadors
PEOs serve as ambassadors to their communities. Every municipality and city wants to attract visitors and their dollars. These visitors may range from the surrounding suburbanites on a rare trip to the big city, to the tourist in town for the big game or concert, or the businessperson in town for a convention. These visitors are valuable sources of commerce for the local economy and can translate into big business. Thus, it is critical for visitors to have a positive experience.

PEOs are commonly the first contact for these visitors. The PEO is out there enforcing, walking the city streets in an official-looking uniform. The visitors are naturally drawn to the PEO in times of confusion in a strange new city. PEOs become the frontline employees with the ability to help the visitor have that positive memorable experience. If the visitor has a memorable experience, it is more likely he or she will return to the city and share the good time with family and friends. Thus, PEOs are true frontline ambassadors for municipalities and cities.

It is imperative that the frontline parking enforcement officer be equipped with excellent customer service training. Most municipalities and cities have training programs that include the basics: how to greet customers, listening to customer needs or problems, confirming understanding, using positive language, dealing with angry customers, and the importance of having welcoming body language and tone.

Parking enforcement customer service training should also incorporate specific knowledge of the area. PEOs should know directions to the city’s major streets, tourist attractions, banks, and restaurants. Some municipalities and cities have even taken customer service training to another level by offering customer service certifications. These certification programs offer common standards of customer service knowledge and practices in which local municipality employees and businesses participate. PEOs, using customer service training, share their knowledge of the city and or region, answer frequently asked questions, and deliver a positive experience for the visitor. PEOs serve as ambassadors of every municipality’s and city’s goal, promoting the city as a great place to live, work, play, and visit.

Every day, television shows like “Parking Wars” portray angry parking customers yelling obscenities at a PEO as the officer issues a citation. They don’t realize that as an agent of commerce, the PEO manages municipalities’ and cities’ most valuable assets—real estate. As parking enforcement managers, we should remind our officers of these values to empower the PEOs’ sense of job performance, job satisfaction, and pride in serving the community.

NATASHA LABI, CAPP, is manager with ParkAtlanta. She can be reached at natashalabi@gmail.com.

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Passing the Baton

by Monica Tanksley tpp-2016-06-passing-the-baton_page_1

Raising the Next Generation of Parking and Transportation Leaders

HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED A TRACK AND FIELD RELAY RACE? As the lead runner on each team runs the first part of the race, the next runner gets prepared. The runner anxiously times his or her teammate’s arrival and begins running before the lead runner has overtaken him or her.

A relay race is won in the exchange of the baton. The runners must transfer the baton in an exchange zone; if they fail to make the exchange in this zone, the team is disqualified. The crucial moment arrives, and the lead runner surrenders the baton to the next runner. Even the smallest hesitation or miscalculation can cost the team the race.

The new generation of parking and transportation leaders is ready and waiting in the wings, and the parking and transportation baton has to be passed on to this generation. It’s inevitable. If we fail to pass on our resources and industry knowledge to the next generation’s up-and-coming men and women so they can run their leg of the race, they will be stranded at the starting block without a baton.

Passing It Along
We must develop, train, and mentor young parking professionals so they can develop, teach, and train other young men and women to succeed them from generation to generation. It is critical that we develop the next generation of parking and transportation leadership. If we lack the sensitivity, readiness, and willingness to train them and pass the baton, we fail to groom our future parking and transportation leaders. Gloating over our own accomplishments and not wanting to grandfather the next generation into the field because we fear this group might be more talented than us is failing to ensure successorship.

Mentoring is nothing more than a relationship through which one person empowers and equips another. Some important factors that may hinder the transfer of the parking and transportation baton are:

  • Poor mentoring procedures.
  • The lack of intentional mentoring.
  • Incorrect/wrong mentoring.

We may tend to lack proper mentoring methodologies and procedures, and that leads to a poor quality mentoring. Proper mentoring should be a prerequisite in development of our leaders-to-be. The parking and transportation industry has a great need for well-prepared, properly trained men and women to follow in our footsteps.

Intentional Mentoring
We may also tend to skip intentional mentoring—we lack a deliberate strategy to prepare our successors. We mentor informally without a purposeful and focused strategy plan to train our trainees. We train passively or occasionally from a distance, being casual, informal, and with a lack of supervision. We allow younger staffers to tag along with us and observe and learn on their own in the hopes they will pick up on accountability and reliability. As we all know, that doesn’t happen accidentally, so we need to change the way we teach on the job. We must mentor intensively with discipline, guidance, and coaching. We must manage our relationship while being focused and organized.

Good mentors produce good successors. When mentoring is unstructured and ineffective, our successors will not be well-prepared or secured. It’s imperative we invest in them. A good mentorship is intentional and intensive and provides the right environment for potential leaders to rise up to their own place of influence. Weak, casual, non-focused, or disorganized mentoring is damaging.

When passing the parking and transportation baton, we must be focused and goal-oriented. We must give our trainees a sense of direction and bearing as well as a directed vision and mission. There must be a plan, a strategy, and supervision. We must invest as well as instruct.

We also should be careful that as mentors we don’t have a short vision, an over-domineering spirit, or become too busy to find the proper time to train. As senior staff, we must pass the benefits of our experience on to our successors.

Determining our Legacy
Before we pass the baton, however we first must make sure there is a baton to pass on and that the baton is not dropped. How can one pass on a baton if it’s not there to pass, if there is no legacy or vision to pass on or leave behind? We must ask ourselves several vital questions to be sure the baton is passed:

  • Do I have a next man or woman in line?
  • Am I serious enough to prepare him or her?
  • Do I have a plan to develop him or her?
  • Am I willing to invest time in him or her?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, the baton will not be passed. We must know how to secure young men and women into the industry and propel them into their rightful places as leaders. There are several ways we can properly pass the parking and transportation baton successfully on to the next generation. We can give people proper apprenticeship training, provide the right climate for their development, empower them, and—most importantly— believe in them!

Parking and transportation’s future will be digital. Working digitally will require managing digitally. Parking and transportation apps will be routinely used in everyday business operations and in every aspect of running a parking and transportation organization, from leadership development and recruitment decisions, to wage and benefit incentives. It is for this reason we need to look for what I call altrocentric leaders to lead.

What is an altrocentric leader? In past generations, leaders were categorized as egocentric—they used power and formal authority to get the job done and commanded results. Altrocentric leaders, on the other hand, keep their egos in check and view themselves as part of a greater whole of the organization. They take satisfaction in their team members’ accomplishments and in being productive team players themselves. They understand the nature of their leadership role and have an empathetic ability to attract, retain, and motivate the diversified and highly independent workforce of the future. They are not the “do as I say and say as I do” leaders of the past. Altrocentric leaders possess emotional intelligence, self awareness, and self control. They have the influencing skills future leaders will need to thrive in the ever-changing and challenging parking and transportation organizations of the future.

Going digital will demand leaders who aren’t afraid to learn from their younger colleagues. Although technical skills will be a prerequisite in this digital era, how the potential leaders apply their skills and experience to influence and lead groups when it’s time to hand off the baton will be key to their success.

We must be able to see the potential in our up-andcoming leaders, tolerate their mistakes, be flexible in handling their failures, have patience when time and experience are needed, and encourage and build our co-workers up when they fall along the way.

As coaches, we should focus on our employees’ hidden potential and strengths, persistently urge them to anchor themselves, help set their direction, and provide motivation, skills, and applications that meet the upcoming challenges and tasks that lie ahead.

Building Confidence
Our basic functions as coaches should be to impart confidence, skills, and knowledge to the next generation. We should motivate them to bring out the best in themselves and model our principles and values. We should observe our leaders-to-be in action while evaluating them and giving them feedback. We must teach them to have patience and time, be accountable, and accept responsibility.

There are certain qualities, however, that we must expect from those in whom we are investing time and effort. We should demand a standard from our potential leaders. They must be focused and determined to push on and come up. They must be disciplined to rise to a position of influence; not being disciplined can result in a downfall.

Unfortunately, we can’t turn back the clock. We can’t start over. We can’t insulate the new generation from the effects of the supply and demand of parking and transportation needs not being met. We can, however, transfer our parking and transportation industry morals, wisdom, values, and etiquette to the next generation.

A good leader doesn’t pass the baton too soon. A great leader does not hold on to the baton too long. Learning how to pass the baton neither too soon nor too late is an art. It is an art that must be rehearsed because both the giver and the receiver need lots of practice!

MONICA TANKSLEY is special events manager at the University of Rochester. She can be reached at mgayton-tanksley@parking.rochester.edu.

TPP-2016-06-Passing the Baton

Leaving the Desk

by Gloria Gallo, CAPP

Looking for insight into your parking operation? Spend a day with a frontline professional.tpp-2016-06-leaving-the-desk_page_1

AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FORT LEE, N.J., PARKING AUTHORITY (LPA), I find it critical to spend time out on the street with my employees from time to time to get an idea of the issues they encounter on a regular basis. I have come to realize this practice not only benefits me as the director, offering insight into the positions and enhancing my own awareness of what goes on between my employees and the general public, but more importantly, it gives my officers a sense of worth that the agency they work for is interested in knowing firsthand about that part of the operation—the issues they encounter, how they handle disputes, and other complications. This also gives the employees the opportunity to demonstrate how well they do their jobs—or not.

In most cases, I have found officers are eager to share all they know and are more than open to suggestions to resolve their dilemmas. They are happy to show me how much I am missing sitting in my office on the phone or at meetings. I have found going out on the road with my officers here and there to check on equipment performance, defuse a specific situation, or to determine why summonses are down/up, etc., is not really enough. It has become apparent that there is still much more going on and much to be learned by being out there in that day-to-day environment in the capacity of the officer. This experience has given me an incredible amount of valuable knowledge.

Because most people do not recognize all the services some parking authorities provide to their communities, these agencies are only looked upon as the ticket-giving departments of municipalities. As we all know, parking enforcement officers (PEOs) meet all kinds of controversy out on the streets, and how they act and react has a tremendous effect on the public’s perspective of the authority, both structurally and politically.

Parking enforcement officers are the face of your agency; that realization becomes clear when people come into your office and complain about a citation they received and are upset about the officer’s behavior, whether founded or unfounded. The public groups together the director and the entire staff in their unique perspective of an unsettling experience. Directors find themselves needing to be diplomatic and understanding of the public’s side of the story while needing to support the officer’s decision on how the situation was handled, even though the director was not there, has no idea what was said back and forth, and may not even be familiar with such incidents. However, directors can get a better feel for the overall picture and what staff approaches should be during controversy when they have had firsthand experience on the road dealing with the public.

The Battle
Everyone deserves to feel appreciated and respected for the job he or she does. One thing I have learned from witnessing the backlash an enforcement officer gets from some members of the public is we have to be thickskinned. People can be cruel when they feel they have been wronged, and that’s when the battle begins. There are so many excuses used, and some are legitimate, but most are not. The public is also under the impression they can dispute and correct any misunderstanding or errors right there on the street. Some get so angry they spit, tear up their tickets and throw them in our faces, and then scream out a number of commonly used expletives. Parking officers must really step back and remove themselves from these types of situations, both physically and emotionally.

Many people are simply uncomfortable with the presence of a parking officer, even when they are not in any violation. Just seeing an officer walking down the street checking meters annoys some enough to call out or to go running to the officers to make sure their vehicles are safe from ticketing. As a firsthand observer, the director gains a whole new respect for the job these employees do.

Getting Heated
A lesson from my days shadowing staff on the street: Officers generally welcome guidance in dealing with heated disputes. We might take for granted that our people would deal with the public accordingly, but it can be quite difficult to maintain composure in the midst of some intense situations. The ability to defuse a situation that becomes chaotic is an essential tool necessary for the officers’ effectiveness, as well as their safety. As a group, which includes members of the administrative staff, I find it invaluable to discuss these matters and share experiences and methods that work and don’t work. Both types of methods are equally important to examine. It would be advantageous to any agency to enroll its officers in professional training seminars that focus on the dos and don’ts of enforcement confrontations.

On most days, extreme confrontation is not the norm. However, another issue that becomes a challenge is “to summons or not to summons.” Setting written policy is always best, but there are those exceptions that may not be covered in the overall guidelines. The practice I find most effective is to let my employees know that if they are in doubt, don’t sweat it out. It is OK to let a ticket go rather than issue a summons that was written in error. I find it is more beneficial to instruct my employees on methods of improving their good judgment than to suffer the wrath that may follow erroneously written tickets. Everyone makes mistakes, but we can all learn how to implement effective practices when we take the time to stop and think, put ourselves in the place of motorists, and then make educated decisions, for example. This is a very effective method when dealing with the issue of insufficient signage.

In Court
Meeting with the general public in court is where officers say they get the chance to present themselves in a different light, so to speak. This is the place where they are in a structured environment, and they have documentation and photographs to support their summonses. Not only does court allow them to prove their case, but also on a more positive note, they feel it gives them the opportunity to talk to the individual in a more reserved environment. Here, they can actually sit down with the person and discuss the options. The officer also has the court’s legal representation available for additional support and/or guidance. Another important factor is the good working relationship the officers have with the prosecutor. Observing proceedings lets me see there is a mutual respect between both parties that allows the process to work through quickly, efficiently, and favorably for all involved.

Our authority uses PATS, a real-time, automated ticketing system tied directly to the administrative office of the courts in Trenton. Officers’ training in the care and maintenance of their equipment is critical; they cannot work without it. Learning what their needs are for the proper upkeep during a day on the street was highly beneficial, and I learned about challenges such as batteries not recharging, data not downloading properly, printers skipping and not printing the summonses properly, and other miscellaneous malfunctions.

Normally, the officer would report these types of issues to the help desk. Stepping in and reaching out to the state from the director’s desk makes a difference in the response time in comparison to the help desk calls that are made by the PEOs. This is one approach to taking action in keeping our equipment up and running with less downtime.

Fort Lee’s northern location during the winter months only adds to the already challenging job of working out in the elements, not only with equipment freezing up at times, but because parking enforcement officers are also burdened with having to walk in the ice and snow and determining whether a person can get to the meter to pay or not because of the weather. I was pleased to find out my officers were not taking advantage of the situation by lessening their efforts but, on the contrary, were frustrated they could not do their jobs effectively.

In the past, they offered to work with our maintenance department to clear the snow from high-occupancy metered areas. Of course, bad-weather winter months result in fewer tickets, loss of revenue, and many unproductive workdays. Believe it or not, the officers are as concerned about the stability of the authority as I am and expressed their desire to do their part in the continuation of keeping our agency a vital part of the community.

Being out in the field learning about my agency’s operation from a parking enforcement officer’s perspective was an invaluable, enjoyable, and eye-opening experience. There is so much more to these employees than the public believes. They are sharp, eager to do a good job, work independently, and so appreciated the time I spent with them as they were happy to “train” me in the practices and manner in which they conduct themselves in their day-to-day work ethics. They educated me in many ways, not just in how they are able to follow policy set before them but also in the personal way they journey through their days and how they make decisions based on their integrity. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic parking enforcement team. Kudos to the FLPA crew!

GLORIA GALLO, CAPP, is executive director of the Fort Lee, N.J., Parking Authority. She can be reached at gloriag@fortleepa.org.

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Unleashing the Beast

by Vanessa R. Cummings, CAPP, M.Div.

Bringing the BEAST to customer service.

The beast is a process for you to put into practice every day, especially in difficult or unusual situations or when someone tries to take you over the limit. tpp-2016-6-unleash-the-beast_page_1

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN PUSHED TO YOUR PARKING LIMIT?

Have you had customers call you by a name other than your own? Have you felt the need to snap some parking sense into a customer? Customer service is one of the key complaints received about parking, and feedback ranges from courteous and professional to rude and inconsiderate. Excellent customer service is key to building positive relationships with our customers. Realizing that many negative comments stem from face-to-face interactions with parking professionals, it is important that those interactions be good ones.

This is true whether you work in the office or in the field. Customer interactions run the gamut from visitors needing directions, to drivers who need motorist assistance, to those who have received tickets. It is important not to jump to conclusions that everyone out there is “up against” you. If you are predisposed to that mindset, your interaction will start that way, primarily because you approached it on the defense. However, if your mind is focused on the fact that every interaction is an opportunity to serve, you will naturally be more kind, listen more, and respond with a positive tone.

When interactions are headed the wrong direction and not going well, you need a resource to call upon. Enter the parking beast! Yes, I said beast. Next time someone tries to take you to your frustration limit, you give them the customer service BEAST.

Who or what is this beast? The beast is a process for you to put into practice every day, especially in difficult or unusual situations or when someone tries to take you over your limit. The beast is nothing for you or your customers to fear; it brings a higher level of customer service to those customers on whom you may initially want to breathe fire. You will find that the beast should keep you from escalating the situation, help you de-escalate it, and show the customer that you know how to stay calm, even in stressful situations.

Breathe in.
Slowly take a deep, therapeutic breath in. This allows you to gather yourself, suck it up, and begin to clear your mind. Think about when people have pushed you to your limit—your breathing usually changes, and as a result, you may find yourself tensing up and breathing rapidly. A slow, deep breath will allow you to begin to control your breathing and may prevent your blood pressure from making a quick rise. It also occurs as a natural result because when you are about to lose your temper, you often take a quick deep breath so you can say everything you want (or sometimes just feel the need) to say. However, the slower you inhale, the more control you gain of yourself because you are focusing on your breathing and not what just occurred or was just said.

Breathing in is directly related to the next point that goes hand-in-hand with your survival and your health.

Exhale slowly.
Exhaling slowly only occurs when you take control and pay attention to how you are breathing. Slow exhalation allows you to cleanse the negative energy and thoughts and release the stressors you just inhaled. Slow breathing should reduce the rapid-fire,
knee-jerk response and allow you to begin calming yourself. As you are exhaling, begin to focus on a solution to the situation at hand and not the person or words spoken.

You may end up with the BEBEBEAST because you may have to do the first two steps two or three times. Repeat the first two steps as many times as you need to so you know you are in control of your breathing, and then move on to “A.” Introducing the BEAST

Adjust your attitude and perspective.
When someone has said or done something that does not sit well with you, your first response is often not the best response. Adjusting your attitude and perspective allows you to focus on problem resolution and not the person or his or her issue. There are people who will try to get a negative reaction from you to use against you to try to avoid responsibility for their actions. Remember, you are the parking professional so you are held to a higher standard. “Professional” means you maintain a level of maturity and respect even when disagreements and conflicts arise.

Adjusting your attitude and perspective requires you to consider: What if you were in the customer’s situation? How would you feel or react? Was the signage clear? What did he or she just say to you? Did the person try to do the right thing? Was he or she truly confused? What if that customer was your spouse or child? How would you want him or her to be addressed?

These questions should provide a reality check and open your mind to viewing the situation from a different perspective. That view should also result in an attitude adjustment (if you were headed the wrong way). The right attitude and perspective should
provide you with an appropriate response that will educate and uplift, not hurt. If you want to snap back, you should reassess and come up with a courteous response that could also help the customer to learn how to avoid the negative situation or adjust his or her attitude the next time.

Smile internally.
Before you speak, put a smile in your mind and a pleasant look on your face and remove any scowls or frowns. By smiling internally, what you say and how you say it should be much kinder than if you appear indifferent. Typically, a smile will alter the tone and tenor of what you say. Do not smile at the person as if you are happy to hand him or her a $100 ticket or look as if he or she should be happy to get a ticket. Remember to imagine yourself or your family member on the other end of the interaction.

A sincere facial effect conveys to the receiver that you are concerned about him or her and his or her situation, that you take him or her seriously; and it conveys respect. Respect goes a long way in customer service.

Talk to the Person.
Talk to the person, not at the person. Some people who have been mistreated by customers perceive situations as what they are up against. If your mindset is that you are up against people and situations, you will address those situations more defensively. Those who are up against something feel a need to rebel, respond, and take charge of
the situation.

As a parking professional, you should not approach the situation as being up against anyone. You provide a service to people who have chosen to use the service. If you want them to return and do things right the next time, you should talk to them in a manner that is welcoming, even when you may have to tell them “no” to cancelling their ticket or allowing them to park illegally. Again, place yourself on the receiving end of the interaction and how you would like to be addressed.

Breathe in.

Exhale slowly.

Adjust your attitude and perspective.

Smile internally.

Talk to the person, not at the person.

As you begin to think about bringing the BEAST, remember that customer service is just that: service. To serve implies doing something good to aid someone else. Writing tickets may not initially be understood as something good to the recipients, but those whose opportunities to find parking are improved appreciate the services provided.

Most people who have contact with parking professionals have questions and need information; they are not coming to complain or ask for favors. When that perspective is realized, the parking professional should bring a different and more positive approach to parking. If that is done, then your approach to those who are less than happy should reflect the parking beast and not a frustrated parking professional.

Imagine your staff wearing shirts that say, “Ask Me about the Parking BEAST!” It will provide a great opportunity to talk positively about parking and teach folks the rules before they park. Now, take the parking BEAST (or, if necessary the BEBEBEAST), with you, and enjoy your job and the people you serve!

TPP-2016-06-Unleashing the Beast

Constant Progress

IPI’s volunteer leaders have been hard at work via the association’s committees, advancing the parking profession with programs, initiatives, and research. Here’s what they’vetpp-2016-05-constant-progress_page_1 been doing so far this year.

Awards of Excellence Committee
IPI’s Awards of Excellence competition for new facilities, surface lots, innovative programs, sustainable new construction, and restoration of existing structures never ceases to amaze the committee. Committee members review the entries each year; at press time, members just completed our second year of online judging and are looking forward to turning it up a notch in the 2017 competition by increasing the total number of overall entries. Every year, it’s tougher to choose the beautifully designed facilities, technology-driven innovative programs, and overall architectural achievement winners.

Prior to opening the upcoming 35th annual competition, the committee will be streamlining the category criteria and looking at ways to increase the total number of entries. The committee will also be moving the timing of the competition’s timeline for entries to begin in summer 2016 with a deadline moving to late fall 2016. For more information, visit parking.org/aoe.

CO-CHAIRS: Rick Decker, CAPP, and Anderson Moore

Consultants Committee
The Consultants Committee is participating in numerous IPI initiatives that cross committee lines. The committee is supporting the Parking Matters® initiative to create case studies that demonstrate just how critical parking programs are to our cities, campuses, and transportation networks. In addition, the consultants are actively engaged in supporting IPI’s Green Star Exhibitor program, which gives recognition to companies that provide sustainable solutions, products, and services that are in line with IPI’s ustainability Framework. We are working with the Smart Card Alliance to generate a timely and relevant update to the EMV and Parking White Paper and help guide parking professionals through the transition to Europay MasterCard Visa (EMV) technology. And we are bringing back the Consultants Talk Back panel to the 2016 IPI Conference & Expo, this time with a focus on
mobility and alternative transportation.

CO-CHAIRS: John Bushman, PE, and Mark Santos, PE

Education Development Committee
Last summer, the Education Development Committee (EDC) welcomed several new members. The current committee, comprised of 16 volunteers, continues its tradition of effective and relevant output. The committee’s recent focus has included an update to the CAPP Resource Guide, a refresh of the CAPP practice exam, and the development of new online courses, including “Technology Trends” and “Foundations of Finance.” These two courses, as well as other online courses, are available for purchase through IPI. It is important to note that several of the courses have been provided to state and regional parking organization workshops as part of their front-line, in-person training efforts.

Recently, Denny Smith, PhD, joined the IPI staff and is working with several committee members to further professionalize our education products. Next in the queue for the EDC is to work closely with the USGBC and develop course content in support of the Green
Garage Certification process (now known as Parksmart).

CO-CHAIRS: Tom Wunk, CAPP, and Josh Cantor

ITS Parking Task Force
It has been an exciting couple of months within the ITS Parking Task Force as we have been actively pursuing presentation opportunities nationwide. We were selected to present at the New England Parking Council Spring Conference & Tradeshow in late March and were offered a special opportunity to present during the IGNITE session at the 2016 IPI Conference & Expo. Part of the task force’s recent efforts has been to format our current presentation to the IGNITE timeframe of five minutes, which has been an interesting challenge. We were also fortunate enough to have an article published in the February edition of The Parking Professional that highlighted a traffic management center (TMC) and our objectives. Lastly, we are putting the finishing touches on the Tennessee DOT-TMC visit, which will serve as the only offsite facility tour offered at this year’s IPI Conference & Expo in Nashville, Tenn.

CO-CHAIRS: Jason Jones and Ken Smith, CAPP

Membership Committee
New members, first-time attendees, and member prospects will have plenty on tap to welcome them at the 2016 IPI Conference & Expo, May 17–20, in Nashville. Among them:

  • A new-member/first-timer orientation that will include a fun speed-networking social session featuring topics designed to get the conversation flowing.
  • Conference morning meet-ups in Central Perks, a relaxed coffeehouse setting, with membership committee members on hand to greet. Look for membership committee members wearing big buttons that say “Ask Me Why I (Heart) IPI,” and share your personal stories about how IPI benefits you, your career, and your organization.

By reaching out and growing membership, we will add new voices and ideas and further expand IPI’s sphere of influence worldwide. Ultimately, our goal  is to advance the parking profession, and one way to do that is to help members access all the benefits of membership—most of all, offering the ability to connect, share, and learn from peers.

Also in the works, an update to IPI’s short but sweet member video. Stay tuned!

CO-CHAIRS: Allen Corry, CAPP, and Mark Lyons, CAPP

Parking Matters Committee
Parking Matters. We know it, but to many outside stakeholders, which include city  managers, elected officials, university decision-makers, airport and hospital executives, urban planners, etc., the proof is seeing real parking solutions to real challenges.

That’s why the Parking Matters Committee is on a mission to gather case studies that tell our story across all sectors. Have a case study to share? Let us know, and we’ll send you a case study form to submit. At this month’s IPI Conference & Expo, we’ll also be videotaping industry leaders, capturing compelling parking success stories for a series of videos. And Parking Matters Marketing & Communications Awards winners will be announced. This year, more than 10 programs will receive honors, with three capturing Best of 2016 awards. Look for their great ideas and marketing takeaways in the July issue of The Parking Professional.

We’ll also be unveiling an (unfortunately) much-needed tool for parking professionals on suicide prevention, response, and recovery. Also, if you see reporters or TV crews in the Expo Hall, that’s our PM media outreach initiative up close and personal, improving  perceptions about parking.

CO-CHAIRS: Gary Means, CAPP, and Vanessa Solesbee

Parking Research Committee
The mission of the Parking Research Committee is to help our members and industry take a deeper look into topics that are both timely and useful. As such, our group has been allocating its recent effort on a project that could help define the parking industry. Our group, in conjunction with staff and the Membership Committee, is hosting an ongoing survey to derive the overall size (spaces, revenue, and type) of the parking industry—first, within IPI’s membership. The survey went to IPI members recently and will be compiled and analyzed in 2016; all participants will receive a copy as soon as it is released. The ongoing survey is likely a jumping off point for bigger efforts beyond IPI’s membership but serves as a starting point and foundation for this important exercise.

In addition, members of our committee are also beginning parallel efforts that will create a library of relevant and timely published research for IPI membership, create succinct information about mobile applications, and embark on research about the true effects of paid parking in an urban environment.

CO-CHAIRS: Irena Goloschokin and Brett Wood, CAPP

Professional Recognition Program Committee
This program has always been about one thing: parking industry people. Whether individually or as a team, their outstanding go-getter attitudes build the organizations that are leading the way for others to follow.

This year, the new Emerging Leader of the Year category was added to the Professional Recognition competition. The committee also reviews the nominations for lifetime achievement and staff member, supervisor, organization, and parking professional of the year. It’s always a difficult playing field, but the committee is happy to see what others are doing in the industry and committed to choosing those to honor at the parking.org/prp.

In the near future, the committee will be gearing up to move the timing of the ompetition’s call for nominations to begin in summer 2016 with the deadline moving to late fall 2016. For more information, visit parking.org/prp.

CO-CHAIRS: Dan Kupferman, CAPP, and Wayne Mixdorf, CAPP

Safety and Security Committee
The Safety and Security Committee is made up of a group of professionals with a wealth of experience in safety, security, and incident command scenarios.

Current committee projects include:

  • Senior driving campaign. IPI is working with AAA to launch a campaign to educate senior drivers about parking safely.
  • Inclement weather survey. This initiative will provide resources to improve the safety and security of parking patrons, staff, and facilities. The survey will be distributed to IPI membership in fall 2016.
  • Suicide Prevention Task Force. In an effort to help member agencies, IPI is working in cooperation with mental health and suicide prevention experts to develop education regarding awareness, prevention, response, and recovery to incidents of suicides taking place within parking facilities.
  • NCS4: IPI and NCS4 (the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety & Security) are developing member education to enhance event safety. (See p. 24 for more.)

CO-CHAIRS: Bruce Barclay, CAPP, and Geary Robinson, PhD, CAPP

State & Regional Committee
When IPI asks state and regional associations (SRA) how we can better support their success, the resounding answer is with membership management, including marketing, recruitment, value proposition, and retention.

The IPI/SRA liaison program is in high gear with more than 10 liaisons building upon and fostering new lines of communication, and IPI set forth to develop an education series surrounding membership management for SRA volunteers. With the successful premiere of the “Thirty Minutes of Education (TME), Gearing Up to Grow Membership,” IPI provided its first quarterly expert-facilitated talk for the SRAs.

On Feb. 24, Peggy Hoffman, CAE, president of Mariner Management, talked about the top three needs to jump-start marketing, additional resources and case studies, and two action items to get started. IPI looks forward to continuing the engagement of industry experts for SRA volunteers in the TME series. Future TME topics may include increasing the member value proposition, raising membership rates, and finding new revenue sources.

CO-CHAIRS: Bridgette Brady, CAPP, and David Onorato, CAPP

Sustainability Committee
When this issue went to print, the Sustainability Committee was gearing up to review applicants for the Green Star Exhibitor program at the 2016 IPI Conference & Expo. Green Star highlights exhibitors who have a commitment to sustainability and/or provide products or services that help organizations meet their sustainability goals.

The committee is also developing case studies on sustainable projects that will be available to the IPI community. Case studies under development include bike access, lighting, ventilation, and electric transportation. The committee will provide a full slate of
articles to The Parking Professional, including stories on stormwater management and bike education programs.

CO-CHAIRS: Irma Henderson, CAPP, and Brian Shaw, CAPP

TPP-2016-05-Constant Progress

 

More Than Acronyms

by Mark D. Napier, CAPP

Why parking professionals need to understand NIMS and ICS and what each can do in a disaster.tpp-2016-05-more-than-acronyms_page_1

It is important for all parking professionals to understand the basic tenants of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS). The fundamentals of each are relevant to the parking industry, and the implementation of NIMS or the activation of an ICS structure are not limited to large-scale crisis events such as terrorism or natural disasters.

The terms NIMS and ICS are often incorrectly used interchangeably. ICS is in fact a component of NIMS. So what does each do, and how are they relevant to parking professionals? Read on.

NIMS

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005 increased our awareness that we needed to focus on improving our emergency management, incident coordination, and our capabilities across a full spectrum of potential incidents. We needed to put in place a national framework to prevent and handle significant events that potentially involve cross-jurisdictional government resources and participation by many other stakeholders. NIMS arose out of that need and establishes a national-approach framework.

NIMS provides a systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of government and the private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, to reduce the loss of life and property and harm to the environment. While it is true that perhaps only the federal government could design such a run-on sentence as a statement of purpose, we should find instructive what it indicates. NIMS’ intent is not to be limited only to government agencies and is not designed to be only reactive. NIMS also speaks to the need for multiple stakeholders to work together to reduce critical incidents and be able to effectively respond to them.

NIMS is comprised of four components that work together in a flexible and systematic manner:

1. Preparedness. This involves a host of activities conducted on an ongoing basis in advance of any potential incident—training, planning, establishing procedures, examining personnel qualifications, maintaining an inventory of equipment resources, and completing a scan of the environment to determine potential vulnerabilities. A parking professional should address at a minimum the following with respect to preparedness:

  • What are your total personnel resources?
  • Are your personnel ready to respond to a significant event?
  • Do you have an accurate inventory of your equipment resources?
  • Do you have up-to-date policies and procedures for handling significant events?
  • Have you conducted an assessment of potential vulnerabilities or other factors in the environment of your operation that could pose a threat (weather, nearby targets, etc.)?
  • Have you conducted exercises/drills to test your preparedness?

2. Communications and information management. Emergency management and incident response rely on the ability to communicate and access information systems. We need to assess in advance of an incident our capabilities with respect to this component. The significant error is to not consider the failure of systems during a significant event—it is probable that many of the systems relied upon during normal business would be dysfunctional. Consider what alternatives or potentials for redundancy might be available given a wide array of system compromises. The end result should be the development of reliable and scalable alternatives.

3. Resource management. This component involves two distinct facets: First, what are your current resources, and where are the gaps in what might be required to address a significant event? This includes both personnel and physical resources. Second, in a
significant event, how would resources be mobilized, tracked, and recovered? In a recent significant event, a parking operator felt comfortable that available cones and barricades were sufficient until he realized that there was no reliable system to transport them from a remote site to where they were needed. During Hurricane Katrina, dozens of New Orleans school buses sat in flooded parking lots after failing to be deployed to assist with evacuations.

4. Command and management. This component involves the ability to effectively and efficiently manage incidents through a standardized incident management structure—the Incident Command System (ICS). The preceding three steps should occur before an incident. This one ensures that we can appropriately respond when there is an incident.

5. Ongoing management and maintenance. We can think of this component as how we stay ready and prepared. Too often, we get excited about a new concept or program and then steadily lose interest over time. Unfortunately, this can lead to tragic results when we finally need to respond to significant event. We cannot look at NIMS as a one-and-done project. NIMS has to become a part of how we do business and something that is revisited and refreshed on a regular basis. This can be done through exercises, drills, refresher training, and effective debriefing of incidents when they occur. Another effective technique is reviewing critical events that happened in other locations, assessing how your operation would have responded under similar circumstances, and embracing a lessons-learned mindset.

Remember that the first three components are important. These are components that you must engage before an incident occurs. No matter how skilled you are at ICS or capable you might be with respect to command and management, you simply will fail if you have not paid attention to preparedness, communication and information management, and resource management ahead of an event.

There are tremendous resources and information under the “independent study” tab at training.fema.gov/is/. They are free of charge and content-rich.

ICS
There is a huge misconception in our industry that ICS only applies to first responders and extremely large crisis events. This is simply not the case. The parking professional needs to understand the fundamentals of ICS for two reasons: Our operations might be affected by the implementation of ICS during a significant event. Parking operations are not located in the middle of empty cornfields. Parking exists in congested areas, central business districts, college campuses, airports, and around critical infrastructure. All of these areas are prime locations for producing significant events.

There is also a great likelihood that parking operations will become part of the implementation of ICS activation. A knowledgeable parking professional can be an asset to handling the event instead of an uninformed bystander, or worse, an impediment to operations.

ICS as a structure is scalable and adaptable to address events from the relatively small to the catastrophic and highly relevant to the unique structure of parking. Using ICS for every incident, planned or unplanned, helps hone and maintain the skills needed for addressing large-scale and serious incidents.

Incident Command Structure
Structure and the integrity of structure are important elements to the successful implementation of ICS. For ICS implementation to lead to the successful handling of an incident, each member in the structure must understand his/her roles and responsibilities and have the discipline to stay within his or her confines. This often takes a much higher level of discipline than is present in our day-to-day operations and may be something many team members are entirely unaccustomed to.

The Incident Commander
When an incident spans only a single jurisdictional or operational area, there should be only one incident commander (IC). When an incident is so large as to span multiple jurisdictions or several operational areas, you might establish an incident management team (IMT) that is comprised of ICs from each jurisdiction or operational area. Most often, there will be a single IC who will assume responsibility over an incident, develop incident objectives, and serve as the central decision-maker for action plan implementation.

The IC should be the person with the greatest understanding of the incident, the incident environment, and the available resources. This person might also be selected based on training and supervisory/command abilities:

  • A command staff supporting the IC is comprised of a public information officer, a safety officer, and a liaison officer. The IC alone gives direction to his or her command staff.
  • The public information officer is responsible for interfacing with the media, public, and outside agencies with incident-related information.
  • The safety officer monitors the incident operations and notifies the IC of any health/safety issues that might affect incident personnel.
  • The liaison officer is the IC’s point of contact for representatives of other agencies and organizations that might support incident operations or be affected by them.

ICS General Staff
The operations section is responsible for carrying out the activities directed by the incident objectives at the direction of the IC. It does not freelance its activities. Any activity engaged in is at the expressed direction of the IC unless there exists an immediate unanticipated threat to life or property. The operations section may be subdivided to branches based on function or geographic disbursement.

The planning section is responsible for the collection and dissemination of incident situation information and intelligence to the IC. This section may compile status reports, display situation information, and prepare other documentation with input from the operations section chief for the IC. The planning section is further divided into support sections that report directly to the planning section chief:

  • Resources unit. Responsible for recording the status of resources committed to the incident. This unit also evaluates resources committed currently to the incident, the effects additional responding resources will have on the incident, and anticipated resource needs.
  • Situation unit. Responsible for the collection, organization, and analysis of incident status information and for analysis of the situation as it progresses.
  • Demobilization unit. Responsible for ensuring orderly, safe, and efficient demobilization of incident resources.
  • Documentation unit. Responsible for collecting, recording, and safeguarding all documents relevant to the incident.
  • Technical specialists. Personnel with special skills that can be used anywhere within the ICS organization.

The logistics section is responsible for all service support requirements needed to facilitate effective incident management. This section also provides facilities, transportation, supplies, equipment, and all other resources required to address the incident. In the activation of ICS, parking resources would most likely fall in the logistics section.

The logistics section is further divided into support sections:

  • Supply unit. Orders, receives, stores, and processes all incident-related resources, personnel, and supplies.
  • Ground support unit. Provides all ground transportation during an incident; also responsible for maintaining and supplying vehicles, keeping usage records, and developing incident traffic plans.
  • Facilities unit. Sets up, maintains, and demobilizes all facilities used in support of incident operations. The unit also provides facility maintenance and security services required to support incident operations.
  • Food unit. Determines food and water requirements, plans menus, orders food, provides cooking facilities, cooks, serves, maintains food service areas, and manages food security and safety concerns.
  • Communications unit. Major responsibilities include effective communications planning as well as acquiring, setting up, maintaining, and accounting for communications equipment.
  • Medical unit. Responsible for the effective and efficient provision of medical services to incident personnel.

The finance/administration section is only activated when the incident management is of such a scale as to require incident specific finance or administrative support.

ICS Implementation
It is easy to see that the ICS structure provides a comprehensive approach to handling significant incidents. However, to limit it to only those events is a lost opportunity to improve performance. How often have you approached a problem or challenge occurring in your parking operation to wonder if the right hand knows what the left hand is doing? ICS implementation clarifies roles and responsibilities while providing a structure that ensures coordination, communication, and a comprehensive approach. You need not implement every element of the ICS structure to derive significant benefit from it as a tool. Moreover, using it for smaller challenges or minor events is excellent practice for a major event.

Many forward-thinking parking professionals understand the power of ICS and do not wait for an incident or challenge to occur. They have regular tabletop exercises to simulate ICS implementation at a significant event. Some have gone as far as to have a topic presented for brief discussion at every weekly staff meeting. The more we practice with ICS, the more it becomes a part of how we operate and the more skilled we become at its implementation. Ideally, it should be second nature. You simply cannot wait until a significant event occurs and then hope for the best.

Additional ICS Considerations
Your parking operation may become part of the incident environment of an outside entity’s ICS activation. Being educated in ICS, you will better understand where your operation might fit in the incident environment and how decisions are made in the structure.

Recently, a large campus’ university police department got a call of a possible active shooter near the center of campus. Police activated ICS, and the IC decided that while the area search was conducted by operations, all personnel in the area should shelter in place. The supervisor of a parking garage in the area made the decision to open all the garage gates so people could escape the area. This interjected congestion into the area and caused people following the shelter-in-place order to believe there was a change and leave shelter. This could have led to tragic results. The parking professional needs to be aware of ICS and where decision-making resides during significant incidents.

A fundamental aspect of ICS implementation is the requirement for a debriefing. A debriefing allows us to reflect on performance and identify areas for improvement. Rank and organizational status must be left at the door for these to be effective. A debriefing should allow for very frank and direct conversations. The best of these can be incredibly uncomfortable. Remember, that practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.

Finally, parking leadership should meet regularly with law enforcement and first responders in their area. We can be viewed as a valued partner because of the assets, both in terms of facilities and personnel, we can bring to an ICS activation. We should request to be included in exercises and drills. This connects us to the logistics section and identifies our resources under NIMS. We also will develop lines of communications and professional relationships that have meaningful value should we need assistance in addressing a significant event localized to our operations.

Back to NIMS
ICS is how we respond to incidents. NIMS is the global way we prepare for incidents, with ICS being one component thereof. Do not neglect the other components of NIMS.

We need to put the tools of NIMS and ICS in our toolbox but ensure they do not rust there. Conduct exercises and implement ICS on small events and for challenges that are more typical. When a major incident occurs, we should hope our people fall into the ICS structure with calm professional demeanor, without being prompting, and bring credit to our industry through competent incident resolution and valued collaboration with local first responders.

MARK D. NAPIER, CAPP, is associate director, parking and transportation services, at the
University of Arizona. He can be reached at mnapier@email.

TPP-2016-05-More than Acronyms

Parking Safety by Design

by Khurshid Hoda

Crime prevention through environmental design boosts safety with relatively easy steps for both new builds and existing-structure retrofits.tpp-2016-05-parking-safety-by-design_page_1

SAFETY AND SECURITY are important aspects of operating a successful parking structure. Part of developing an effective parking structure includes helping ensure that design elements support a safe and secure environment for patrons and their vehicles. Promoting a safe and secure environment is important for the businesses within the facility and the future success of the parking facility.

If the facility should experience criminal activities, the negative effect on the business and its patrons can greatly damage the parking organization’s reputation. Once a negative impression is publicly released in the media, it is difficult to reverse its effect on the businesses and gain back the trust of parking patrons.

Parking facilities, especially multi-level structures, encompass large land areas but have a low activity level compared to the businesses they support. Typically, the building and the businesses within the building are where patrons congregate, and there is a small percentage of individuals in the parking facility compared to those inside the building. Although there are various factors to consider, such as location, parking facilities can often be at risk for “opportunity” crime, given the relatively low occupancy. A non-scientific review of crime data shows that among all types of real estate (excluding residential), parking facilities can be prone to larceny and violent crimes. The data also show that a majority of individuals assaulted in parking structures are women walking alone to their vehicles.

Inherent Challenges
There are some characteristics inherent in parking facilities that make ensuring safety and security for parking patrons and their vehicles a challenge. A criminal’s vehicle looks like nearly every other vehicle so it would likely not be noticed in a parking facility. Additionally, blind corners, sightline obstructions, and parked vehicles can provide a hiding place for a criminal and potentially block the lighting in the area where a criminal could hide.

Often, a parking patron’s ability to see and be seen is reduced because parking structures are partially or fully enclosed, elevated, have multiple levels, or include ramps that provide vehicular access to multiple floors of the facility. Although there is no one perfect solution when determining how to address the security of a parking structure, providing reasonable safety and security in the parking facility is in the best interest of the owner and the traveling public. Reasonable security measures will help to deter and prevent criminal activity.

For a security measure to be a deterrent, it has to have a psychological effect on a criminal. It should discourage potential criminals from committing a criminal act. Examples of deterrence are adequate lighting, closed-circuit TV (CCTV) monitoring, and signs posted indicating security patrols within and around the facility.

The opportunities for criminal activity in a parking facility can be significantly reduced by properly planning and implementing security measures in the design and construction of the parking facility. The security measures should seek to affect both the psyche of the criminal mind and the parking patron, as well as improve the physical conditions within the facility with proven security enhancements.

By Design
Incorporating security features in the design of a parking structure is one of the best examples of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). This approach deters criminals by making them feel trapped, out of place, exposed, and concerned that others inside and are many design elements that enhance the CPTED approach—we’ll discuss them shortly.

Any measure or technique not requiring human interaction or response, including lighting, glass-backed elevators, open or glass-enclosed stairs, etc., is defined as passive security. Passive security features also can be referred to as security-by-design. This approach refers to specific parking facility design elements, features, materials, and systems that can enhance the overall security of the facility without active human interaction. Passive security measures are cost-effective and last the life of the parking facility. If these measures are implemented and maintained well, they significantly contribute to patrons’ feeling of safety and comfort within the parking facility.

Based on input received from various owners, parking consultants, and this author’s experience, the following five passive security features have a significant positive effect on parking structure security:

1. Lighting Design. Parking and security consultants strongly agree that adequate and uniform lighting is the first line of defense and most effective deterrent against criminal activities in parking facilities. Several studies have been conducted by security experts that prove sufficient lighting has reduced crime in an area.

Eliminating dark areas deters crime, promotes enhanced user comfort, and improves the overall perception of safety. Ample lighting helps encourage safe movement of pedestrians and vehicles within the parking facility and improves internal wayfinding.

Lighting levels are generally not mandated by building codes, other than certain minimum levels required for emergency egress. The industry guidelines for parking facility lighting are established by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). These guidelines are not legal building codes, but failure to comply with IESNA recommendations does carry significant liability risks.

For improved safety and increased customer security in parking facilities, it is suggested that these lighting levels be increased by 50 percent and motion-sensor controlled lighting be installed. The security experts agree that motion-sensor systems will further enhance patrons’ safety and reduce energy costs. In high-crime areas, some security experts suggest increasing the IESNA light levels by 100 percent. Of course, these suggestions are based on the understanding that the project budget could support the cost of higher light levels (first and operating and maintenance [O&M] costs). However, with advancements in energy-saving light fixtures and building management systems, it is expected the O&M costs would be significantly lower than those of older fixtures and systems.

Lighting fixtures should be paired in each parking bay. The paired-fixture approach improves lighting uniformity and provides a certain level of redundancy should a single lamp failure occur. Additionally, this will minimize shadows created by parked vehicles, as well as reduce the lighting glare in the drive aisles. The paired fixture approach is also beneficial if a CCTV system is used.

Staining ceiling and beams of parking facilities is a way of increasing reflectance of concrete surfaces, thus increasing overall brightness and improving overall parking environment. This approach also improves overall lighting uniformity because stained concrete uniformly reflects light on the driving surface. Staining or painting walls may encourage graffiti and will become a regular maintenance issue. Therefore, wall staining is not recommended.

2. Clear-Span Construction. Clear-span construction technique reduces the number of columns within the parking facility, creating an open environment, better visibility, and minimizing potential hiding places.

One of the factors that should be evaluated is the structural system. Structural beams in cast-in-place (CIP) systems are generally located at more than 25 feet apart. The wider span provides for a higher ceiling perception, which provides more open space, better lighting from fewer fixtures, and better visibility of signage. All these factors improve visibility, thus enhancing the safety of patrons and their vehicles.

3. Glass-backed elevators and open stairs. The more open and visible parking areas can be made, the better they are for passive security purposes. The theory behind this is that criminals are less likely to assault a parking patron in front of a clear glass window or open stairs than in an enclosed area. Therefore, it is recommended that parking structures have glass-backed elevators and open stairs.

4. Landscape design. Almost all parking structure projects include some level of landscape design. Inappropriate placement of shrubbery, hedges, and trees can restrict line of sight for pedestrian and vehicular traffic and may negatively affect parking safety and security. Therefore, landscaping should be kept low to the ground to minimize potential hiding places around the parking facility. It is important to properly maintain landscaping elements because if they are allowed to grow too tall, they may cause safety and security concerns.

5. Human activity. Legitimate human activity in any parking facility improves the safety and security of patrons and their vehicles. However, it is difficult to establish appropriate and legitimate human activity in a parking structure. To some extent, locating a parking office in a parking facility achieves this purpose. Additionally, providing pedestrian access to mixed-use elements (if available) through the parking structure, without sacrificing pedestrian safety, may also achieve human activity in parking structures. These features will assist in improving patron and vehicle safety.

Other Security Enhancements
Depending on the use and type of parking structures, the following measures may be implemented to further enhance parking security:

  • The addition of escalators (generally used in parking structures at airports and large malls) provides vertical movement for pedestrians with a high visibility, which is an excellent passive security feature inside a parking structure.
  • Security screens protect potential hiding places, such as areas below the first flight of stairs.
  • The addition of convex mirrors in elevator cabs allows patrons to see if anyone is hiding inside the cab before they enter.
  • Glass panels in stairwell doors improve visibility.
  • Curbs and wheel-stops should be minimized as they are potential trip hazards. For enhanced visibility, faces and tops of curbs/ wheel stops should be painted yellow.
  • Signs should not impede drivers’ vision or create hiding places for intruders.

The above discussion and suggestions are by no means a complete list of measures for all parking structures. For each parking structure, a site-specific safety and security evaluation should be conducted, and appropriate measures should be implemented including “active” security measures (if needed) during design and construction phases.

KHURSHID HODA is a parking practice builder with Kimley-Horn and Associates. He can be reached at khurshid.hoda@kimley-horn.com.

TPP-2016-05-Parking Safety by Design

Big Events Big Challenges

How sport safety and security are greatly enhanced by parking and now, by IPI.tpp-2016-05-big-events-big-challenges_page_1

SOME OF THE BIGGEST SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE WORLD HAPPEN IN SPORTS, and perhaps nowhere are there more people parking in a compact area at a single time. Sporting events bring unique security challenges, and many start right in the parking area.

The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at the University of Southern Mississippi supports the advancement of sports safety and security through training, professional development, academic programs, and research. The organization works with professional leagues, collegiate athletics, and professional associations, private firms, and government agencies to promote special-event security.

NCS4’s director, Lou Marciani, is the principal investigator in more than $9.4 million in externally funded grants through the  Mississippi Office of Homeland Security and U.S Department of Education. He has an extensive background in sports management, was executive director of two sports governing bodies for the U.S. Olympic Committee, and is an expert in sports event safety and security. He recently talked with The Parking Professional about security at sporting events and the critical role played by parking and IPI.

The Parking Professional: How did NCS4 get its start?
Lou Marciani: In 2005, faculty members initiated research in sport security. We began with grants from the Office of Mississippi Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to study risk assessment, simulation modeling for evacuations, and training. As a result of our research, The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security was established in 2006. The purpose of the national center is to support the advancement of sport safety and security through training, professional development, academic programs, and research. NCS4 collaborates with professional leagues, open-access events, intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics, along with professional associations, private-sector firms, and government agencies.

TPP: What are some of the safety concerns NCS4 has dealt with?
LM: Since 2006, we have worked with the sport industry assisting with their safety and security issues for stadiums, arenas, and outdoor events. The emphasis has been on terrorist activity. Research has indicated many common vulnerabilities in terrorist activities as well as all-hazard incidents. To protect facilities against threats and to mitigate the effect of an attack, we have been assisting sport organizations with the following countermeasures:

  • Planning and preparedness.
  • Personnel development and training.
  • Access control strategies.
  • Barrier protection.
  • Communication and notification.
  • Monitoring, surveillance, and inspection.
  • Infrastructure interdependencies.
  • Cybersecurity.
  • Incident response.

TPP: What obstacles do sports venue have to implementing certain safety solutions?
LM: The No. 1 obstacle is funding for physical security measures that include equipment, personnel, and procedures. In addition, educating administrations on the importance of enhancing security measures can be a challenge.

TPP: How has event safety evolved over the years?
LM: Event safety and security has evolved since 9/11. Providing a safe and secure environment is a priority for all stakeholders involved in delivering a sporting event. The increasing profile of sport and event properties has resulted in increased exposure to risks that affect spectators, participants, and other entities. High-profile sport events provide a perfect target for terrorists. It is important for sport managers responsible for safety and security planning to be able to detect, deter, respond to, and recover from a catastrophic incident, be it natural or man-made.

TPP: What effect does parking have in providing a safe environment at sporting events?
LM: Parking plays a much greater role today than in the past. We have seen a dramatic change in parking at sport centers. Both on the collegiate and professional levels, parking is a place for congregation before and after contests or events. We have witnessed an increase in tailgating that’s put additional importance on securing these parking lots. These congregations create additional safety and security issues such as alcohol, pedestrian/vehicular traffic, and ingress/egress issues.

TPP: What role can a parking professional have in providing a safe environment at sporting events?
LM: At most events, the parking attendant is the first person to greet the customer. In order to enhance the safety and security for customers, it’s very important to have good perimeter protection. Thanks to a new collaboration, the sports industry has an opportunity to reach out to the International Parking Institute. The entire sports industry will benefit from IPI’s members, manufacturers, and suppliers of products and equipment, as well as professional planners and consultants, architects, and engineers to provide insight into creating more enhanced safe environments.

TPP: What do you hope will come from a relationship with IPI?
LM: With major sporting events bringing together tens of thousands of spectators in a confined space, security challenges can be daunting. NCS4 has developed industryleading programs to ensure high levels of security at such events, while IPI’s members, manufacturers and suppliers of products and equipment, as well as professional planners and consultants, architects, and engineers, continuously strive to provide safe environments for their customers. We hope to address the unique security challenges through information sharing, support of each other’s programs, and interaction between the organizations’ respective members.

NCS4 and IPI members share the common goal of protecting spectators and employees at sport centers from crime and terrorist attack. Both organizations are committed to developing clear channels of communication between their members that will educate to mitigate risk and to enhance response. We hope to promote collaboration between the organizations to address the unique security challenges facing sport centers.

TPP: Is training a core component of NCS4?
LM: Yes, NCS4 offers comprehensive sports safety and security training focused on building capabilities for multi-agency collaboration pertaining to risk management, incident management, evacuation training and exercise, and crisis management. The intact security teams from professional programs, intercollegiate, and interscholastic athletics, as well as open-access events, learn the concepts relative to planning, training and exercise, and recovery/business continuity through scenario-based training modules. Training is delivered by specialists from law enforcement, facility management, event management, emergency management, fire/hazmat, emergency medical/health services, and public relations.

TPP: Can a person earn a degree in sport safety and security?
LM: Yes. There is a master of business administration degree with an emphasis in sport security management program. As the only program of its kind in the U.S., the University of Southern Mississippi College of Business and the NCS4 are proud to offer this new program, designed for those who currently work (or aspire to work) in management or leadership positions in the sport safety and security industry in a face-to-face or online format.

Today, it is essential for individuals seeking top management positions in the sport security industry to possess the business knowledge needed to manage operations, including the ability to present a business case for return on investment for security and management solutions. By supplementing the MBA with an emphasis in sport security management, graduates will be able to differentiate themselves by gaining the standard principles of business in conjunction with real-world experience necessary for security practitioners.

TPP: Does NCS4 offer certifications?
LM: Yes, NCS4 offers certifications to ensure individuals responsible for the secure and safe
operations of sport venues have the adequate knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform duties. NCS4 offers two certifications: Certified Sport Venue Staff (CSVS) and Certified Sport Security Professional (CSSP).

CSVS is designed for an organization’s front-line staff. The targeted roles are ushers, ticket takers, gate security, concession staff, retail associates, parking attendants, guest services, and cleaning attendants. The candidates receive fundamental basic and role-specific
competencies as well as background screening.

The CSSP certification program is designed to establish standardized competencies among individuals holding leadership positions in the sports security industry and to ensure that the most current techniques, strategies, and solutions are used to mitigate safety and security risks inherent to spectator sport venues. The CSSP certification focuses on advancing the sports safety and security industry by addressing the competency
requirements of current security professionals and those related professionals.

TPP: Does NCS4 offer risk management assessments?
LM: Yes, NCS4 offers a security management assessment process designed to promote a standardized methodology for security planning at sporting venues and events. The goal of Sport Event Security Aware (SESA) is to provide a tool to facilitate a comprehensive approach to security planning, management, and operations. A SESA designation recognizes organizations that have embarked on a process to provide a safe and secure facility/event environment based on research, current best practices, and lessons learned.

TPP: Tell us about NCS4’s National Sport Security Laboratory?
LM: The goals of the laboratory are to offer opportunism for security observation and practice; technology tests and experimentation; and investigations of feasible robust security solutions applicable to sports venue operations. The primary mission is to advance global sports security by serving as the epicenter for the enhancement of technology, training, and research.

TPP: What does NCS4 offer in other professional development areas?
LM: NCS4 works very closely with professional leagues, open-access events, intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics, and professional associations, private sector firms, and government agencies in providing a platform to gather knowledge, technology, and strategies to deal with today’s sports safety and security challenges and solutions.

On an annual basis, NCS4 sponsors the National Sports Safety and Security Conference. The conference is the gathering of top professionals in the field to provide a wholesome environment dedicated to security/safety technologies, products, services, and education for safeguarding the assets and spectators we are charged to protect.

The target audience consists of sports venue and event operators, managers, security and safety staff, first responders, and law enforcement. These are representatives from the following levels: professional leagues, intercollegiate athletics, interscholastic athletics, and marathon/endurance events.

NCS4 also conducts four Annual Summits: Intercollegiate Athletics, Interscholastic Athletics, Professional Sport Facilities, and Marathons. The main objective of these summits is to address the critical safety and security challenges facing these sport organizations that results in enhancing or modifying their current national safety
and security best practices.

TPP-2016-05-Big Events Big Challenges

Facing the Sharks


tpp-2016-02-facing-the-sharks
by Kim Fernandez 

Last year’s IPI Park Tank™ contestants say the competition was fierce but came with huge benefits to their fledgeling companies.

ARE YOU READY TO JUMP INTO THE PARK TANK™? IPI launched its live game show, modeled after television’s “Shark Tank,” at the 2015 IPI Conference & Expo in Las Vegas and gave five parking entrepreneurs the chance to wow industry judges and launch their companies right there on stage. The event was popular with both fledgling companies and the audience in Las Vegas—so much so that a second Park Tank will happen at the 2016 IPI Conference in Nashville, Tenn., this May—but what happened to the entrepreneurs who jumped into the tank?

In a word: lots. After receiving great publicity to valuable feedback from judges and audience members after the show, the people who faced the judges and presented their ideas under the hot lights on stage say Park Tank was a fantastic springboard for their products and companies and they’d do it again in a heartbeat (your chance is coming up quickly—more on that in a few minutes!).

The Winners
Few attendees of last year’s Conference in Las Vegas will forget Smarking: From the clever name to the seamless live presentation its leaders presented at Park Tank, the company made a huge impression that’s continued growing since then.

“Outsmart your spreadsheet,” says the company, and its Park Tank presentation made a big splash. Company CEO Wen Sang says he knew Park Tank was a great idea as soon as he heard it, and he quickly applied for one of its five spots.

“The experience exceeded our expectations by far,” he says. “The setup of the event was quite amazing—it felt like a real TV show! It was also well-attended and did a lot for our business.”

Sang says he applied for Park Tank for three main
reasons:

  • To learn about the industry from great people, including
    judges, peers, and audience experts.
  • To become a member of the parking community and
    begin to make industry friends.
  • To introduce Smarking to industry owners and
    operators.

“We are a company with a new technology and solution,” says Sang. “We need the critics and advice from the industry to refine and improve. Park Tank was the best opportunity for that as it gathered the best professional minds and technology pioneers and enthusiasts together.”

From the first time he heard about it, says Sang, he knew the game-show format and live audience presented an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. “Park Tank is the best ideas and product release publicity opportunity for Smarking as it has cross-sector and international exposure,” he says.

Other Participants
Smarking was just one of five Park Tank participants last year, and all said their experiences were worth the effort of putting together presentations and facing tough questions on stage.

“I was immediately excited about Park Tank when I was informed about it,” says Jeremy Crane, founder, StadiumPark, which offers a mobile app that gives users access to stadium and special-event parking. “I saw Park Tank as a very unique, innovative, and fun event. It was a great opportunity to showcase StadiumPark in front of parking professionals and investors.”

Brian Mitchell, founder of Advanced Parking Analytic Solutions, had a similar reaction. “One of the more difficult issues I have had in presenting our concept is the fact that it is very new and unproven,” he says. “The Park Tank at IPI has given the concept of analytics a great deal of credibility in the parking industry. As a result of the presentation, companies have been much more receptive to the concept of analytics.”

Participants said preparing for the event was a challenge— while they knew how television’s “Shark Tank” worked, there was no way to tell what parking judges might want to know about their ideas.

Crane says he spent time preparing his marketing materials for the judges and having them printed onto the on-stage displays for audience viewing. He also carefully scripted his remarks and practiced over and over to ensure they hit the mark in the allotted time.

All of the prep, he says, was definitely worth it in the end. “It was even better than I expected,” he says. “I thought the time, effort, and production put into the event was superb. The judges and companies chosen were great! As a result, I feel as though I got great exposure and made relationships that are valuable to this day.”

Mitchell says he was surprised when judges wanted to focus more on his business plan than the soundness of his basic concept; most investors, he says, want to know about the idea of analytics. “The judges already understood the value of analytics,” he says. “If I could do it all over, I would create a more sound business plan and spend less time convincing people of the value of analytics.”

Sang took a bit of a different approach. His company had already worked with Y Combinator, a Silicon Valley venture-capital company that accelerates the value of startups, and received some training from that establishment, following in the footsteps of such firms as Airbnb and Dropbox. That experience, he says, gave him some ideas of what Park Tank judges might ask. Then, he says, “We rehearsed our pitch many, many times.” While it wasn’t hard to talk about Smarking’s ideas, doing so in a short period of time was a challenge.

“The hardest part was making sure we conveyed the goal of our business without running out of time,” he says.

Since Then

What’s happened to the participating entrepreneurs since the show last summer? A lot—all of them say participating in Park Tank gave their ideas terrific legs.

“Since the IPI Conference has given me credibility, selling the concept to operators has been much easier,” says Mitchell. “I am working with operators in the sea to gain more insight to the type of information they need to make the product more marketable. The long-term goal is to create a software program that can provide my customers a user-friendly method of turning data into revenue-generating business decisions.”

“We have had collaboration offers from several large companies,” says contestant Santanu Dutta, Transparent Wireless Systems, LLC., who says Park Tank gave his new company great visibility. “These discussions are ongoing.”

Crane says participating in Park Tank gave him similar benefits. “StadiumPark continues to grow and progress each day,” he says. “Since the competition, we have been talking and meeting with venues throughout the U.S. We have continued to develop our application, which is more user-friendly and robust than ever before. We expect to begin service at a number of venues and raise our first round of institutional capital in the first two quarters of 2016.”

What about Smarking, which emerged victorious from the 2015 Park Tank? Sang says life is good.

“Our company has experienced a tremendous amount of traction,” he says. “As a new entrant to the parking industry, Park Tank provided a stage for us to share our business with many parking professionals. To date, IPI members still email or contact us simply because they remembered our pitch at Park Tank.”

Sang says the visibility of the event was great for his company, even more so because it won. “Winning the event provided us a certain credibility that provided a tremendous boost to our company,” he says. “On a personal level, we made great friends with lots of folks in the community and have felt beloved since then—this is indeed tremendous to an early-stage tech company like Smarking. Not every industry can provide such love to younger generations.”

KIM FERNANDEZ is the editor of The Parking Professional. She can be reached at fernandez@parking.org. 

TPP-2016-02 Facing the Sharks