Tag Archives: IPMI2020 award

2020 IPMI Chairman’s Award: Thomas Wunk, CAPP

Tom-WunkThomas Wunk, CAPP

VICE PRESIDENT, PARCS SOLUTIONS
T2 Systems

I was asked to provide a list of work accomplishments, but that stuff is not important. Rather, I chose to point out just a few events and people that I look back on and cherish when thinking about my career in the parking industry. There are many, many more that I can list and should write a book, but for the sake of brevity:

To Dennis Cunning, who asked me to look at a broken lane at the Pier 40 location one cold December morning. I opened up the gate and a rat as big as a small hippopotamus came out. He looked up at me and wanted to know how long I was going to be (the rat, not Dennis).

To Bob Harkins and his sons for showing all of us what it is to love this country. To Bobby Brown, who exemplified travel expense management when he opted to sleep in a ticket dispenser box one evening instead of getting a hotel room.

To Kevin Austin and his mathematical conundrum discovery, when he glared down at a platter of 100 buffalo wings, stood, and shouted to the gods “Holy cow – how many chickens did it take to get this many wings?”

To Barbara Chance, who taught me the proper way to hunt waterfowl with a 3 wood and a Titleist.

To Peter Schneck, who showed that time travel was indeed possible. One morning we left a hotel in Monchengladbach and drove to Dusseldorf in a highly spirited fashion, a distance of 32 kilometers, and we arrived six minutes before we left.

To John Tencer and Mike Block, who demonstrated what extraordinary accomplishments could be had with a small team of dedicated and motivated individuals.

To Jeff Sparrow, who taught me never, ever lend anyone your cell phone.

But most of all I am grateful beyond words for my wife and family, who overlooked my many foibles as a husband and father, the missed events and late nights, the impromptu travel and the burned barbeque. It has been special beyond anything I could have imagined.

2020 IPMI Lifetime Achievement Award: Kim Jackson, CAPP

Kim JacksonKim Jackson, CAPP

DIRECTOR, PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION
Princeton University

My parking career started at Rutgers University in 1988, when I began working as the first assistant director for administration of the university’s parking department. I had an amazing mentor, Rita Molnar, the first woman president of IPMC (now IPMI), who got me involved in the association and taught me everything I know about the business. Here we are at a campus event.

Within a year Rita retired and I was promoted to director of parking and transportation—becoming the first person in the newly-created position—working in that capacity until 1994, when I left to become the director of technical services (DOTS) for IMPC, which later became IPI, which is now IPMI, answering members’ technical questions and planning seminar and conference meeting content. During my IMPC/IPI days I was promoted to director of professional development, assisting with the launch of IPI’s onsite frontline training, editing The Parking Professional magazine, IPI publications and conference management; then was named vice president of the association; and eventually became executive director of the association.

After 15 amazing years working for the association, it was time to return to the parking industry’s daily operations and to that end, I accepted a position at Princeton University as their first director of parking and transportation services. I became a member of the IPI Board of Directors in 2009, and was elected as Board Chair at the 2015 IPI Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.

A class of 2000 CAPP graduate and a Past Chair on the IPI Board of Directors. I have been truly blessed to be the “first” many time in this industry, to have been touched by SO many in the industry, to have given back when possible—within 32 short years I have had the unique opportunity to go full circle.