This article gives a hint of the presentation that Harald Raetzsch will make at the Parking Industry Exhibition (PIE) in March 2012 in Chicago. Editor.
As an entrepreneur, angel investor and venture capitalist, I see six key trends that are reshaping the way business is conducted in the digital age.
Pay-by-cellphone parking has seen a dramatic increase in North America, with many major cities (Washington, DC; Miami; San Francisco; Houston; Vancouver, Canada) either in full
It’s not as new as you think. Virtual parking meters have been around in one form or another for 20 years but only today are
PT Editor John Van Horn asked us to put together an article on emerging tech. Of course, we could have taken the approach of self-promotion;
When was the last time you actually paid cash dollars for something? Fast-food lunch? Nope. A quick gas fill-up? I don’t think so. A song
NPA: Reach, Stretch, Repeat It sounds a little like an exercise, but NPA, this past year, set goals that were a touch out of reach,
I have always been a proponent of women, for more than the obvious reasons. Now that the British Commonwealth has “adjusted” royal male primogeniture to
The recent launch in our nation’s capital in July this year marks one of the most successful pay by cell phone operations in North America.
Fall arrived and with it our first rain of the season. Los Angeles sun doesn’t like to go away for long. Perhaps, because just like
I don’t often give much thought to bollards and vehicle barriers, but lately they seem to be popping up everywhere I go. I am most
The Maryland Street Garage, an 800-space, seven-story parking facility on the southern edge of the central business district of Indianapolis, is a prominent, well-located structure
Editor, Parking Today: I read your article on San Francisco (“Point of View: “Baghdad by the Bay,’ EVs and Charging Stations,” October 2011), and I
For more than 15 years now, my Master and I have written article after article about audit and operational issues. Usually, the articles are critical
As a professional in the publishing business I experienced the good, the bad and the criminal of consulting. There was the gung-ho guy who suggested
Editor, Parking Today: It really amazes me how some business owners think. They go into a downtown business district, find a location and have dreams
If you really like ticking off your parking facility customers, be sure to implement these tried and true rules for really bad customer service. Seems
Adding conventional elevators to a new or existing parking facility can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take many months. But there is a
It may seem self evident, but managing a parking garage valet service entails accepting responsibility for a customer’s vehicle while it is in the possession
For over ten years now, my Master and I have written article after article about audit and operational issues. Usually, the articles are critical of
The city of Cape Girardeau, Mo. has upgraded its municipal lighting to reduce energy and maintenance costs, replacing 104 conventional high-pressure sodium street lights with
For some in this industry, the term “consultant” can have some negative connotations. That doesn’t have to be the case! During my career with the
Some have asked why our University chooses to use a contractor for its cashiering operation; since it was already implemented when I started my career
Go to your internet browser, open it up and navigate over to Google. Input “consultants are” and you will find the top four automatic responses
“The future is software development. But it’s very expensive; most companies have difficulties sustaining it.” When Steve Haralambiew, Datapark founder and CEO, talks about the
NPA a year later. One year ago Jed Hatfield, CPP became chairman of the board and NPA brought on Christine Banning, MA, CAE as its
I had conversations with NPA members at their extremely successful convention last month and I got a common thread – good management and good service.
“It’s all about passion. Passion for a company, passion for our customers, passion for our employees, and passion for parking,” said Jason Accardi, CEO, and
opĀ·erĀ·aĀ·tor [op-uh-rey-ter] noun 1. a person who operates a machine, apparatus, or the like: a telegraph operator. 2. a person who operates a telephone switchboard,
If you had asked me to pick two words that I thought I would never see together in a sentence, they would be Hammerschlag and
In 1953, brothers Nicholas and Stephan Leonoudakis opened their first parking lot in the area of San Francisco now known as the Embarcadero Center. Also
I just got back from a couple of days in that city by the bay. Let’s face it, San Francisco is beautiful – it’s clean,
“It will be near-field communication or in-car transponders. On-street technology has not stopped evolving,” said Amir Sedadi when asked about the future in a conversation
As a longstanding and vocal proponent of mandatory off-street parking supply and discouragement of curb parking, I have suppressed my strong disagreement with Donald Shoup,
Parking structures play a crucial role in the urban environment, and both owners and drivers rely on their continued safety and high-level performance. Over time,
Someone asked me a few months back if, along the way, I had ever envisioned myself as Chairman of the Board of the International Parking
Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? After 245 dog years of sniffing around parking facilities with my master, I have actually
Physically demanding jobs require preparation. Stretching to warm up the muscles of the body is a good way to prepare for a physically active day.
Everybody I know is cutting back these days. Concerns over the economy have motivated many of us to consider our spending and apply the latest
It has been a hot day in LA. Temperatures have been hovering around 100. Even the beaches have been in the mid-90s. On days like
Inc. magazine has named CityParking Inc. of Richmond, VA, among the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. Ranked at No. 2779, it was the only parking company
The Parking Industry Exhibition (PIE) will again be exploring new territory March 18-21 as it returns to the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago. “That’s right,”
At the University of Texas at Austin, industry veterans Bob Harkins is Associate VP for Campus Safety and Security and Bobby Stone is Director of
The parking industry is changing, and the National Parking Association (NPA) is taking the lead at its 2011 Convention & Expo with four days of
A clear consensus has emerged among city planners that removing minimum parking requirements is one of the most effective ways to promote healthier, more active
It seems a no-brainer on the surface – repairing cracked or spalled concrete in a parking deck, stadium, bridge, tunnel or runway is an obvious
For DePaul University in Chicago, upgrading to VoIP emergency phones was not a hard decision to make. Founded in 1898, it’s the largest private institution
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is no different from most in that parking services have traditionally been ancillary to the university. Given the economic
Many college students, faculty and support staff would certainly find Clark Kerr’s words to be painfully true. The former President of the University of California
I finally have a new car. My old one was a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder with 116,000 miles, bald tires and only three working doors, as
Editor, Parking Today: Parking Vs. Pop Culture makes valid and accurate points. However, the reasons parking garages get such a rap, undeserved, is the abyssmal
PermitExpressā„¢ is a powerful, easy-to-use, web-based software solution that simplifies parking management. PermitExpressā„¢ operates according to your business rules, so you are in control. PermitExpressā„¢
Parking industry veteran Doug Holmes, a former IPI Board Chairman and President of the Pennsylvania Parking Association, recently announced his retirement as Director of Transportation
I have been talking to a lot of CEOs recently, asking about their business and pitching some new ideas. A couple of the ideas involve
Colleges and universities are facing an unprecedented time of shrinking endowments and rising costs, in particular energy costs. To help offset these expenses, schools are
To most, “going green” is now accepted terminology. And to a growing number of parking facility managers, owners and operators, going green is no longer
In today’s challenging economic environment, it’s more important than ever for parking operations to be efficient, effective and responsive. Those that effectively address operational, organizational
Miami has embarked on an initiative to revitalize its downtown area, including a series of projects that capitalize on the city’s unique culture and encourage
Deployment of solar energy, and its accompanying return on investment (ROI), has increased rapidly in the last few years. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
W”e have all heard the tired expression “Do more with less.” It has been so overused that usually the sarcastic reply is akin to saying,
The headline read “SFMTA Faces … Deficit, Looks to Parking Enforcement.” It seemed simple to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Board of Directors: Increase
One of the best movies of all time just might be “Cool Hand Luke,” the 1967 Paul Newman classic, perhaps best known for one of
During my career as an NCARB-certified architect in safety and security design, I have noted that major errors in the design and operation of parking
Are you a Shoupista? Do you actually know the Shoup-dog? Don Shoup is speaking tomorrow. The room is sold out. When Donald C. Shoup, Professor
Solid-state lighting systems using white-light LEDs are a viable solution for both covered and uncovered parking facilities as they begin to rival the performance of
A recent search for news of the world of parking (you can find most of these stories in the PT News section on our Home
It was a cloudy Mother’s Day Sunday in Los Angeles. I decided to celebrate my mom by finally listening to her advice … and clean
Country music legend Kenny Rogers told us that you have to “… know when to hold “em, know when to fold “em.” While many a
There are always things someone on the outside looking in would change, but from my point of view, the 2011 IPI Conference & Expo in
Editor, Parking Today: Parking Vs. Pop Culture makes valid and accurate points. However, the reasons parking garages get such a rap, undeserved, is the abyssmal
Cale Parking Systems USA has begun a program of supplying pay-and-display equipment, at no charge to its customers, that is rebranded and used to collect
I set out on the last day of the 2011 IPI Conference and Expo to find new products. You know, the ones that make you
I spent a couple of days in Pittsburgh in late May checking out the companies that exhibited at the 2011 IPI show. I was looking
Parking vs. Pop Culture is a series of articles dedicated to significant parking references found in pop culture. The winner, either Parking or Pop Culture,
Given the option of having a downtown shopping district with paid or free parking, most people would naturally choose free parking. In fact, introducing paid
“My goal is to arm our people with the tools they need to not only represent our company properly, but also support our customers in
I created a brouhaha on my blog concerning charging stations and electric vehicles. I noted that we haven’t addressed the issue of what to do
Transportation Services at Texas A&M University in College Station is shining a much brighter light on its parking customers, thanks in part to a $15
Parking vs. Pop Culture is a series of articles dedicated to significant parking references found in pop culture. The winner, either parking or pop culture,
One of my customers purchased a couple of parking locations in a Midwestern city. They sent me in to sniff around, and I found some
In Marketing Minute, I attempt to share a story or thought from my sales, marketing, parenting, etc. experiences. But – “Warning! Warning! Danger, Will Robinson!”
Damn, Paul Manning muttered, that Hartison jerk always threw a curve. We had the perfect way to expose him, and on TV. The problem now
It’s my observation that parking – like the label on a purse, the insignia on cars and the square footage of a house – is
Isaiah Mouw and Matthew Clay lauded the TV series “Parking Wars” in the March issue of Parking Today. On the same pages were my bon
In a recent article from the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, Steve Holland states: “When auto liability lawsuits arise from business vehicle operations
Parking management consultant Joe Sciulli periodically visits his shrink and has again provided a transcript of his latest tĆŖte-Ć -tĆŖte (initials used below to protect …
An article in the March 2011 issue of Parking Today, “Bringing the Metered Parking System Into the 21st Century” by David Cummins, highlighted innovative partnerships
I attended a seminar at BPA-sponsored Parkex in late March and found that, in the UK, “University Parking” is fairly backward. At Birmingham University in
Many municipalities and local transportation agencies across the U.S. face continuing financial challenges, including operating budget shortfalls and underfunded pension programs, and are looking for
I wonder if the parking industry needs its own national ad campaign. I have no idea who would organize or fund it, but let’s set
Parking vs. Pop Culture is a series of articles dedicated to significant parking references found in pop culture. The winner, either parking or pop culture,
Energy use is a significant percentage of an airport’s operating costs. With energy prices rising, facility managers are under pressure to find solutions to reduce
“I was a salesman for another ticket company. No not one of those familiar to the parking business. We were having trouble meeting deliveries. Another
Origin of the word handicap (from the Oxford English Dictionary): “mid 17th century: from the phrase “hand in cap’; originally a pastime in which one
It was a beautiful, clear, crisp and cold California day as more than 600 limousines and 700 other vehicles descended on the Kodak Theatre in
From Maine to Florida, from Illinois to Texas and California, the transponder-based collection system has become synonymous with the fast and hassle-free way to pay
We assume “smart parking” isn’t the ingenious way that a “smart car” can maneuver into a parking space, such as seen in the photo nearby.
Parking vs. Pop Culture is a series of articles dedicated to significant parking references found in pop culture. The winner, either parking or pop culture,
I made a statement in my last column that I feel badly about now. I wrote that everybody thinks the people who run cities are
In the best of circumstances, anyone can slip, trip or fall. As owners and operators, you must keep your garages and structures as safe as
