I know that Central was Jim’s foremost thought. Once, when my company had invited him to join us at a ski retreat, he walked into the opening night dinner in his ski sweater, sat down, got a phone call, told us he had a company emergency, and left. Never did see the slopes.
When Central opened an airport operation, called Park One, at LAX, Jim flew in to check the place out. He was left standing for 45 minutes at curbside, waiting for his own shuttle to pick him up. History does not record what happened when he finally got to the location.
Jim was known affectionately by his staff as “Double Aught,” a play on another, fictional, James Bond.
Through our brief interactions, I always found him to be professional and a gentleman. Jim Bond added much to the parking industry. He will be missed.
John Van Horn, Editor, Parking Today
The following is taken from his obituary in The Tennessean newspaper:
Jim Bond, 41-year veteran of Central Parking, passed away in early August following a long illness. He was 72. Jim served in many capacities at Central, beginning as a Vice President in St Louis, MO, and, prior to his retirement in 2012, as head of the company’s International Division.
James Hardy Bond was born in Chicago on June 2, 1942. Jim attended the University of Kentucky, where he graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1964. His business career began first as a design engineer with the Kentucky State Highway Department, before being called into military service in 1967. He subsequently earned his Master’s Degree in Engineering Management in 1969 from Vanderbilt University. In 1971, Jim began a 41-year career with Central Parking System. His first 10 years were as a Regional Vice President St. Louis. During this time, the company grew from operating in three cities to eleven. In 1981, Jim was appointed Chief Operating Officer, which brought him back to Nashville.
The company experienced strong growth through the 1980s, and he was named Central Parking’s President in 1990. By 1991, the company had expanded to 41 cities, including its first international operations at Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf in London, England. Also during his time as President, Central purchased all operating contracts from Myers Parking System, which provided the company further expansion in the Northeast (New York City, Boston) and to the West Coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco).
By 1995, Central Parking became a public company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. This access to capital resulted in a series of acquisitions, culminating in the purchase of Allright Parking in 1999. This acquisition made it the largest company worldwide in the parking industry, operating 4,500 locations in 120 cities and 14 countries. In 2007, Central Parking was purchased by a private equity firm and subsequently merged with Standard Parking in 2012.
Jim was widely respected in the parking industry by colleagues and competitors for his business knowledge, his sophisticated yet humble demeanor, and his incredible professionalism. He was a mentor and role-model to many. As testament of the lasting impact Jim made with Central Parking and the parking industry, Standard Parking has named its new Nashville operations support office in his honor.
Jim is survived by his wife of 49 years, Gwen Bond; sons Paul and Andrew Bond; and daughter Emily Bond; and five grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to The Seeing Eye Inc., 10 Washington Valley Road, P.O. Box 375, Morristown, NJ 07963; Martha O’Bryan Center, 711 S. 7th Street, Nashville, TN 37206; and Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, 1200 Forrest Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37205.
I know that Central was Jim’s foremost thought. Once, when my company had invited him to join us at a ski retreat, he walked into the opening night dinner in his ski sweater, sat down, got a phone call, told us he had a company emergency, and left. Never did see the slopes.
When Central opened an airport operation, called Park One, at LAX, Jim flew in to check the place out. He was left standing for 45 minutes at curbside, waiting for his own shuttle to pick him up. History does not record what happened when he finally got to the location.
Jim was known affectionately by his staff as “Double Aught,” a play on another, fictional, James Bond.
Through our brief interactions, I always found him to be professional and a gentleman. Jim Bond added much to the parking industry. He will be missed.
John Van Horn, Editor, Parking Today
The following is taken from his obituary in The Tennessean newspaper:
Jim Bond, 41-year veteran of Central Parking, passed away in early August following a long illness. He was 72. Jim served in many capacities at Central, beginning as a Vice President in St Louis, MO, and, prior to his retirement in 2012, as head of the company’s International Division.
James Hardy Bond was born in Chicago on June 2, 1942. Jim attended the University of Kentucky, where he graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1964. His business career began first as a design engineer with the Kentucky State Highway Department, before being called into military service in 1967. He subsequently earned his Master’s Degree in Engineering Management in 1969 from Vanderbilt University. In 1971, Jim began a 41-year career with Central Parking System. His first 10 years were as a Regional Vice President St. Louis. During this time, the company grew from operating in three cities to eleven. In 1981, Jim was appointed Chief Operating Officer, which brought him back to Nashville.
The company experienced strong growth through the 1980s, and he was named Central Parking’s President in 1990. By 1991, the company had expanded to 41 cities, including its first international operations at Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf in London, England. Also during his time as President, Central purchased all operating contracts from Myers Parking System, which provided the company further expansion in the Northeast (New York City, Boston) and to the West Coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco).
By 1995, Central Parking became a public company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. This access to capital resulted in a series of acquisitions, culminating in the purchase of Allright Parking in 1999. This acquisition made it the largest company worldwide in the parking industry, operating 4,500 locations in 120 cities and 14 countries. In 2007, Central Parking was purchased by a private equity firm and subsequently merged with Standard Parking in 2012.
Jim was widely respected in the parking industry by colleagues and competitors for his business knowledge, his sophisticated yet humble demeanor, and his incredible professionalism. He was a mentor and role-model to many. As testament of the lasting impact Jim made with Central Parking and the parking industry, Standard Parking has named its new Nashville operations support office in his honor.
Jim is survived by his wife of 49 years, Gwen Bond; sons Paul and Andrew Bond; and daughter Emily Bond; and five grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to The Seeing Eye Inc., 10 Washington Valley Road, P.O. Box 375, Morristown, NJ 07963; Martha O’Bryan Center, 711 S. 7th Street, Nashville, TN 37206; and Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, 1200 Forrest Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37205.
