Editor’s note: I began to review back issues of Parking Today with the idea of summarizing what had happened in our industry over the past two decades. I got to year three and realized that there was far too much to put in one article. So, I decided to stop there and continue one year for each upcoming month until we catch up. Look for more parking history in the months to come. JVH
1996
Kerry Turner named VP for Executive Parking in LA… Kinney Systems signs an agreement with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to operate 30,000 spaces owned by the commuter rail facility… McGann Software Systems awarded a contract to provide software and equipment at UCLA… Chicago-based Anchor Parking opens an office in Southern California, headed by former APD staffer Noett Swart… Las Vegas is the most recent office of International Parking Design… A major blizzard reduces parking activity by 25% in the Northeast… Central Parking announces it’s opening parking services in Germany… Michael Flaherty named COO of Lockheed Martin IMS Municipal Services Division… Gary Neff joins McGann Software systems as VP Eastern Region… APROC announces that Trevor Van Horn has been named VP of Airport Properties and Her Anderson as Corporate Vice President of Urban Properties… Joe Minimoto, President of Amano Cincinnati, announces that Tom Sato has been named Manager of Parking Systems Products… It costs $1,171 to park a limo for a month at Trump Palace in Manhattan… Trindel America awarded the contract for parking equipment at Louisville International Airport… Elliott Nemerson is the new VP and GM for Socal Parking Equipment in Southern California… Herb Citrin begins celebrating his 50th year as head of Valet Parking Service… Sea-Tac Airport raises its long-term rates to $15 per day… Magnetic Automation buys Florida’s Parking Automation… Ampco System Parking fights lawsuit by the Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation over environmental issues… Donald R. Monahan promoted to Principal at Walker Parking Consultants… Allright Airport Parking still for sale by Hong Kong’s Hang Lung Properties… Square Industries assumes operation of Rockefeller Center Parking in New York… Greg Sylvester leaves post at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore to become Parking Operations Director with HBE Corp. in St. Louis… Hurricane Fran Hits North Carolina – Parking Operations Halt… Management buyout of Allright Parking completed in October… Universal Studios Florida builds world’s largest parking structure (20,000 spaces)… Former Kinney Systems staffer Joel Aronson named President of Allright New Jersey…Elliot Nemerson named Regional Manager of APEX Communications in Escondido, CA…
1997
EV1, the electric car from General Motors, arrives in LA to much hoopla; the company hopes operators will install $15,000 charging stations… Central Parking purchases Civic Parking in St Louis… Grant Johnson named Western Sales Manager of FAAC… POM provides solid-state parking meters for Stamford, CT… John Tazaskus directs business development for American Parking Equipment… Jean-Marc Couanau, President of Trindel America returns to Paris to manage the parking activity of Ascom Elsydel; Peter Sands, from the company’s UK operation, replaces him… Central Parking to buy Square Industries for $52.7 million… Kinney Systems purchases Metro Park in Washington, DC… Sytron purchases Parking Division of Stanley Works… Scheidt & Bachmann opens U.S. office in Burlington, MA, with Greg Parzych named VP to head U.S. operation… PT’s People in Parking Directory has more than 3,000 names and phone numbers… Sirit has entered a distribution agreement with Federal APD… Christina Benton, Laura Leitz, Caryn Rudy and Sharon Beardsley join T2 Systems… Larry Berman is Executive Director of the Parking Bureau, Department of Transportation, City of New York… Janis Rhodes appointed Director of Consulting Services in the Newport Beach, CA, office of Walker Parking Consultants … Ampco System Parking takes over the operation of the 6,850-space Century Plaza Garage in LA… Central Parking takes over on-street parking operation in Charlotte, NC… Donald Shoup publishes paper in Journal of Planning and Research titled “The High Cost of Free Parking”… First World Parking Symposium held in Banff, Canada… Sam Zell’s Equity Capital Holdings acquires seven parking facilities worth about $85 million in Boston, Philadelphia and Milwaukee… Gregory Shay named President of Allright Corp., succeeding Bernard Meyer, now Chairman. Shay comes from AEW and Apollo Real Estate Advisors, which recently became majority owner in Allright… Walter P. Moore and Associates has acquired Parking Pros, a consulting firm headed by Tom Feagins, who will continue with the firm… Wade Brossow and Steve Puckett purchase Protection Technologies in Seattle from Vince Suknaich… San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown appoints Bill Maher as Director of Traffic and Parking, who replaces 12-year veteran Kevin Hagerty, Director of the SF Parking Authority, with John Barber… Federal APD moves to a new facility in Novi, MI… Walker Parking Consultants acquires William Francis and Associates… Central Parking purchases the Car Park Corp. in the San Francisco area… Scheidt & Bachmann awarded the parking equipment contract for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport… WPS North America opens a new office in Redondo Beach, CA, which David Andreychuck will head… Members of the Metropolitan Garage Owners Association in New York City elect Saul P. “Sonny” Schwarz of Kinney Systems to succeed Lowell Harwood of Square Industries as its president… Allright and Edison join forces as industry consolidation continues; Allright now has a strong entry into the metro New York area… Central Parking buys Diplomat Parking in Washington, DC… Apcoa acquires Metropolitan in Boston… First Union Corp., which owns Impark, is acquiring the 1,100-space 201 Madison Street Garage in Chicago… T2 Systems hires Thomas K. Brentlinger as Account Manager for universities, cities, airport and hospitals… Park ’N Fly of Atlanta purchases Park ’N Go in Atlanta and Park-Ride-Fly in Dallas… Scheidt & Bachmann named parking equipment supplier at Greenway Plaza in Houston and 55 Water Street in Manhattan… Secom will provide revenue control equipment for the Kinney Systems Journal Square facility in New Jersey… Bruce LaPree is consulting with Senterra Corp. in Houston… Amano Cincinnati names Clarence Kemper as Manager of the Parking Products Division; and hires Jim Newcomer as East Coast Regional Manager and Michelle Woolsey as Cincinnati Branch Account Manager… Bob Fuchs dies at 63… Central Parking acquires Kinney Systems for $206 million… John Nolan appointed Director of Transportation Services at Harvard University… Executive Parking takes over daily operations of the Apcoa facilities in LA…
1998
License plate recognition begins to feel its way, with major installation at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport… Charles Huntzinger, formerly a regional VP for Central, named President of Canada’s Imperial Parking… Roy McCormick leaves Imperial Parking in Cleveland to become Director of Parking for TrizecHahn in Vancouver, Canada… CTR Systems completes installation of nine Zeag pay-on-foot stations at Indianapolis International Airport… Robotic begins construction of a fully automated garage in Hoboken, NJ… Central purchase of Allright under review by the SEC… Record snowfall in Midwest creates havoc for parking operations… InterPark, owned by Security Capital and based in Chicago, begins operations, purchasing Parking Services International, General Parking, Carr Park and others… Federal APD schedules annual distributor meeting for February in Novi, MI… Zeag/Amtech equipment installed at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport parking facility… Newly merged Apcoa Standard Parking moves headquarters in Chicago… Chuck Adams joins the City of Miami Beach as Assistant Director of Off-Street Parking, replacing Brian Bartholomew, who went to Urbitran Ramp…Pierre Koudelka, VP at Federal APD since it was formed, resigned at the end of 1997… The first Parking Industry Exhibition, sponsored by Parking Today, will be March 15-16 in Chicago… Pro Concepts in St Louis averts parking issues for visit by Pope John Paul II… Bijan Eghtedari promoted to Senior VP at Central Parking… Mark Pratt has joined Denison Parking… Bryan Wallner leaves Central Parking for Imperial in Canada… InterPark merges with United Parking in Atlanta… With the completion of its merger with Allright, Central Parking doubles its size to 4,755 locations and 1.5 million spaces; the company agreed with the SEC to divest itself of 74 locations and 18,000 spaces… Frank Transue, CEO of Walker Parking Consultants, announced the promotion of John Bushman to President and COO… The IPI and NPA have begun joint trade show discussions… Dale Denda of the Parking Market Research Co. sees no slowdown in sight for parking construction… Richard Choate forms parking consulting firm in Orange County, CA… Ampco System Parking names James Alexander as VP/Controller and Arnold Klauber as a Regional VP in charge of 500 locations in Southern California… Michael Prussian, Chief Investment Officer of InterPark, said the two new garages the company opened this year will reduce the parking drought on Chicago’s “Magnificent Mile”… Daniel Needham moves from InterPark to VP of Marketing at Charter Consulting… John White takes position of Western Regional Manager for Federal APD… Amano Cincinnati names Jim Newcomer as Manager of Parking Systems Products, Major Accounts… John Nolte, former Head of Parking at Georgia Tech, moves to Walker Parking Consultants… Harvey Schwartz, formerly of PSA, moves to CTR Services as General Manager, Parking… Tom Wunk, late of Secom and Simplex, named Scheidt & Bachmann Director of Sales, U.S.… Dave Carlock hired as a Senior Sales Representative for Associated Time and Parking Controls… DoorKing opens a new Chicago office, with Larry Wanat as Regional Sales Manager… T2 Systems acquires Canada’s Logic4U Software Solutions, with Blake Laufer and all fellow employees joining T2… NPA and IPI joint show rumors persist…
To be continued…
