By Jay Landers

Private operators have long been a central facet of America’s parking industry, and this month’s issue of Parking Today celebrates both their historical contributions and their ongoing evolution in an increasingly complex marketplace. Parking is an industry where families have historically played — and continue to play — a major role among private operators across the United States.

Beginning on page 33, our cover story by Dominic Bartolone illustrates this legacy, detailing the founding and early history of the Parking Company of America (PCA). What began with a 1963 newspaper advertisement spotted by Fina Chaves grew into a sprawling empire of independently operated entities run by the company’s founding members, their relatives, and descendants. Many of these family-owned operations remain active today, testament to the enduring entrepreneurial spirit that has shaped the parking industry for generations.

The demands on operators — whether private or public — continue to evolve rapidly, requiring constant assessment of business practices and operational strategies. Benjamin Sands, in his article beginning on page 20, examines how digital payments and dynamic pricing are transforming both customer experiences and facility design, while Dr. Mark Friesen explores the broader digital opportunities available to U.S. operators as technology reshapes the parking landscape (see page 30). Meanwhile, Kevin Bopp, Bernard Lee, and Andrew Sachs remind us, in their article starting on page 36, that successful modern parking requires abandoning one-size-fits-all approaches in favor of customized solutions tailored to specific users and contexts.

Together, these articles underscore a fundamental truth: Although the industry’s family foundations remain strong, today’s operators must blend time-tested business principles with cutting-edge innovation to thrive in an ever-changing market.

JAY LANDERS is the editor-in-chief of Parking Today. He can be reached at [email protected].