When I interviewed Joe Diamond a few years back I was simply blown away. The man was sharp, dynamic, clear, and funny. Plus he was well in to his 90’s He told me that he came to the office everyday, even thought his son, Joel, was running the business. His business was parking, but his avocation was the law.
We spoke at some length about his beginnings as a lawyer, and his success in with the first "reverse discrimination" case at the University of Washington, and that fact that he continued to practice even while building Diamond Parking into the largest family owned parking company in the country. (Latest count, 1000 locations.)
I met him only once, but that was my problem not his. After the interview and subsequent article on PT, he dropped me a note and told me that if I was ever in town again, to let him know — he would buy lunch. That’s a date I wish I had kept.
Joe Diamond died last weekend just three days shy of his 100th birthday. He is one of the few in our industry that can be truly called a legend.
Check April’s PT for a bit more about Joe.
JVH
