An old acquaintance of mine, Bruce LaPree, has been named Vice President – National Accounts at Central Parking. He reports directly to Central President Emmanuel Eads.
Bruce and I go back to when he was hired at Secom to run the Midwestern region for sales. He worked out of the Houston office where he lived. During that period Bruce honed his skills in the parking business and also met a number of the staff of Central, one of his customers. Included in that group was Butch Eads.
Bruce worked for me during the housing bust in Texas. When many others were simply throwing their keys at the bank when they had mortgages that were upside down, Bruce held firm. He weathered the storm and eventually built a beautiful house on Houston’s outskirts for his family. That show of ethics at a time of great financial pain showed me a lot about Bruce.
I can do nothing but wish Bruce and Central all the best in their time together. Central is attempting to reinvent itself and Bruce is to be one of the underpinnings of that task. All the best, Mr. LaPree.
JVH
