…of the NPA, that is.
Diana Perey from the University of Washington and I had the pleasure of lunching with Steve Long, NPA President. What a great time.
Steve is truly a gentleman, soft spoken but direct. The NPA could have no better ambassador. He listened as we talked to him about some ideas our Temecula Parking Group had about the industry and frankly, agreed with most of them. He is concerned about the depth of penetration that the membership lists of the two national associations have and is looking to help change that.
When we expressed concerns that vendors were given a rather shabby deal by both orgs, he tended to agree. He wasn’t ready to commit that a revenue control manufacturer would be an NPA president in the next few years, but he understood the need for his organization to become more inclusive.
I invited Steve to write a periodic column for PT. I think he just may do it.
Speaking of Diana and UDUB — She is head of practically everything at that beautiful campus. She has a recycling program that hires disadvantaged (read that mentally challenged) adults, a motor pool that looks like it could support the Fourth Division, and a salvage operation that sells surplus university "stuff" at auctions held a few times a year. Oh yes, she also runs a shuttle service, coordinates the U-Pass transportation program, and in her spare time, supervises the 12,000 parking spaces on campus. Did I mention she is also building a new garage and office building?
Whew. Give her a call if you are in Seattle — she can give you a tour. Its impressive.
JVH