The Chaves family built a nationwide parking empire from a single lot opportunity discovered in a 1963 Albuquerque newspaper advertisement.

COVER STORY By Dominic Bartolone

Following humble beginnings more than 60 years ago in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Parking Company of America (PCA) has grown to become a major player in the U.S. parking industry. What started as a simple newspaper advertisement transformed into a nationwide enterprise, proving that the smallest moments can ignite the grandest visions.

The ad that started it all

In May 1963, while flipping through her daily edition of the Albuquerque Tribune, Fina Chaves stumbled upon an advertisement that would unknowingly set the stage for a prosperous business venture. A devoted reader and astute observer, she noticed a downtown municipal parking lot up for bid and immediately saw its potential as an investment opportunity. 

Knowing that her brother-in-law was eager to start a business, Fina clipped the ad and passed it to her husband, Frank, to share with his brother Richard. Frank carried the ad across the street to share it with Richard but left it with his father and asked him to pass it on to Richard.

Later that day, when Richard saw the advertisement, inspiration struck. He instinctively knew this could be the opportunity he had been waiting for. Wasting no time, he submitted a bid for the parking lot, which turned out to be the winning offer of $1,200 per month rent and a percentage of gross receipts. 

Excited by the prospect of growth, he immediately called all nine of his brothers and invited them to join forces in launching a parking business, one they envisioned would expand far beyond an individual location.

While Frank held a steady job at the post office in Albuquerque, Fina had taken the reins on managing the family’s rental properties. She quickly grew savvy in overseeing the challenges — and rewards — that come with running income-generating real estate. When this new business opportunity came along, Fina and Frank took a long, serious look at it. After weighing the risks and dreaming big, they joined forces with Richard and their brothers Alex, Eloy, and Manuel, making the bold decision to build a brand-new venture from the ground up. A parking dynasty was born. 

California dreams beckon west

In just two years, and as more family members joined in, the entrepreneurial enterprise was on a roll, snapping up every open lot they could find in Albuquerque and expanding across New Mexico with remarkable speed. By 1965, PCA managed more than 20 prime properties. But it wasn’t just about scale; it was innovation, too. Richard made his name in the industry by launching one of the region’s first offsite “park-and-fly” airport operations, turning airport parking into a business category of its own.

By 1966, the brothers set their sights beyond the desert. The New Mexico market had been good to them, but California beckoned with bigger dreams. They sold their holdings and moved west, setting up shop in a swanky Los Angeles office at the iconic One Wilshire Boulevard. From this bustling base, PCA introduced the “vault” public parking pay station, revolutionizing pay parking collections before “disruption” was even a buzzword.

At the time, parking pay stations typically had a change box separating the parking slots and the coins deposited for each space, requiring that an attendant visit periodically to record receipts for each space, dump the coins into a drawer, and collect them. To expedite this process, the modified pay station had a vault at the bottom of the pole and a type of funnel into which the attendant could dump the coins after visiting the station to record the receipts. A supervisor later would unlock the vault and collect the coins. 

The pace only picked up. By 1970, with a fresh infusion of investors, PCA went national, planting franchise flags in 25 cities across the U.S., from the beaches of Hawaii, Seattle’s bustling wharf, downtown Dallas, and to the streets of St. Louis. Through the 1980s, its growth became the stuff of industry legend. PCA wasn’t just expanding: It was aiming to become one of the biggest names in parking.

The brothers moved to different areas across the nation, opening new independently owned parking operations and lots, eventually expanding coast to coast. Most of these operations, along with others, continue to be independently operated by various descendants of the original founding members (see adjacent sidebar).

Founding vision lives on

Eventually, the five founding brothers took on new roles, each assuming control of top-performing regional hubs. Although their operations became independently owned, they stayed tightly knit, sharing resources, best practices, and a common promise: high-quality service under the trusted PCA banner.

Today, PCA has grown into hundreds of national locations employing thousands of workers. All but two of the founding brothers have passed away, but their legacy continues as their children and grandchildren continue to open new locations across the nation. 

A partial list of the family businesses that emerged under the banner of the Parking Company of America (PCA)^*:

Nick Chavez Jr. (brother of the founding members)

Nick opened Golden Auto Park, in Los Angeles, before selling it and eventually operating Sunrise Airport Parking at the Ontario, California, airport with his son and two daughters.

Avelina Chaves-Battaglia (sister of the founding members) and her sons Mark and John Battaglia

John and Mark joined their uncle Richard in Denver, eventually operating 100 locations in Colorado. From there, Mark went to San Diego to set up his own PCA locations, eventually expanding to Dallas and Albuquerque, where Mark’s wife Joyce Battaglia now operates the business with her three sons.

Ben Chavez (brother of the founding members)

Ben’s son, Tim Chavez, worked for PCA – Columbus, Ohio, for more than three decades before retiring.

Manuel Chavez (original founding member) 

Manuel Sr. moved his family to Orange County, California, where he and his son Manuel won the bid for the Orange County and Long Beach airport parking operations. From there, they went on to acquire land and management contracts for urban and airport parking in California, Georgia, and Texas. Manuel Sr.’s two other sons Robert and Martin Chavez joined forces with their father and brother to expand and grow the business to its current national footprint, which includes near-airport parking (FastPark with 17 facilities in 15 markets), urban parking (Park Place Parking in five major cities), as well as industrial, office, and retail assets. 

Eloy Chaves (original founding member) 

Eloy ran parking operations in Tampa, Florida, and Reno, Nevada, under the PCA name until his death in 2005.

Frank Chaves (original founding member)

After leaving the post office to join PCA, Frank opened a parking lot on a property he leased from the Southern Pacific Railroad. He went on to open lots on properties owned by the railroad near rail stations throughout the Southwest and West Coast, beginning parking operations in Reno, Nevada, El Paso, Texas, and Oregon, before selling them to franchisees. Frank’s sons — Frank Jr., Anthony, and Adam — kept his legacy alive by running PCA facilities in California and Nevada.

Dan Chavez (brother of the founding members)

Dan’s son Daniel still operates PCA in Albuquerque and is now running for mayor of that city.

Paul Chaves (brother of the founding members)

Paul’s sons — Paul Jr., Andy, Carl, and Nick — operated parking facilities in Denver for many years.

Richard Chaves (original founding member)

Richard’s four daughters, his son, and grandchildren are all actively involved in PCA locations in Albuquerque, Dallas, and Kansas City.

Alex Chaves (original founding member)

Alex currently operates independently owned operations under the PCA banner with his three children in multiple states and cities, including Kansas City, Missouri, and Atlanta, while opening a transportation division in Southern California. 

*Some members of the family go by Chavez rather than Chaves.

DOMINIC BARTOLONE is a technical and creative writer for DB Ventures LLC. He can be reached at [email protected].