Dennis Burns, CAPP, Senior Practice Builder with Kimley-Horn, discusses consulting, strategic plans and Frisbee golf.
Tag Archives: parking
Free Online Shoptalk: How to Not Suck at Virtual Networking
Free Online Shoptalk: How to Not Suck at Virtual Networking
Friday May 15, 2020 11 am-12 pm ET
Free to all industry professionals
Access Recording here
Networking is such a personal activity—it is not a one-size-fits-all practice. It’s easy to get bogged down in the details and miss out on the foundation of how to build and retain a retain an effective network. At the end of the day, no one cares what you do as much as whether you know and like them and whether you can be trusted.
In an industry built on the power of connecting face-to-face, establishing and growing meaningful relationships is undeniably critical to long-term success. During the current pandemic, networking has shifted from onsite to fully online.
Are you prepared to nurture your network this way? Are you prepared to take advantage of online opportunities to learn, collaborate, and grow through platforms like the 2020 IPMI Parking & Mobility Virtual Conference & Expo and IPMI’s ongoing free industry Shoptalks?
Get registered for this interactive webinar (it’s free!) and get ready to grow your personal and professional network, with lots of takeaway value and strategies you can use right away.
In this presentation, networking concierge Ashley Owens shares ways to nurture your current business relationships to create your own tactical, individualized approach. Save time by recognizing the best strategic partners and effectively engaging contacts through email, messaging, social media, and other digital tools. Dive in and engage with your peers in this highly interactive keynote, and learn how to balance your strengths, network strategically and with confidence, and craft an authentic, powerful, professional networking process to achieve a wildly successful career.
Presenter: Ashley Owens
Ashley Owens is the first and only networking concierge who puts you in the right situation or gets you out of the wrong one. Ashley works as a strategic partner, attending events with professionals as an extension and champion of them. Starting her career as a personal and executive assistant to two celebrities in New York City, her experience in networking grew as she obtained positions in customer service, business analytics, and account management. Since 2017, she has grown her business into something she could have never dreamed of. Ashley is a host of two digital TV talk shows on RVNTV and This is It TV, speaking and interviewing on the topic of tactical networking. She has taken more than 700 introduction phone calls with business professionals looking to grow their network, and has made close to 1,000 introductions. She has spoken to over 50 networking groups, organizations, companies, and conferences, including the coveted Pennsylvania Conference for Women. She has been interviewed on the Mel Robbins Show on CBS, produces and hosts a podcast talking to entrepreneurs about their screw-ups, raises thousands of dollars for local nonprofits at her Cocktails and Conversation networking event, has over 185 referral partners,and has keynoted around the U.S.
Parking, COVID, and Universities
By David M. Feehan
I have spent the last couple of years working to strengthen a business district organization in Dinkytown, the district adjacent to the main campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. This historic district is the place where Bob Zimmerman from Hibbing, Minn., got his start as a folk singer and changed his name to Bob Dylan.
As with any major university (and this is one of the largest in the U.S.) parking is always an issue. Student parking, staff and faculty parking, visitor and customer parking all must be managed and managed well, or chaos ensues.
Now, however, the university and surrounding areas must deal with a new and unexpected problem: no cars. A decision has not yet been made, but the fall semester may be conducted mostly online; there may be no football season; and most businesses are either closed or in limited operating mode.
So obviously, this presents the university, the city, and private businesses with a whole host of problems. One is obviously the loss of revenue. Football games are a tremendous source of revenue for the university, and parking revenue on game days is substantial. Football season for the business district is like Christmas for shopping centers. Local restaurants and bars can do half of their annual sales during the football season. But loss of customers does not mean expenses go away. Lots and garages still have to maintained, utilities stall have to be paid, and employees are still on the payroll unless furloughed.
Parking for students is another issue. Many students may elect to live at home with parents if classes are online. This represents additional revenue loss for the university. It also means lost revenue for the city, as on-street parking serves commuting students as well as restaurant and shop customers.
How long will the crisis last and what will be the lasting impact on parking? Will, for example, students who drive to campus opt for public transportation or purchase bikes? Will carpooling become more popular? Will more student housing be built so students can walk to campus? There are so many things we don’t know right now. But the “new normal” is upon us, and if you manage university parking or parking near a university, now is the time to get your plan in place.
David M. Feehan is president of Civitas Consultants, LLC.
Member News: CurbTrac Assembles Industry Leaders to Innovate on COVID-19 Response with Clean Driver Program
Pilot Grubhub Program Held in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA, May 8, 2020 – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CurbTrac, a technology innovator in the parking and mobility industries, has launched the Clean Driver Program in partnership with ParkMobile, ParkOps, and Ballparc. The Clean Driver Program provides turn-key solutions for Transportation Network Companies (TNC), taxi companies, food delivery service providers, and corporate fleets to keep drivers and customers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic through PPE distribution sites and automotive sanitation services. The Clean Driver Program is made possible through the combined efforts and teamwork of numerous parking and mobility technology partners. Commenting on the launch of the program, CurbTrac CEO Charley DeBow said, “By combining the technology platforms of industry leaders like Park Mobile and Ballparc, alongside the staffing network of Park Ops and the logistics expertise of CurbTrac, The Clean Driver Program provides clients with a cost-effective solution to quickly and efficiently distribute PPE kits directly into the hands of their drivers as well as provide a sanitation service for fleet operators.”
“ParkMobile is proud to be a part of this initiative to keep people safe and reduce the spread of COVID-19,” says Jon Ziglar, CEO of ParkMobile. “Drivers can easily use the ParkMobile app to reserve an appointment at the distribution site where they can pick up their PPE kits or have their cars sanitized.”
Another technology component of the Clean Driver Program is Ballparc, who will utilize their scanning validation functionality to track driver reservations that are redeemed within their reservation window. Ballparc’s CEO, Taylor Chapman said, “Ballparc is honored to be a part of this program and with partners that are willing to step up and think outside the box when called upon during these unprecedented times. This program is a great example of how vital innovation will continue to be in our rapidly changing industry.”
During the initial pilot for the Clean Driver Program in Philadelphia held this past week, CurbTrac distributed personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to food delivery drivers, courtesy of Grubhub. The initial pilot program was also supported by the Philadelphia Parking Authority who provided the space for the distribution site. “Ensuring the safety of our community during these times is incredibly important, especially as delivery is one of the only ways restaurants are able to stay open right now,” stated Eric Ferguson, Senior Vice President of Logistics at Grubhub. “While we’ve already extended an easy way for our driver network to access PPE, our partnership with CurbTrac’s Clean Driver Program further extends our efforts and gives drivers in Philadelphia a quick and easy way to pick up the supplies they need – and at no cost to them.”
International Parking & Mobility Institute CEO, Shawn Conrad, also weighed in, stating, “IPMI firmly believes in addressing mobility at all points of a journey – from the first mile to the last, and addressing all aspects along the way. Customer safety and the patron experience remains the first and most important priority. We are proud of all of our members who are innovating, pivoting, and changing the way we handle disruptions to public and private transportation and operations in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The Clean Driver Program by CurbTrac represents the best of our industry – applying creativity, spurring innovation, and bringing communities together. This program, and others like it by IPMI members, serve to achieve big picture goals: protecting public health during the crisis; creating new employment opportunities for those in our industry and beyond; allowing us all to travel more freely and carefully as we reopen cities, campuses, and destinations; and helping our economy recover by getting us all moving again.”
For more information on the Clean Driver Program, visit www.cleandriverprogram.com.
About CurbTrac
Founded by leaders in the mobility payment vertical, CurbTrac is a Philadelphia-based technology company creating innovative solutions for the parking and mobility industries. The company’s leading product, a centralized parking payment database, provides municipalities, universities, and private parking operators with a fully integrated, multi-app payment system. The Clean Driver Program is CurbTrac’s latest product and leverages its flexible software, and vast network of partnerships across the US, to quickly scale customized solutions to providing COVID-19 safety measures for Transportation Network Companies (TNC). The Clean Driver Program launched in Philadelphia to support GrubHub drivers in partnership with the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
About Grubhub
Grubhub (NYSE: GRUB) is a leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery marketplace with the largest and most comprehensive network of restaurant partners, as well as more than 22 million active diners. Dedicated to connecting diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, Grubhub elevates food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub features over 350,000 restaurants and is proud to partner with more than 165,000 of these restaurants in over 3,200 U.S. cities and London. The Grubhub portfolio of brands includes Grubhub, Seamless, LevelUp, AllMenus and MenuPages.
CurbTrac:
Lisa DeBow, Principal, Cloudburst Advisory Group
(202) 262-4261
media@curbtrac.com
Grubhub:
Natalie Gerke, Senior Manager, Communications
(850) 554-5416
ngerke@grubhub.com
Free Online Shoptalk: Leadership on Their Terms to Ease Stress and Enable Focus
Wednesday May 6, 2020- 2:00 PM EST
Free Online Shoptalk: Leadership on Their Terms to Ease Stress and Enable Focus
Free to all Industry Professionals
Access the Recording here
IPMI invites all industry professionals in parking, transportation, and mobility to discuss how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted your various mobility programs and options, including how we plan for municipal on street operations post COVID-19.
Now more than ever, empathy, self-awareness, and sensitivity are key aspects to leading teams and maintaining healthy relationships (just ask any celebrity busted on social media for complaining about cabin fever from their palatial home). Meeting employees where their heads are to communicate change, celebrate success, and break bad news are the leadership qualities that win the day in today’s environment.
If you’re leading others and, would like to go from good to better or haven’t really had to lean on these aspects of leadership until now, this online Shoptalk will be well worth your time. Join Colleen Niese and Vicki Pero from The Marlyn Group for a highly interactive session to discuss key strategies and take away easy-to-implement tactics to ensure your leadership from a distance will:
Objectives:
· Make decisions that consider team members needs in a COVID-19 world.
· Help manage stress for your team and you(!).
· Support all in accomplishing the work at hand with as much focus as can be expected.
Speakers:
Colleen M. Niese, SPHR understanding of what makes a business tick comes from her nearly 25 years of parking industry experience, and her insatiable curiosity about high-performing business.
With a background in leading an international shared services center to then consulting in strategic HR and customer service to now overseeing new business development, sales and client relations for Zephire, the people-first complete monthly parking solution, Colleen is well versed when it comes to a parking operator’s priorities in managing seamless monthly parking. She possesses a unique skillset to listen to a client’s needs and connecting Zephire’s holistic solution to each individual’s expectation. In her spare time, Colleen is a hopeless Cleveland Browns fan (there’s always next year!).
Member News: Penn Parking Develops More than 3,000 Face Shields for COVID-19 Healthcare Workers
May 7, 2020- Penn Parking, a Maryland-based parking management company, recently wrapped up the Herculean effort of handcrafting 3,300 PPE face shields for healthcare workers throughout Maryland, Virginia and DC area. The shields are to assist in the fight against COVID-19. Penn Parking leadership, staff and friends worked together to create these vital personal protective equipment resources and donate them to those on the front lines.
Penn Parking delivered the shields to numerous area hospitals and nursing homes. This important project dramatically exceeded the initial goal of 1,000 shields.
Penn Parking CEO Lisa Renshaw stated, “We are on a mission to get our health care workers and first responders the vital equipment they need to keep them and the public safe. We all need to pull together in this crisis.” Lisa went on to challenge every business that is in the position to do so, to please find a way to help in the effort to “slow the spread”
About Penn Parking
Penn Parking is the Only women owned parking management company in US history. She started it by living in her first garage for 3 ½ years. Today Penn Parking manages over 50 facilities in the Maryland, Virginia and DC area. Penn Parking offers a wide range of parking management and consulting services and has provided tailored and budget-friendly parking solutions for over 35 years. For more, visit www.pennparking.com.
Contact
Lisa Renshaw
President
Penn Parking
lisar@pennparking.com
Member News: ParkHub Launches ‘Attendant Academy’ to Support Industry Advancement During the COVID-19 Crisis
The company’s online courses aim to help prospective parking professionals develop skills for future employment.
DALLAS, May 7th, 2020 — ParkHub, the leading B2B parking technology company, has launched online courses designed to support the professional advancement of parking attendants during the COVID-19 crisis. The curriculum, coined Attendant Academy, provides in-depth training on ParkHub’s mobile point-of-sale technology, covers industry best practices, and offers certification to registrants who complete the virtual courses. The training is free of cost and available to the public at large.
“As our team witnessed the pandemic taking its toll on parking operations, we became driven to find a way to give back to the industry’s workforce,” said Jake Edsell, ParkHub’s Chief Operating Officer. “The training program we devised reflects the service we strive to provide our partners – comprehensive, forward-thinking, and ultimately, designed to empower. Additionally, we are excited about the prospect of providing our customers with highly trained employees that will decrease onboarding time as well as increase efficiencies once lanes and gates reopen.”
ParkHub serves over 300 professional sports teams, entertainment venues, universities, and State parks across the United States. The company’s mobile point-of-sale device, Prime, processes credit card and mobile payments, digitizes cash transactions, and authenticates prepaid parking passes supplied by numerous ticketing and parking reservation partners. All transactions are stored in Suite, ParkHub’s business intelligence tool, which provides real-time data and robust analytics.
By facilitating contactless payments, mitigating cash, and delivering timely data insights, ParkHub’s solutions are well-positioned to help clients adapt to operations in the aftermath of the Coronavirus. In the meantime, the ParkHub team plans to continue adding enrichment tools to the ParkHub University platform.
Find out more about ParkHub’s Attendant Academy and sign up for courses at this link: https://parkhub.com/parkhub-university/
About ParkHub
ParkHub is a Dallas-based technology company that provides software and hardware services for the parking industry. The company’s products provide multiple payment options, real-time reporting of parking revenue, support for dynamic pricing, and inventory availability and control. ParkHub technology integrates with many prepaid parking and ticketing providers. Founded by parking industry veteran, George Baker Sr., ParkHub has effectively fast-tracked traditional parking operations into the digital age. For more information, visit parkhub.com.
IPMI News: IPMI Partners with City Tech to Launch the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab
IPMI Partners with City Tech to Launch the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab, a Cross-Sector Collaboration to Help Shape the Future of the Parking Industry
May 6, 2020
In partnership with the International Parking & Mobility Institute, City Tech Collaborative is launching a new Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab, a cross-sector consortium that will transform urban parking facilities – including Millennium Garages, which spans 3.8 million square feet beneath downtown Chicago – into testbeds to envision and implement new technology-enabled solutions and business models to help shape the future of the parking industry.
Founding Members of the Lab include Millennium Garages, SP+, and Arrive. As the world’s largest association of professionals in parking, transportation, and mobility, IPMI is a Strategic Partner to the effort.
The Millennium Gateway seeks to more fully integrate parking into the broader mobility landscape – including public transit, ride- and vehicle-sharing, electrification, and automation – as well as to explore innovative facility management, freight and logistics hub opportunities, and other creative space uses. City Tech will showcase the partnership at the IPMI Parking & Mobility Virtual Conference & Expo on June 1-2, 2020.
City Tech is an urban solutions accelerator that tackles problems too big for any single sector or organization to solve alone. The Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab is part of City Tech’s Advanced Mobility Initiative, which includes 25+ corporate, municipal, and civic partners working to create a more seamless, accessible, and far-reaching urban transportation systems. Learn more at CityTech.org.
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About the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab:
The Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab is a groundbreaking partnership to shape the future of the parking industry and urban mobility. As a consortium of asset owners, parking and mobility operators, technology providers, policymakers, and other thought leaders, Lab participants work to integrate parking more fully into urban transportation systems, develop tech-enabled solutions for smart infrastructure management, and cultivate value-added services and space uses.
The Lab is part of the Advanced Mobility Initiative at City Tech Collaborative, an urban solutions accelerator that tackles problems too big for any single sector or organization to solve alone. Founding members and strategic partners of the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab include Millennium Garages, SP+, Arrive, the National Parking Association, the International Parking & Mobility Institute, and the City of Chicago. Learn more at www.CityTech.org/Parking-Innovation.
Member News: Flowbird Uses Advanced Technology To Limit Contact During Transactions
May 6th, 2020
Company focuses on reducing germ spread while supporting city financial health
Moorestown, NJ – Flowbird Group has announced recent developments that limit the amount of physical interaction with its parking kiosks and an alternative to avoid the kiosks altogether. The leader in curbside management, having been involved in downtown commerce for over 50 years, plays a critical role in urban mobility. The company’s solutions have helped cities worldwide collect vital revenue that is reinvested to provide invaluable services to the community. During this global pandemic, the physical and financial health of cities are being threatened, leading Flowbird to respond to the call.
One such feature is Flowbird’s latest release of pay station software called, “recall”, which is now available on the CWT smart parking kiosk. How does it work? The recall feature makes a ‘token’ from the credit card used the first time a driver makes a transaction at a kiosk. The next time they return and swipe their card, the kiosk will suggest the same license plate number and phone number for text receipts. This limits the amount of physical interaction when entering their license plate number for pay-by-plate transactions, or entering their phone number for time expiration reminders and receipts. The recall function is an optional feature that the City operator can choose to enable on their kiosks.
While credit card use at Flowbird kiosks remain high and contactless payments rise in popularity, Flowbird reminds and encourages drivers to use ‘tap-to-pay’ methods whenever possible. Several Flowbird clients are in the final phases of launching contactless/NFC payments, including the ability to accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and credit cards with the NFC symbol. This method of payment eliminates another touchpoint at the kiosk.
For users who are not quite ready to interact with pay stations or meters, Flowbird continues to provide and make advances to its Flowbird mobile payment application. The latest release of the app was recently launched at the end of April, giving drivers the option to search, filter, book and pay for a parking reservation before they even leave their home. This gives motorists a completely contactless parking experience.
“Our number one concern will always be our customers and their safety,” said Benoit Reliquet, President of Flowbird, North America, “Over the last several months, we have also seen city revenues dropping tremendously, so it is important that we offer as many ways as possible for cities to continue to collect parking fees while ensuring the health and wellbeing of its citizens.”
Currently, Flowbird supports over 40,000 parking pay stations for over 600 customers throughout the U.S. Their mobile apps have been deployed in over 600 municipalities and universities around the world including 100 locations in the United States, with over 1.5 million mobile users globally.
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Flowbird US Media Contact
Sean Renn – Vice President of Marketing & Communications
856-220-1577
sean.renn@flowbird.group
www.flowbird.group
Curbside Management in a Recurring Emergency Scenario: A Municipal Perspective
By Benito O. Pérez, AICP CTP, CPM; and David Carson Lipscomb, MCP
This post is part of a special series on curb management and COVID-19. A joint effort of IPMI, Transportation for America, and ITE’s Complete Streets Council, this series strives to document the immediate curbside-related actions and responses to COVID-19, as well as create a knowledge base of strategies that communities can use to manage the curbside during future emergencies.
For all of us, 2020 will be the year the world changed. Seemingly overnight the hustle and bustle of life and commerce in our cities went nearly silent under government-mandated shelter-in-place orders aimed to stop the spread of COVID-19. Overwhelmed healthcare networks and essential businesses that help meet our most basic needs were thrown into crisis. This is a common reality after natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. However, unlike those events, this is simultaneously a prolonged and global experience.
Municipal governments are vital to protecting our communities, tasked with coordinating resources to address this public health emergency while maintaining order and normalcy for residents. Curbside and parking professionals across the country have supported their municipal responses by ensuring prioritized, optimal transportation network operations in innovative, rapid-response ways including the following.
- Restaurant Pick-up Zones. With dine-in operations banned, restaurants shifted to takeout/delivery models resulting in congestion at the curb for customers and couriers. Originating in Seattle and propagating rapidly across the country, municipalities reprogrammed segments of their curbside with temporary signage coupled with information campaigns (like the District of Columbia map) showing curbs prioritized for pick-up activity. This ensured curb turnover while supporting local restaurants.
- Relaxed Curbside Enforcement. Shelter-in-place orders led to more stationary vehicles, which put them in violation of policies encouraging turnover. Cities like Miami, Pittsburgh, and others relaxed parking enforcement to discourage unnecessary community movement.
- Suspended Parking Space Payment. Some communities suspended parking payment, though they did not make that decision lightly. In many jurisdictions, parking revenue is the operational funding lifeblood of their organizations. For the District, it’s about 10 percent of its annual contribution to the regional transportation system. However, costs to maintain parking payment far outweighed anticipated revenue. Additionally, reducing potential sources of infection, i.e., parking payment kiosks, was also of concern for municipal operators.
- Prioritized/Designated Essential Service Provider Parking. Hospitals have been the front lines of this pandemic, with many facilities converting off-street parking lots and garages to triage and community testing sites. With limited public transportation services and scarce access to for-hire vehicles as drivers limit their exposure, some healthcare providers are resorting to private vehicles. With on-site parking gone, municipalities have designated curbsides near medical facilities for healthcare facility employees. New York City has issued healthcare provider parking permits to allow them to park wherever is most convenient. This may become an extended concern for other essential service staff in dense, urban areas with limited transit.
- Expanded Sidewalks. In urban areas in particular, sidewalks are constrained by historical rights of way. That means there may be sidewalks narrower than the minimum six feet recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “physical distancing” guidelines. Places like New York City have cleared the curb, if not the entire roadway, to facilitate unimpeded, “physically distant” pedestrian routes.
These are but a few strategies that are part of cohesive and holistic community responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have a good story, please share it with benito.perez@dc.gov.
Benito O. Pérez is the curbside management operations planning manager at the District Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C.
David C. Lipscomb is a curbside management planner at the District Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C.