Bijan Eghtedari, President of Citizens Lanier Holdings, has been named Chair of the Convention Program Planning Committee for the NPA’s 2016 Convention & Exposition, Sept. 19–22, in Atlanta. 

Eghtedari joined Lanier Parking Solutions as President in January 2015, bringing extensive experience in the parking industry. He had served 12 years as CEO of Park One Holdings, which grew during his tenure from a small firm to more than 150 properties and 1,500 employees in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. 

Eghtedari attributes that success to his commitment to delivering excellent customer service in highly competitive markets and to developing deep-rooted ties to the community. Previously, he was Senior Vice President at Central Parking for 14 years, overseeing several markets on the East Coast, including Atlanta. 

“Bijan’s commitment to growing business through exceptional customer service makes him an ideal fit for this year’s NPA Convention and Expo, which focuses on sales, service and parking transformation,” said NPA President Christine Banning, CAE. “His wealth of knowledge and experience will bring exceptional value to the convention program and attendees.” 

This year’s theme – “Sales, Service & Parking Transformation” – emphasizes that in order to grow in the parking industry, great partnerships and positive customer experiences are vital, Banning said. 

The 2016 convention will tackle subjects such as parking ambassador programs, mobile marketing, parking amenities and more. Additionally, attendees will have the option to earn a certificate in emergency preparedness. 

For more information on the NPA 2016 Convention & Expo, visit www.NPAConvention.org/2016 or email Info@WeAreParking.org.

 

Of Its Parking Consultants Council

The National Parking Association (NPA) inaugurated new leadership for its elite Parking Consultants Council (PCC) at the group’s mid-February annual meeting in Tampa. The following parking professionals will serve on the executive team of the PCC in 2016 and 2017:

Chair: Jerry Marcus, President and Owner, The Parking Advisory Group. 

Vice-Chair: John Purinton, S.E., Principal, Watry Design Inc.

Secretary: Adam Cochran, S.E., Vice President, Kimley-Horn and Associates.

Jerry Marcus formed The Parking Advisory Group in February 2012, after 13 years as Executive Director and Practice Leader for a nationally recognized multidiscipline design firm. Before that, he spent more than 20 years in parking management, including VP and Director of Business Development for a national parking management firm.  In all, Marcus has been in the parking industry nearly 40 years. He has written numerous articles for parking and industry publications, including: Parking, Parking Today, The Parking Professional, Stadia and InterTraffic World.He also wrote the Introduction to the Urban Land Institute’s “Dimensions of Parking” (5^th edition); as well as the first chapter on the “Sustainability of Parking” (1^st edition), jointly published by the NPA and International Parking Institute.  As PCC Chair, Marcus represents the group on the NPA’s Board of Directors. 

John Purinton, S.E., a Principal of Watry Design, has been creating parking solutions for more than 25 years. A licensed engineer in eight states and responsible for the design of more than 125 parking projects, Purinton leads the design-build vertical for the firm. He ensures that each project’s structural solution effectively integrates with the parking layout and architectural design. He also continues to investigate innovative structural solutions to clients’ problems – a vital role, given that the structural system usually accounts for 60% to 70% of project construction costs. Active in the PCC, Purinton has contributed to several chapters of the latest edition of “The Dimensions of Parking,” and has both written and spoken on design-build delivery and structured parking costs. 

Adam Cochran, S.E., has served for nearly 17 years as a Structural Engineer and Project Manager with Kimley-Horn & Associates. The Clemson University graduate is Vice President of the design consulting and civil engineering firm, recently named No. 7 in Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.” This is Cochran’s second two-year term as PCC Secretary. 

 

The NPA describes its Parking Consultants Council (PCC), formed in 1972, as a prestigious, peer-reviewed group of vetted parking consultants, with a substantial body of work experience and references within the parking industry. It comprises architects, engineers and parking management consultants. The PCC fosters information-sharing on standards, regulations and trends that impact parking construction, management and operations. It also develops best-practices and technical educational manuals on parking industry topics. For more information, go to WeAreParking.org/PCC.