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Industry News

July, 2017

Scott Dubois, formerly General Manager of the Asia-Pacific Branch of Park Assist, has been appointed its Vice President of Product Management, effective July 1, 2017. The new role comes as a result of an unprecedented, record-breaking revenue growth over the past three years and installations now in 28 countries. 


Propark Inc. has purchased Express Park in LA, whose portfolio of parking operations includes locations in Hollywood, Studio City, Santa Monica and Huntington Park. Propark’s Chief Investment Officer, David Schmid, said, “We are very excited to be growing our footprint in the Los Angeles parking services marketplace.”


Associated Time & Parking Controls, in collaboration with Amano McGann, has been contracted to replace the parking access and revenue control system at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Associated Time is installing the OPUSeries, Amano’s comprehensive and modular PARCS solution, in all 52 lanes of the employee and transient parking facilities at the medical center.


SKIDATA Inc. has relocated and consolidated its Dallas offices. For many years, the company maintained two separate offices in Texas – a software development team in Addison and the service and sales office in Grand Prairie. In spring 2016, the addition of the Central Technical Services department began to crowd the latter office. The two have now become one! The new office, at 130 East John Carpenter Freeway in Irving, Texas, is a state-of-the-art facility with expanded test and development spaces, a full training center, and large conference and meeting space. In related news, SKIDATA has completed implementation of the 3M Asset Refreshment Program at the Brooklyn Junction garage in Brooklyn, NY, which included six APMs (including one inside a Target store) all outfitted with 3C Payment EMV terminals. Also, the company has been selected by the City of Amarillo, TX, for its new garage project. The four-level facility, to be situated directly across from City Hall, will feature eight lanes of equipment, including a valet lane. Plus, the convenience of 3 APMs and the barriers will feature energy saving LED lane status signs for safety and visibility in conjunction with non-illuminated folding arms.


The PassportParking app has been launched in Portland, OR, Buffalo, NY, Ann Arbor, MI, and Destin, FL. Portland, for example, is changing the parking experience by launching “Parking Kitty,” powered by Passport. Buffalo rolled out its Passport application called “Buffalo Roam”; and Ann Arbor residents will download “epark Ann Arbor.” Parkers will be able to easily download the app to their phone and pay with a debit or credit card without having to visit the payment station. They will also have the option to extend their parking sessions remotely, receive notifications when their session is low on time, and get email receipts.


The University of North Carolina Charlotte has partnered with NuPark, a leading provider of integrated, real-time, open parking management solutions, to bring smart parking to its campus. The university intends to optimize its parking operations by implementing the company’s management platform, including license plate recognition, virtual permits, gate system integration, and multiple mobile payment options. A SKIDATA PARC system, provided by Sentry Control Systems, will seamlessly integrate with the open parking management platform.


MobileNOW! is offering additional payment methods for added customer convenience throughout Montgomery County, MD. “We are pleased to provide our residents and visitors with even more flexible payment options,” said Eduardo M. Mondoñedo, Chief of the Parking Operations Section for the county Division of Parking Management. “We are excited to now be offering this feature to the parkers of Montgomery County,” said John Oglesby, MobileNOW! President and CEO.


 


Nedap has been recognized with the Intertraffic Parking Solutions Award 2017 for its “smart”-parking solution in the Turkish city of Izmir. Its Sensit smart parking sensors technology was honored at a ceremony at the start of Intertraffic Istanbul. In this project, Sensit monitors the vehicle occupancy of individual parking spaces in the streets of Izmir. This is designed to result in improved parking guidance and efficient monitoring of all paid, time-restricted and disabled parking zones. In other news, the company announced that Atitek Elektronik, headquartered in Istanbul, is the first certified partner in the Turkish market for its long-range identification solutions.


 


Cynthia L. Lahm has been named President of Control Systems Inc. (CSI), a distributor of Designa parking systems. A lawyer and member of Women In Parking who has participated in its mentoring program, she joined the company in March 2010. Lahm has more than 35 years of legal and business experience, serving CSI as Vice President and General Counsel. Lahm said that “CSI is becoming a more focused and balanced company, committed to continued integrity and streamlining its cost structure.”


 


Parking BOXX, the North America-based parking systems manufacturer and software developer, has expanded its operations with the opening of a second manufacturing facility in Sarnia, Canada. The plant, on the Ontario/Michigan border, will permit the company to double North American production capacity to meet increasing demand for its parking technology products. The company will continue to operate its flagship manufacturing plant in Milton, Ontario.


 


TagMaster, a leading supplier of advanced RFID products and ANPR cameras for vehicle identification and rail solutions, through its subsidiary Balogh SA, has received orders for a tramway project in China and for commuter-line project in France. Said to be a real pioneer in the RFID technology, Balogh was founded in 1958. Today, it has offices for development and production in Paris, Toulouse and Normandy, France, and works within the three RFID segments: rail, access/security (traffic) and industrial automation.


 


Indect USA has installed a state-of-the-art ultrasonic parking guidance system in Cain Garage at the Texas A&M University in College Station. Through this pioneering project, 1,283 Indect parking guidance sensors were mounted throughout the parking structure, and an additional 287 surface-mounted Nedap Sensit sensors were installed on the garage’s roof. The open-air parking structure, located in the center of campus, serves the more than 60,000 students, staff and faculty.


Denver Public Works (DPW) is partnering with Parkmobile to let customers use their smartphones to pay for off-street parking spaces and receive notifications when time is expiring. “Any hurdles associated with paying for parking impacts how quickly people can get to where they want to go,” said Cindy Patton, Acting Manager of Parking and Mobility Services for DPW. “This new technology will allow people to park, pay via their mobile device, and not be required to stop or wait in line at a paystation.”


Allpro Parking is again expanding its parking services footprint in the City of Cleveland, this time with a new valet parking service at Portage Medical Center in Ravenna, OH. The company will address a service need at the center by providing complementary valet parking service to its patients and visitors from Monday through Friday.


 


Amano McGann has expanded its partnership with PSX Inc., one of its oldest exclusive dealers. It will provide the State of Colorado with sales, service and support for Amano parking solutions. “PSX is known for tailoring systems to the dynamic and specific needs of their customers,” said Tom Benton, Amano President and CEO. “They focus on delivering high-quality products in configurations that achieve the highest value.” PSX has been providing Amano McGann products and service in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida for more than 30 years



NuPark, a leading provider of “smart”-parking management solutions, has been awarded a contract to provide its fully integrated, LPR-based, parking management system to the University of Maryland, College Park. With a planned reduction of more than 3,000 parking spaces by 2018, and an enrollment of more than 38,000 students, the university’s Department of Transportation Services faces the challenge of how to best utilize its available spaces. In related news, the company also announced Scout, the next generation of its open, cloud-based smart parking management platform. The new version is designed to allow parking professionals to gain greater efficiency, access, and unprecedented visibility into their operations. The Scout platform combines a highly configurable and friendly user interface with advanced, real-time visual monitoring and analytics. The platform is backed by an experienced team providing an unrivaled level of customer support.


 


Parking Revenue Recovery Services (PRRS), leaders in parking enforcement and collections services, has partnered with ParkiFi in Denver. Its all-inclusive enforcement program is designed to deliver a turn-key enforcement solution to clients that includes enforcement staff on the ground, collections, payment processing and state-of-the-art technology with real-time reporting.


 


iParq has announced the “go live” of its residential parking permit system in the City of Anaheim. The contract with INET Inc. (dba iParq) came through an RFP in December 2016, and the rollout was completed this spring. This partnership is intended to allow the city to reduce manual labor practices and provide advanced online services to their residents. 


Parking Reservation Software (PRS), a leading parking software provider, has announced that it has achieved 22% revenue growth in its first year, “stoked by increasing its client base and services to existing clients.” Formerly SMC Software, PRS was rebranded in 2016, and formed a sister company, RezPort, to serve the government sector, giving it “momentum in the US market.” PRS customers and integrations include WallyPark, Port of Galveston (TX), Port of Charleston (SC), Concur, WorldPay, Chase, NetPark and ParkingSoft.


 


R.A. Smith National, a multi-disciplined civil engineering and surveying firm based in Brookfield, WI, has promoted John Elkin to Director of Transportation. He previously was Assistant Director of Transportation, a position he held since January 2014. He has more than 30 years of experience in project management and transportation design in the transportation division at the firm.


To celebrate Earth Day and an ongoing commitment to sustainability, WallyPark Airport Parking, an L&R company, ran a month-long campaign to help reduce its carbon footprint and “green-up” the earth. Turning Earth Day into “Earth Month,” the company offered to plant a tree for every parking reservation made in April. The “More Trees, Yes Please!” campaign offered WallyPark’s premier airport parking to all 18 locations serving travelers at 11 US airports, including Orlando. “We’ve made a serious commitment to moving toward omitting our carbon footprint via a combination of initiatives,” said COO Kevin Montgomery. “Our sustainability efforts include low/zero emission vehicles, completely waterless car and bus washing, and LED lighting retro fits in our facilities.” In March 2017, the WallyPark Premier LAX location deployed 16 zero-emissions utility shuttles manufactured by Phoenix Motorcars.


Code Blue Corp. has again partnered with the Clery Center (clerycenter.org) as the co-presenting sponsor for National Campus Safety Awareness Month (NCSAM). Each September, the center partners with colleges, universities and other organizations for NCSAM to offer free, high-quality programming, educational tools and resources that promote a community approach to campus safety.


Members of the PARC Group, a multinational network of many of the top companies in vehicle access control, gathered for their mid-year meeting in conjunction with the IPI Conference and Expo in New Orleans. Members meet twice annually and network throughout the year. Earlier in 2017, the group held another successful annual meeting, in Orlando, for two days of business development training, vendor presentations and roundtable discussions focused on relevant issues for the business-owner members.


ZipPark Inc. has appointed Co-Founder Carl Sgamboti as Chief Executive Officer, effective Jan. 1, 2017. Co-Founder Barry Lazowski will continue as President. “Carl is going to take ZipPark to the next level,” Lazowski said. “His unwavering dedication to the company, deep experience in designing world-class systems, and commitment to unparalleled customer service makes this a perfect fit for ZipPark.”


The PayByPhone mobile parking app has arrived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, providing students, faculty and staff with an innovative way to pay for parking. The app is designed to help the campus decrease costs associated with parking maintenance, while giving convenience to commuters. The service is currently offered at MIT’s 139 Mass Ave lot.


Evens Time has collaborated with Amano McGann to upgrade parking operations at Indianapolis International Airport. As a premier provider of time and attendance, parking, access control and video surveillance systems, the company will be installing new Amano McGann OPUSeries entry terminals, central pay-on-foot stations and exit terminals throughout the airport’s parking facilities.


FastPark, a leading offsite airport parking company, has expanded its Fast Park & Relax facility at 8550 Stansted Road near Indianapolis International Airport. The expansion nearly doubles its capacity with covered parking spaces a mere three years after its opening. “Our Indianapolis location has seen tremendous growth since opening in 2014,” said Melanie Chavez, Executive VP of Construction and Branding. “As demand for our services grew, we knew a major expansion was needed. We’re thrilled to be able to accommodate more travelers and grow our customer base in Indianapolis.” The Berlin Schönefeld Airport in Germany will become the first in Europe to install the Park Assist patented M4 camera-based parking guidance system (PGS). Partnering with Apcoa, the leading European parking facilities operator and service provider, the company will be introducing its advanced smart sensor PGS to help the airport provide a stress-free parking experience for travelers. Schönefeld airport operates five terminals, 47 check-in desks and 52 aircraft parking stands, and serves more than 11.6 million passengers per year.


Canada-based Tomahawk Technologies has releases its newly developed license plate recognition (LPR) module, which will become part of its existing parking and security software platform OperationsCommander (or OPS-COM). It consists of ParkAdmin, which manages parking permit issuance; IncidentAdmin, which manages and records vehicles of interest or personal incidents; and ViolationAdmin, which handles scofflaw and citation management.


BemroseBooth Paragon, the parking and transport ticketing specialist based in Hull,UK, has announced that Ryan Mellors, who has been with the business for more than seven years, has been promoted to Vice President of Global Sales - Parking. Following significant growth in North and South America and Canada, Mellors will make these territories a focus, extending current client requirements, while targeting new business opportunities. He also will play more of an active role in managing global exhibitions, particularly in the USA where the BBP brand is attracting a lot of attention.



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