Short Parking Stories
March, 2019
QIC and Northeastern University Form Partnership for Management Transportation Infrastructure
As urban transportation continues to change, QIC, a global diversified alternative investment firm, and Northeastern University have entered into a 50-year partnership providing for QIC’s investment in the University’s campus-wide parking system and potential future mobility services. Under the agreement, QIC Global Infrastructure has formed MasParc and Mobility LLC (MasParc), a new company that will oversee all aspects of the parking system at Northeastern, a large, urban university in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, with enrollment of approximately 26,000 students.
This agreement is the first of its kind for a private university in the U.S. It is also the first agreement to provide for the future development of technology-enabled mobility solutions, as needed, such as an intermodal connectivity platform, in line with providing mobility-as-a-service based on commuters’ travel needs. This will enable MasParc to cater to the campus’ changing transportation needs over time.
Following an agreed upon transition period, MasParc will assume responsibility for management of the parking permit system, commuter assistance, event parking management, and parking facility maintenance, including major renovations. With a focus on customer service, MasParc’s plans include investing in major technology upgrades and integrating mobile technologies into its services. These initiatives will be designed to enhance the customer experience while benefitting the environment and the broader University community.
IDeaS Revs Up Parking Segment Investment
IDeaS Revenue Solutions continues to increase its commitment to its parking business segment, investing in its sales and account management teams to support record growth and expanded airport demand for revenue optimization technology.
For over a decade, IDeaS has enabled trailblazing airports around the globe to apply demand-based pricing to pre-booked parking with year-over-year revenue growth. As consumer preference changes and competing transportation modes emerge, the greater airport community has become increasingly aware of the significant opportunity to utilize data analytics to improve traveler experience and maximize non-aeronautical revenue performance.
A team of trusted advisors – Guy Barnes, who established and cultivated IDeaS’ partnerships with many of the world’s leading hotel chains for 15 years, is now fully focused on the next stage of growth in parking. As head of global sales for parking, Barnes has built a dedicated team of expert advisors with decades of experience driving profit growth as revenue management leaders. Neil Corr and Ryan MacLagan, both expert practitioners, now lead new sales in IDeaS’ EMEA and Americas regions respectively.
Joseph Martino, chief business development officer, IDeaS, said: “I am tremendously excited that the global airport community is now putting parking at the front and center of their commercial strategies. It has long been the unsung hero of any airport’s growth and profitability and is now being recognized by many as their biggest growth opportunity. IDeaS continues its investment, with more dedicated resources, which enables us to drive more value to an increasing number of airports, faster. Growing a team comprised of such high-caliber revenue management veterans speaks volumes about the excitement around the disruption taking place in the parking industry.”
Guy Barnes, head of global sales, parking, IDeaS, said: “As well as being hugely valuable to have Neil and Ryan help airports take the next significant steps in their revenue management journey, it was vitally important to me that we add similar resources to increase the value we bring to our existing airport clients. In establishing a dedicated account management team, we have recruited two more senior revenue management leaders, in addition to Neil and Ryan, as another asset for our clients when solving today’s revenue management challenges, but more so to support and enable them to best solve tomorrow’s.”
ParkHub & SpotHero Announce Long-Term Partnership
to Enhance Event Parking Experience
ParkHub, the leading B2B parking technology provider, and SpotHero, the leading parking mobility platform, have announced a long-term partnership designed to capitalize on each company’s core strengths. As part of the partnership, ParkHub will service SpotHero’s parking point-of-sale (P3OS) client relationships, and SpotHero will grow its event parking inventory to include hundreds of additional event venues nationwide.
By assuming SpotHero’s point-of-sale client relationships, ParkHub will expand its market-leading offering to further help parking operators improve customer experience and drive revenue through streamlined operations and real-time insight. ParkHub is currently utilized by numerous professional sport team venues and premier entertainment sites, including the Dallas Cowboys stadium, Live Nation amphitheaters, and MGM Resorts Properties.
By partnering with ParkHub, SpotHero will expand its existing network of premium parking facilities with hundreds of additional venues. This expansion further asserts SpotHero’s leadership position as the largest parking mobility platform in North America.
ECO Lighting Solutions Now ECO Parking Technologies
ECO Lighting Solutions announced today the immediate name change to ECO Parking Technologies (ECO Parking Tech). Formed in 2006 to serve the lighting industry through state-of-the-art U.S. made parking garage lighting, ECO Parking Lights advanced to ECO Lighting Solutions as the company products moved beyond just parking. “With the advent of FALCON VISION, the world’s only LED Integrated Camera- based, Wireless, Object Detection Parking Guidance System, the name change to ECO Parking Technologies better describes the new direction of our organization, which is to serve the Parking Industry through Advanced Engineered Solutions in Lighting, PGS, and new advancing technologies.” Commented Jeff Pinyot, President of ECO Parking Technologies.
Many customers have already benefitted from deploying FALCON VISION Concierge Lighting, including the winner of the NPA 2018 Sustainability Project of the Year at the California State University Sacramento. FALCON VISION is also the integrated solution in the new Las Olas Parking Structure, the visual masterpiece in Ft Lauderdale, Florida.
FALCON VISION is available for both new construction and renovation projects either integrated into the light fixture, or as a stand-alone system. Pinyot further commented, “With FALCON VISION, we’re delivering rich functionality through modern IoT and Cloud Native technologies.”
Passport Adds Seasoned Payments Executive to Board of Directors
Passport today announces that it has appointed Brian V. Mooney to its board of directors. Mooney, a respected financial services and payment technology veteran, will help advise Passport through continued growth and expansion of its payments offering. Passport, the global leader in mobility technology and mobile payment transactions, processes nearly half a billion dollars per year through its payment platforms for parking, transit and tolling for its nearly 600 municipal clients.
“We are pleased to have Brian, one of the most well-known and experienced leaders in payments, as an independent director on our board,” said Bob Youakim, Passport CEO. “Passport is on a strong growth trajectory to increase our revenue and better serve our clients, and Brian’s expertise will be beneficial as we continue to scale.”
Mooney most recently served as CEO of Merchant Customer Exchange, LLC. He also held executive roles at Banc of America Merchant Services, LLC and First Data, including First Data Merchant Services. He has experience leading large fintech organizations and will bring his experience in payments and leadership perspective to Passport to help the company grow and scale its operations.
“The way people make payments is becoming increasingly mobile and Passport is on the cutting edge as a leader in mobile payments,” said Mooney. “Passport is already processing a significant number of transactions and I expect to see continued growth as it leads transformation in the mobility industry.”
With the appointment of Mooney, the Passport Board of Directors has seven members, including Bob Youakim, Passport CEO, Khristian Gutierrez, Passport Chief Revenue Officer, Matt Harris of Bain Capital Ventures, Don Rainey of Grotech Ventures, Bret Maxwell of MK Capital and Cameron Newton of Relevance Capital.
