Parking Royalty Reminds Me of What True Leadership Is

October, 2022

Britton Stansell

Founder and CEO,

TEZ Technology

In Chattanooga, Tenn., there is a new name in town when it comes to parking management services. BrightBase Management, led by Founder and CEO Britton Stansell, just celebrated its one-year anniversary. 

For those of you who are not lucky enough to know Britton, let me tell you a little about him. He graduated from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and started working at Republic Parking System. What many people do not know is that Britton is the grandson of Mr. Jim Berry, who founded Republic Parking System (RPS) back in 1966 and it became the largest privately held parking company. When Britton joined the RPS team he did not take a cushy job and take advantage of the family name. Instead, he accepted an entry level manager’s position and set out to learn the industry. In his 15 years with RPS I watched him work his way up to General Manager of Chattanooga and later a Regional Vice President. 

After Mr. Berry’s passing, the company was sold and a few years later, Britton decided to move on from RPS. After being out of the parking industry for a short time, he decided to return. But rather than work for another company, he decided to start his own 

Character is King

Steven Covey, the author of the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” once said “Decide what you stand for and then stand for it for all the time.” Whether Britton is aware of it or not, he lives this mission statement. He knows who he is as a person, what values are important to him, and has the conviction to hold to those values in the easy times and, more importantly, the hard times. I have seen him show grace when many would resort to anger, hostility, or use it as a time to remind people of their power. The patience and empathy he shows his staff, clients, customers, and the public is inspirational. 

Humility over Pride

One of the things I notice most about Britton is that he is truly a humble person. True humility breeds confidence, the kind that doesn’t need to boast accomplishments, be the loudest in the room, or the one who is always right.

True humility allows a leader to learn, creates endless possibilities, magnifies strengths and, most importantly, empowers others to lead and to lead with curiosity. This is just another example of what sets Britton and the team he surrounds himself with apart from others.

Leadership comes in all forms and shapes. While there are formal roles that expect leadership, such as being a CEO, there are also countless opportunities for people to build leadership skills. Anyone can be a leader, but not everyone is a good leader. Leaders must make themselves. But you can help inspire someone to want to help themselves by being an example and that is what Britton is - a shining example of a great leader. //

Contributed by Katherine Beatty, VP of Implementation, TEZ Technology