2019 Winners
NPA announced the winners of its 2019 Innovation Awards at the Annual Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, October 22, 2019:
NPA Innovator of the Year:
George Baker, Sr.
Founder & CEO, ParkHub
Member of the NPA 2016 Class of 40 Under 40
View Award Video | Press Release
For over 20 years, George Baker has served the parking industry. He has 13 years of experience managing parking operations on a national level - including airport operations, portfolio management, and university and municipality parking.
With his extensive parking background, Baker saw first-hand the challenges that operators and parkers face, and sought to leverage technology to help solve these problems.
In 2010, Baker founded ParkHub. Parkhub provides software and hardware services to the parking industry, helping move parking operations into the digital age. Its products include online payment options, real-time reporting of parking revenue, support for dynamic pricing, and insight into inventory availability and control. Parkhub solutions have parked over 18 million vehicles to date.
Parkhub technology not only helps operators park more cars, faster, it helps improve the customer experience. Special event parking poses unique challenges. Parkhub helps get event guests into their seats 45 minutes faster, with its combination of mobile payment and real-time data solutions.
Parkhub event solutions are so effective, it has been the parking technology provider for the last 4 Super Bowl games.
2019 has ushered in significant success for ParkHub. In January, ParkHub formed a long-term partnership with SpotHero, and now provides its mobile payments solutions. In February, ParkHub secured $13 million dollars in Series B venture capital funding.
Baker champions an ethical approach to business.
ParkHub won the Greater Dallas Business Ethics Award in 2017. He ensures things don’t just get done, but that they get done the right way. Baker guides the team with core values, including honest communication, data-informed decision-making, exceeding expectations, and remembering that no one is above any job.
As ParkHub grows, it helps provide a better experience for more drivers and build more efficient, cleaner, smarter cities of tomorrow.
Innovative Organizations of the Year:
Parking Services at the City of Columbus, Ohio
View Award Video | Press Release
Parking Services at the City of Columbus launched a major project to apply innovative technology to manage supply and demand, improve customer service, and increase revenue.
Partnered with Conduent Transportation, Parkmobile, and Genetec, the City of Columbus deployed an innovative, customer-centric Virtual Permit Program.
The program allows Columbus to establish mobile pay-only zones. Increasing parking space inventory 635%.
Customers can now also apply for permits online, decreasing costs and improving customer satisfaction. 13,500 virtual permits have been issued.
Enforcement is now easier with the introduction of nine license plate recognition-equipped vehicles. The result - 51,000+ plates read and the compliance rate is now 90%.
University of California Los Angeles Transportation
View Award Video | Press Release
UCLA Transportation implemented innovative solutions to meet the diverse parking and mobility needs of its campus, while addressing the serious traffic and air quality issues in LA.
UCLA launched an online trip planning tool enabling commuters to explore their best transportation options to campus.
While LA County public transportation ridership has declined, UCLA managed to boost ridership 5% with an innovative incentive program.
UCLA Vanpool provides commuters a reliable means of transportation at an affordable rate. 147 vanpools currently serve 80 communities.
Other innovation solutions include an Earn-a-Bike program and discounted permits for carpoolers.
The result - for the first time in campus history, UCLA’s employee drive-alone rate fell to 48.9% in 2018, far less than LA County’s rate of 76%.
Innovative Facility of the Year / Innovative Sustainability Project of the Year
Center Street Garage, Berkeley, California
View Award Video | Press Release
The National Parking Association’s 2019 Innovative Facility of the Year Award AND 2019 Innovative Sustainability Project of the Year Award both go to Center Street Garage, designed by International Parking Design.
Located in the heart of downtown Berkeley, Center Street Garage serves visitors and the Berkeley arts and theater district.
With 720 spaces for cars and 350 spaces for bikes, Center Street Garage provides a 63% increase in parking availability and is easily accessible by public transit, pedestrians and drivers.
10% of Berkeley residents commute by bicycle. International Parking Design coordinated with stakeholders to create a rider-friendly facility that houses a bike share network, a BART Bike Station with repair shop, and 55-secured bicycle parking spaces.
The garage eases parking for customers with a dynamic parking counting system. It also features a flexible lane at each entrance to allow traffic to switch directions based on time of day, and to avoid backups caused by theater events.
Center Street Garage showcases an exterior façade of folded perforated-metal panels, creating a wave-like form.
Programmable accent lighting allows a dynamic variety of colors for visual effect at night.
Beginning with its construction, International Parking Design was committed to sustainability. 87% of the construction workforce was local labor. 98% of construction waste was diverted from landfills by recycling.
Center Street Garage features a rooftop 500 panel, solar array. Rainwater flows through 8,000-gallon cisterns irrigating landscaping and planters.
Energy-efficient sensor-controlled lighting results in a 60% energy reduction.
The garage is expected to receive Parksmart gold certification.
