EP 7: Driving Innovation: From Valet to Visionary in Parking Tech

Today’s guest is Ethan Glass, the Co-Founder and CEO of Ocra, a parking management platform. We discuss Ethan's journey from parking cars to building software for the parking industry.

Ethan's story begins on the North Shore of Chicago, where he grew up in a family-run business selling office and school supplies. This early exposure to the business world taught him valuable skills in building relationships and growing a small business.

His passion for film and media led him to Los Angeles, where he attended Occidental College and joined the entrepreneurship program. It was here that he and his co-founder, Nate Downing, identified a parking problem at the LA Coliseum. This marked the beginning of their journey into the parking industry.

Here are some key takeaways from our conversation:

• The Power of Relationships: Ethan's ability to build strong relationships within the industry played a crucial role in Ocra’s success. His respect for parking attendants and his commitment to integrity and timely payments earned him trust and support within the community.
• Building a World-Class Team: Ocra’s team is a blend of parking operations veterans and tech industry experts. This strategic selection has been instrumental in understanding the industry's rich history and aligning with its growth strategies.
• Overcoming Challenges: The road to success wasn't smooth. Ethan and his team faced numerous hurdles, including inventory allocation issues and communication breakdowns. However, their determination to solve these problems led to the development of innovative technologies and automation.

This conversation with the Glass family emphasized the importance of building strong relationships whether you are running a family business or a venture-backed technology company. 

Be sure to check out these great clips from the show:

Getting Into Parking and Personal Background (00:01:34) Ethan shares his personal story, starting from growing up in a family business and transitioning into film and media. 

Challenges and Solutions in the Parking Industry (00:07:11) Ethan talks about the inefficiencies he observed in the parking industry and how he and his co-founder came up with the idea of leasing out parking spaces on an event-by-event basis. 

The Fragmentation Problem (00:11:49) We discuss the problem of technologies not being able to communicate with each other, causing difficulties in managing inventory allocation and pricing.

The Transformation During COVID-19 (00:15:12) The COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to reassess its position in the market and led to customer discovery, where it identified the problem of fragmentation in the parking industry.

Building a B2B Software Solution (00:17:27) After receiving feedback from parking operators, Ethan realized the opportunity to build a B2B software solution to solve the problem of a centralized demand channel management platform for online reservation systems.

The Ocra Story and Building Relationships (00:23:15) We discussed the importance of building relationships and the positive experiences they had in the parking industry.

The Power of Experience and Technology in the Parking Industry (00:23:57) Ethan highlights the value of combining personal parking experience with cutting-edge technology in solving industry problems.

Getting into the Long Beach Accelerator (00:25:31) Ethan shares their journey of applying to multiple accelerators and finally getting accepted into the Long Beach Accelerator, with the help of a mentor who had a background in the parking industry.

The History of Parking and Industry Alignment (00:35:08) Discussion about the importance of understanding the history of parking and the need for alignment and empathy among different companies in the industry.

Building a Business and Overcoming Challenges (00:37:46) Conversation about the process of building a business, facing difficulties, and keeping the team motivated during challenging times.

Integrating Parking Technology and Bridging Connections (00:41:57) Focus on the difficulty of integrating parking technology and building an API layer for the industry, as well as the importance of bridging connections with adjacent industries.

Memories of the business (01:00:18) Ethan shares his first memories of his grandfather and father selling pencils and other office supplies.

Transitioning the Business (01:02:48) The transition of the business from Ethan's father to Ethan and his siblings, and their experiences working in the office.

Relationships and Trust in Business (01:10:23) Dan Glass speaks on the importance of getting someone's attention, building relationships, and trust in business.

Understanding and Helping Others (01:11:05) The importance of helping others achieve their goals and the need for effective communication and understanding.

The Challenges of Content Development (01:13:10) The challenges faced in content development, including the difficulties of taking photos and videos of toilets and faucets.

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Connect with Parker Technology.

While delivering an excellent customer experience is indeed harder than it looks, we’re the experts. It’s all we do, every day, and we’re darn good at it. If you’d like to learn more about how we make managing the parking experience look easy, visit our website at www.parkertechnology.com, or shoot a note to getstarted@parkertechnology.com.