Harder Than It Looks: Parking Uncovered EP 3: The Parking Puzzle: How Texas A&M University Cracks the Code With Peter Lange
In this episode, we sit down with Peter Lange, Associate Vice President of Transportation Services at Texas A&M University College Station.
We discuss topics such as hiring employees based on their previous work, managing manpower, motivating millennial student workers, and implementing parking solutions. We also touch on the challenges of dealing with higher education politics and the need for better understanding of the costs associated with parking.
Here are some key takeaways from our conversation:
- Motivating Millennial Workers: We discussed the challenge of inspiring millennial student workers and the significance of creating a sense of belonging and purpose.
- The Challenges of Implementing New Technologies: Peter shared his experiences with implementing new technologies, the risks of being too early or too late, and the importance of understanding the operation and technology to improve processes.
- The Non-Parking Challenges: Peter reflected on the non-parking aspects of his job, such as dealing with higher education politics, university and local politics, and administrative changes.
Peter Lange earned a BA in marketing from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, and is Associate Vice President of Transportation Services at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. He is responsible for one of the largest parking, transportation and fleet operations on any college campus in the country.
Peter is past president of the board of directors for the Texas Parking and Transportation Association (TPTA).
His awards and honors include: the 2009 Distinguished Service Award from the TPTA, the 2013 Chairman’s Award from the International Parking and Mobility Institute (IPMI), and the 2015 IPMI James M. Hunnicutt, CAPP, Parking Professional of the Year.
Transportation Services at Texas A&M was named the IPMI 2009 Parking Organization of the Year, and the Innovative Organization of the Year – 2012 by the National Parking Association. In 2017 and reaccredited in 2023, Texas A&M University Transportation Services was named as an IPMI Accredited Parking Organization “With Distinction” and attained “silver” level status as a “Bicycle Friendly University” by the League of American Bicyclists.
Peter has authored a number of industry articles and presented at numerous industry conferences. He has chaired several parking committees, including past Co-Chair of the IPMI Technology Committee.
Be sure to check out these great clips from the show:
The importance of work experience [00:12:02] Discussion on the value of seeing someone's work before hiring them and the benefits of being dragged along by someone who trusts your abilities.
Managing manpower for events [00:13:44] Exploration of how Texas A&M University manages their staff for large events, including utilizing student workers and wage workers.
Motivating millennial student workers [00:16:41] Discussion on how to motivate millennial student workers, including creating a sense of belonging, providing support, and emphasizing the importance of their role in the organization.
The community engagement plan [00:22:33] Peter discusses the comprehensive plan developed in partnership with Texas A&M Transportation to engage the community and implement changes in signal timing, road closures, and traffic control to improve traffic flow on game days.
Technology and its role in parking operations [00:27:51] Peter talks about the importance of deploying technology, such as cameras and network infrastructure, to monitor and manage parking operations effectively. They also discuss the philosophy of choosing and implementing technology and balancing cost with the opportunity to improve operations.
Pushing the industry and learning from others [00:32:20] Peter emphasizes the importance of staying informed about industry trends, attending conferences, networking, and learning from other institutions to push the boundaries and improve parking operations. They discuss the willingness to challenge vendors and explore new solutions.
The timing of taking the next leap [00:33:10] Discussion on the importance of timing in deciding when to implement new technologies and the risks of being too early or too late.
Prepaid parking journey [00:33:29] Exploration of the implementation of prepaid parking, focusing on the demand during football events and the use of vendors like ParkMobile.
Using technology in the field on game day [00:35:25] Discussion on the challenges of using credit cards in the field during game days, the limitations of cellular and Wi-Fi networks, and the anticipation of a dedicated 5G network on campus.
The challenges of moving to a new location [00:43:16] Peter discusses the difficulties of moving to a new city, leaving behind family and friends.
The non-parking aspects of the job [00:44:00] The challenges of dealing with higher education politics, university politics, local politics, and administrative changes.
The misconception about parking being free [00:45:39] We discuss the misconception that parking is free and emphasizes the economic aspect of parking and the resources required to maintain parking facilities.
The challenges of landing an airplane [00:53:13]
Keeping frontline workers engaged [00:56:27] Lynda Black shares her strategies for managing frontline workers at Parker Technology’s Indianapolis based call-center.
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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.