Man at a Birthday Party Understands Parking Industry

MADISON, WI — Parking industry expert, Brian Patterson, CPAM, got two surprises on Saturday on this 35th birthday. The first surprise was his first ever surprise birthday party. “The birthday party was a complete surprise to me. My wife got me good,” says Patterson. The second surprise was even more shocking. The shock came about during a conversation Patterson had with Marcus Kennard, a date of one of Brian’s wife’s colleagues. “When meeting Marcus, I told him I was in the parking industry. For the first time in my life, the person I was meeting didn’t respond with ‘Can you void my parking ticket?’ or bring up some horrible parking experience they had,” says Patterson. “Marcus understood the value and importance of paid parking programs. It was very refreshing to say the least.” Marcus claims he spent most of his life not knowing there was a parking industry but stumbled across a Shoup article inadvertently in his 20s when searching for Soup recipes. “That article made me realize how important parking professionals are to the fabric of our communities,” says Kennard. “Normally I tell people I’m in Economic Development or Transportation, but my conversation with Marcus has really inspired me to be more open about my career in Parking,” quips Patterson.