Harder Than It Looks: Parking Uncovered

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff sits down with Marc Baumann, Founder and Principal of South Lane Advisory and former Chairman and CEO of SP+. Their conversation centers on The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath, a book Marc has sent to more people than any other. Marc walks Brian through how SP+ found its purpose, Making Every Moment Matter for a World on the Go, sta...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks, host Brian Wolff welcomes back James Paden, Chief Product Officer at Parker Technology. Brian and James celebrate two years since James joined the company, and they unpack the AI products James and his team launched.    Brian and James dig into the actual mechanics of a voice AI call, the five different AI models a single call runs through in about a second...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks, host Brian Wolff sits down with Melissa Jones, PTMP, Director of Customer Experience at TEZ Technology. Melissa’s road into parking wound began with a career in counseling and crisis work with at-risk kids and families. That work taught her how to sit with people in the middle of a crisis, big or small, and help them work through it. These skills ended up t...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks, host Brian Wolff is joined by Peter Sherwill, Chief Public Parking Officer for the City of Jacksonville, the largest city by land area in the contiguous United States. Peter brings more than two decades of parking and mobility experience spanning valet, event parking, municipal operations, and private sector contracts, and now oversees a system of garages,...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff sits down with Benito O. Pérez, AICP, CTP, CPM, PTMP, Section Chief for Transit Capital Statewide at the Illinois Department of Transportation. Benito’s career has moved through urban planning, civil engineering, transportation policy, curbside management, accessibility, and transit capital planning. But the common thread through all of it...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff is joined by David Weber , Head of National Business Development for Parking at SWTCH Energy. David brings more than two decades of experience across the parking industry, starting as a valet at a Las Vegas casino before moving into operations, digital parking, business development, and now EV charging infrastructure. David’s path through...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff is joined by Jake Miller, Co-Founder and CEO of ZIVIS, to explore what happens when software evolves into intelligence and what it really takes to trust it. With a career spanning large scale platforms, startup innovation, and now AI security, Jake brings a systems level perspective to one of the fastest moving shifts in technology. Jake’s...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff sits down with Shareena Sandbrook, Chief Commercial Development Officer at Towne. Shareena was the Co-Founder and CEO of Frogparking, a global parking technology company she co-founded with her father, Don Sandbrook, in 2009. How do you build a global parking company from a small town in New Zealand? For Shareena, the answer involved a lot...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff is joined by Karen Mangia, SVP of Global Customer Success at Bazaarvoice. Karen is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a proven customer experience expert.  Karen’s career spans leadership roles at Salesforce, Cisco, and now Bazaarvoice, where she helps brands harness the authentic voice of their customers to drive loyalty and gro...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff sits down with Neil Hart, Vice President of University Operations at Reimagined Parking. With more than 30 years of experience spanning private parking, healthcare, and higher education, Neil brings a rare, full spectrum perspective on leading in a service industry.  People don’t often plan on starting out in our industry, but once they ge...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff sits down with Keith B. Jones, Chairman and Owner of ACE Parking – the largest family-owned parking and mobility company in North America.   Founded in 1950 by Keith’s grandparents in San Diego, ACE Parking began as a dirt lot charging 25 cents for a parking spot. Today, the company operates across the country and stands as one of the most...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , guest host Heidi Barber sits down with Dr. Tanara Teal-Tate, Executive Director of Parking & Transportation at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville – a leader overseeing a $24M+ auxiliary enterprise serving more than 50,000 campus community members.  With responsibility for 18,000+ parking spaces, 10 garages, 34 bus transit systems and a 60+ person t...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff sits down with Kevin Uhlenhaker , CEO & Publisher of Parking Today Media.  Kevin shares insight from his first year as the CEO & Publisher of Parking Today Media, including the innovations made to PIE 2026. PIE 2026 is held in Dallas, Texas, from March 30th- April 2nd. Kevin and Brian discuss the challenges associated with taking o...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks: Parking Uncovered , host Brian Wolff sits down with Maggie Vercoe, COO of TEZ Technology and a 30-year veteran of the parking industry. From starting in a parking booth at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee to helping build T2 Systems during its high-growth years - and now leading professional services, support, account management, and marketing at TEZ -...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff sits down with Susan Cole , Founder & CEO of Cole Ticket Solutions (CTS) – a woman-owned business reshaping consumables, automation, and supply chain efficiency across the parking industry. One night at 3 a.m., overwhelmed and searching for answers, Susan pressed play on an episode of this podcast featuring SBA lending expert Sue Malon...

In this episode, host Brian Wolff sits down with Jeff Siegler , author, urbanist, and founder of Revitalize or Die , for a candid conversation about civic pride, apathy, and how an overemphasis on parking might actually be holding our communities back.  Jeff brings a unique perspective - challenging the idea that “more parking” equals “more progress.” He shares lessons from two decades helping tow...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks, host Brian Wolff is joined by Dave Mueller, President of Parking Concepts Inc. (PCI), and Rafael Abanilla, Senior Vice President of Operations and Innovation at PCI.    These industry veterans share insights on leadership, technology integration, and maintaining company culture in the evolving parking industry.   Key Takeaways: 1. Technology should enhance,...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff is joined by Dean Ahmad, Vice President of Parking and Transportation at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW).    Dean shares his remarkable journey from entrepreneurial beginnings to leading a team of over 300 employees at one of the busiest airports in the world. Dean offers insights on building organizational culture, driving innovation, and...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks, host Brian Wolff sits down with Gabe Mendez, PTMP - Director of Transportation Operations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.     Gabe brings over two decades of experience in the parking and transportation industries. Gabe shares insights from his time in commercial parking operations to leading transportation services at one of America's largest unive...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks Parking Uncovered, host Brian Wolff sits down with Bob Murray, CTO at CampusParc, and James Paden, Chief Product Officer at Parker Technology. These tech veterans share their experiences transitioning into the parking industry and offer insights on how outside expertise is driving innovation in parking operations.   Bob and James discuss the challenges of in...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks Parking Uncovered, host Brian Wolff sits down with Greg Brewer, the newly appointed President and CEO of Amano McGann, Inc. Greg shares his inspiring journey from humble beginnings to leading one of the parking industry's top technology providers. He offers insights on authentic leadership, company culture transformation, and balancing technological innovati...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks, host Brian Wolff is joined by James Paden, Chief Product Officer at Parker Technology. With 25 years of software experience, James shares his insights on the rapidly evolving world of AI in the parking industry. From the challenges of implementing voice AI to the future of customer service, this conversation explores how parking is both leading and adapting...

In this special episode, recorded live on the expo hall floor at IPMI 2025, Brian Wolff, Heidi Barber, Tina Gray, and Courtney Cooper talk to 9 parking leaders about what’s working, what’s not, and what they’d change with a magic wand. From drones and data to broken gates and customer confusion - it’s a rapid-fire tour of the industry's most pressing challenges.  Key Takeaways   AI, LPR, and cashl...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks , host Brian Wolff sits down with Jeff Pinyot – the President of ECO Parking Technologies.    Jeff’s journey started in Pittsburgh and evolved from air conditioning sales to pioneering lighting solutions – and finally to developing the world’s first fully integrated wireless parking guidance system. With multiple patents, a knack for invention (yes, even sod...

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks, host Brian Wolff is joined by Kenzie Coulson, Parking and Mobility Consultant at Walker Consultants, known for leading high-stakes projects like Park City's paid parking rollout and Salt Lake City's City Creek parking overhaul.  Kenzie shares behind-the-scenes stories about transforming emotionally charged parking environments, navigating complex municipal...