DIAMOND Dialog G r o w i n g To g e t h e r.
WINTER 2017
95 Years of Business Success 2017 marks another milestone for Diamond Parking. “We are celebrating our 95th year as a family owned business,” notes President Jon Diamond. Throughout the past 9 decades, Jon says that empowering Diamond employees at all levels to do their best and encouraging them to diligently build long lasting relationships and alliances with clients and customers, are key reasons for the company’s amazing longevity. Jon states that a major goal for 2017 is to refocus on building relationships, acquiring new locations and maximizing revenue. “Our job is to keep our relationships solid as well as build new alliances from scratch. It takes resources to acquire new locations, so once we get them, we want to keep them. It’s the most efficient way to expand our portfolio.” Jon points out that Diamond’s best referrals come from current clients. That’s a major point shared by Mike Poirier, Vice President of Operations, Diamond Parking British Columbia, in his presentation at this year’s annual Real Estate & Operations Seminar. “Clearly, I
“Relationships and alliances are the key reasons for our longevity.” President Jon Diamond
see the value of building alliances as a major retention tool and as a measurable way to add value to the relationship,” states Mike. “A strong business alliance helps us to retain business when competitors come knocking.” In addition, Mike notes that by focusing on building alliances, Diamond will get a lot of additional business referrals. “For example,” adds Mike, “our clients
speak to their colleagues and give us a gold star recommendation. We receive the call and are asked to review their portfolio and make a presentation. We get a lot of new business that we have not pursued directly.” As for Seminar takeaways, Mike says the overwhelming theme was attention to detail as well as don’t be custodial in managing current business, rather be proactive to protect the business. “When we are hands on in all aspects of our relationships through competitive pricing, outstanding customer service and the highest degree of integrity, our primary benefit will result in our retention of existing clients and referrals from current landlords.”
We hope you enjoy reading our latest newsletter INSIDE THIS ISSUE - Celebrating 95 Years - Real Estate & Operations Annual Seminar - Ahead of the Curve - Award Winners - Going the Extra Mile
Canadian Corner New Growth Opportunities in Calgary Set dramatically between prairies and peaks, Calgary is a vibrant modern metropolis buzzing with energy while celebrating its rich western heritage. Diamond Parking entered the Calgary, Alberta market three years ago. Despite a downturn in energy and a double-digit downtown Ceirin Hunter, office vacancy rate, leading Business Developeconomists predict that the ment Manager, “R” word in Calgary in 2017 will stand for “recovery”, not “recession.” Diamond’s Business Development Manager, Ceirin Hunter, is also optimistic that a turnaround is underway. “It’s obvious that the communication gates are opening.
Competitor’s contracts that are based on earlier economic conditions are ripe for renegotiation. They have everything to lose and we have everything to gain.” Since joining Diamond Parking early last year, Ceirin is compiling an exhaustive list of landlords, property managers and tenants. He calls it his “book of communications” and uses it daily. “I make 20 personal calls and send out emails by 10 AM every morning. I know that we are a relationshipbased business and that the sales cycle can be long in many cases. I want to be ready when the opportunity presents itself.” In addition to personal one-on-one communications, Ceirin believes in growing business relationships laterally. He explains, “For example, if we are managing contracts for a company in another city we should leverage that relationship to win their business in our marketplace. My goal is to become the go-to parking vendor for every property manger in Alberta.”
Going the Extra Mile Exceeding Customer Expectations “Whatever it takes to satisfy our parking guests is my focus,” states Diamond’s Tom O’Neill, Area Supervisor, Diamond Parking Services, Seattle Self Park Division. Tom was very gratified to be acknowledged by a parking guest for providing outstanding customer service, although he says he comes to work prepared to resolve any and Tom O’Neill, all issues either from landlords or Seattle Self Park his parking customers. “Each day is different. You have to be ready to roll with the punches.” Tom credits his team and specifically, Joe Koontz, City Manager, Seattle Self Park for his approach to exceeding expectations in the arena of customer service. “Joe sets us up to be successful by allowing us to do our job and focus on taking care of our guests.” Tom joined Diamond 3 years ago as Area Supervisor.
CU ST OM ER TE ST IM ON IA L
Dear Mr. Koontz,
I wanted to reach ou
to let them know ho
t to Diamond Parkin
w happy and impres
g management
sed I am with Tom O’Neil is provid ing. I called to report a self-pay ma chine was not readin g credit cards after a few people ha d tried and he was qu ick to assist all the way through. It turned out that a bank card was a challenge for the ma chine to read, and To m said he was working with the ba nk to get it correcte d ASAP. He then told me to let him kn ow if I have any iss ues going forward, which I did. He prom ptly responded, makin g things right for me. He is someon e who is on top of th ings, responsive, respectful and is a gr eat example of an ex ceptional manager. I wanted to gi ve credit where it’s due. Thank you, Nina the level of service
from the
President’s Desk Building relationships and alliances in business is a 24/7 effort. Patience, respect, trust, tenacity and a willingness to listen, are necessary tools to maintain current contracts as well as Jon Diamond acquire new ones. To illustrate my point, let me share a story that began two decades ago. For several years, Diamond had managed multiple locations for a property management company. The business relationship was strongly motivated by personal and professional relationships. However, due to unexpected shifts in the marketplace, the property management company decided to go in a different direction. Rather than dwell on losing the business, we committed to gaining the business back no matter how long it would take. For more than a decade, whenever we noticed the landlord’s name on a parking property, we would make a courtesy call to acknowledge our past business alliance and keep our name top of mind. The opportunity came when a new owner, who knew and respected our team, asked us to submit a proposal to manage his parking, ironically, to the same group of property managers that we previously represented. Because we stayed close all the while reinforcing our original alliance, we won the new contract. And through that new contract, we regenerated our business alliance where today we manage multiple parking facilities on their behalf. If there’s a moral to this story it’s two-fold. One, growth opportunities exist from business relationships that are based on honesty and integrity. Two, “What comes around goes around,” and it came back to us.
Real Estate & Operations Seminar, January 25-27, 2017
Diamond Parking’s 2017 Real Estate & Operations Seminar, titled “Building Alliances” was held in Rancho Mirage, CA. The seminar agenda was a full three days. A cadre of Diamond’s seasoned managers presented a variety of topics that included; Being a High Achiever; Keeping Your Staff Focused; Growing Your City Through Business Development and Operational Eyes; Property Purchases; Creating a Need; Breaking The Ice; Negotiating a Lease; Rates and Standards; Building Alliances/Client Retention and more. (See what we mean by a full agenda!) President Jon Diamond began the conference by recognizing the company’s steady growth through 2016. Jon said Diamond’s success was greatly due to a team effort directed towards excellence in operations and continued sales growth. He congratulated management for achieving their goals and for their frequent review and improvement of processes and systems. To the new faces attending their first seminar, Jon urged all to learn from Diamond’s more experienced managers and to gain inspiration and information from their presentations to assist them in “Building Alliances.”
B u i l d i n g A l l i A n c es Re a l e s tat e & Op e Rat iOns se mina R Ja n. 2 5 – 2 7 , 2 0 1 7
– ––– – – – – – – 2 COUNT R I ES – 9 STATES – 48 CITIES –––– – – – – – – –
Ahead of the Curve
PRESIDENT’S AWARD WINNER!
AWARD RECIPIENTS President’s Award Joe Koontz, Seattle, WA
City Manager of the Year Patrick Seward, Bellevue/Eastside, WA
Real Estate Manager of the Year Jeff Sandborn, Honolulu, HI
Joe Koontz, City Manager, Seattle Self Park wins Diamond’s prestigious President’s Award for a second year in a row!
Outstanding Achievement — Real Estate
Outstanding Achievement – Operations
Patrick Seward, Bellevue/Eastside, WA
(listed alphabetically)
Monty McAlpine, Seattle, WA
Dawnena Clark, Salt Lake City Park-n-Jet, UT
Hailey Mattson, Seattle, WA
John Cole, Salt Lake City, UT
Special Achievement — Real Estate
Jasmine Victoria A. Crusat, Kona, HI
Todd Kosloski, Alberta Gus Rojas, U-District/ North, WA
Bob Duprie, Bremerton/ Bainbridge, WA Chuck Harvison, OR
Ceirin Hunter, Calgary, Alberta
Sheila Irish, Tacoma/ Olympia, WA
Mike Poirier, British Columbia
Alex Isvanca, San Diego, CA
Sheila Irish, Tacoma/ Olympia, WA
Andrea Pierce, Spokane, WA
Suraya Tabesh, Vancouver, BC
Patrick Seward, Bellevue/ Eastside, WA Scott Whitford, Santa Ana/ Long Beach, CA
Most Improved City Wally Placido, Boise, ID
Visiting The Vault Car Club at BigHorn
Scott Whitford, Santa Ana/ Long Beach,CA
Purchased Properties Matt Samuel, Anchorage, AK Dan Geiger, Spokane, WA Chuck Harvison, OR Bob Duprie, Bremerton/ Bainbridge, WA
– 1 90 0 L O CAT I ONS – 1 54 ,89 3,7 98 Combine d Hours of Ex per ienc e –
Diamond Anniversaries We want to congratulate those employees who are celebrating 10 or more years with Diamond Parking. Thank you for your dedication! 50+ Years Richard G. Jeffries
United Parking
53 years
30+ Years Steven A. Chaves Yolanda A. Ang
Honolulu Corporate Accounting
37 years 33 years
20+ Years Jeffrey Sandborn Howard Nez
Honolulu Salt Lake City Airport
29 years 28 years
Yohanes Weldemariam Kenneth G. Lewallen
Seattle Attended Bremerton
24 years 20 years
15+ Years Linda Entus Larry E. Stedman Ayman Mohamud Amanuel G. Abraham Mesay Mekonnen Azeb Wosene Douglas M. Schroeder Quentin A. Sannes
Tacoma Spokane Downtown Seattle Attended Seattle Attended United Parking Seattle Attended Bellevue Spokane Downtown
19 years 19 years 18 years 17 years 16 years 16 years 16 years 15 years
10+ Years Danita M. Robinson Jasmine-Victoria A. Crusat Seyum S. Debesay Paul D. Archuleta Paul R. Lopez Steven Eugenio Ghilai O. Lijam Liza G. Beltran Alfred S. Olsen V Joseph Koontz Peggy L. Huebner Ralph E. Scott
Accounting Kona Seattle Self Park Salt Lake City Airport Santa Ana Spokane Downtown United Parking Honolulu Spokane Downtown Seattle Self Park U-District Spokane Downtown
14 years 13 years 13 years 13 years 12 years 12 years 11 years 11 years 11 years 10 years 10 years 10 years
Diamond Feedback We welcome your comments: Diamond Dialog is published by Diamond Parking. For comments and suggestions please write to us at: dialog@diamondparking.com.
To learn more about the Diamond Difference visit www.diamondparking.com
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Employment Opportunities Diamond Parking is a full-service parking operator which prides itself on the quality of its employees. We do everything possible to accommodate our clients and make sure each and every client is satisfied. Such exceptional service can only be delivered by hiring the brightest and hardest working people in the industry. If you are interested in joining Diamond Parking, please e-mail your resume to: hr@diamondparking.com. Diamond Parking is an equal opportunity employer.
A ctionline WHAT DO YOU THINK? Your observations, ideas and
opinions are very important to us. Whether you are a landlord, customer or employee, you can use Actionline to provide comments, suggestions or observations; to ask questions, voice concerns, report situations, or to forward information that you feel may need attention. Actionline is served by an independent communication services firm. Through this service, you may provide your personal contact information and receive a response directly from Diamond Parking. Or, you may provide your personal contact information, request to remain anonymous to the company, and receive a reply through the Actionline service. You may contact Actionline by e-mail at ask@actionline.com, by telephone at 1-800-426-0426 (day or night, toll-free) or by using a postage-paid mailer available at any Diamond Parking field office.
– – –– – –––– 1,498,370,839,208,475,821 Cars Parked – – – – – – – – –
In Our Next Issue Growth in Spokane Washington A Spokane Success Story — Dan and Andrea share their insights on how they keep their team and area growing.
Stay tuned...
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DIAMOND
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www.DiamondParking.com •
605 First Avenue, Suite 600, Seattle, WA 98104 •
1-800-340-PARK