DIAMOND Dialog G r o w i n g To g e t h e r.
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Team Power Seattle Self Parking City Manager Joe Koontz and his Operations Manager Paul Myhre and Area Supervisor David Stansfield exemplify the essence of Diamond’s Team approach. Their combined efforts not only produce superior results, but also build a sense of solidarity and success that spreads to all of their employees. Why is this important? “Because if you want your team to be really effective, you’ll need to get the right people for the right job. It’s critical to know a managers or employees’ skill sets and assign them tasks that are well suited to Joe Koontz, City Manager Self Park Seattle; Paul Myhre, their abilities,” states team leader Joe Koontz. Operations Manager; David Stansfield, Area Supervisor. Building on Joe’s comments, Paul adds that welldefined goals are the building blocks of their entities in one office – Self Park, Seattle Attended and team’s success. “When goals and responsibilities are clearly defined, our team members understand their specific duties Seattle United. Even though each is unique to itself, David says there is a willingness to share information and are able to perform their tasks in a more efficient and and work together toward a common good. “We all effective manner.” Weekly meetings, says, David allows understand collaboration is an essential ingredient to everyone to remember and reaffirm goals, missions and achieve a shared vision. Everyone is a key contributor values. “We encourage brainstorming in every team to our continued growth and performance. We think of meeting. We respect diversity of opinions, views and ideas, ourselves as one community who share identical values because we believe divergent thinking promotes learning, change and innovation.” There are 3 different parking Continued on inside
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We hope you enjoy reading our latest newsletter INSIDE THIS ISSUE - Team Power - Canadian Corner - Ahead of the Curve - Going the Extra Mile - Connect 2015 - Winter Driving Tips
from the
President’s Desk of teamwork and the role
Going the Extra Mile – Exceeding Customer Expectations
teams play in creating
Henrietta Armstrong — When
success. At Diamond, we
Diamond’s Henrietta Armstrong slips on her headset to join her team of customer service agents at Diamond’s Seattle Call Center, she says, in order to provide exceptional customer service Henrietta Armstrong, you should have strong communication Diamond Call Center, between you and the person you’re Seattle talking to, have good work ethics, patience, and most of all “self-control” to be able to communicate with all callers. “I keep my voice calm and introduce myself,” she explains. “It makes them feel that our conversation is about them and not me.” Whether processing payments or setting up accounts, Henrietta says every call is different. “I talk to several people each day. I research all avenues. Listening empowers me to make the right decisions.” The letter below proves Henrietta’s approach is successful.
In our lead story, we focus on the essentials
understand that building great teams doesn’t
Jon Diamond
just happen. It takes planning and patience. At every level in our company, teamwork is an important pathway to our continued growth. For example, teamwork is essential to meet new challenges and perform strategic tasks. It is also fundamental to embrace change and adapt to new challenges. Our teams work effectively and efficiently because they know the strengths and weaknesses of their fellow team members. Further, our team leaders instill a strong sense of urgency, enthusiasm and commitment that builds on the knowledge and experience of our employees to accomplish common goals. Our overall performance and success will never be measured by the achievements of only one individual, but to the collaborative efforts of our managers and employees – which, in one word, at Diamond, we call teamwork.
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Going the Extra Mile – Exceeding Customer Expectations (Continued) John Nakauye — Reliable, responsive and resourceful, best describe Diamond’s John Nakauye. He joined Diamond in November 2014 and serves as one of two Area Managers for Honolulu. Recently, John was acknowledged for providing John Nakauye, Area excellent customer service to one of DiaManager, Honolulu, HI mond’s premiere accounts. “I have always been there for our customers,” notes John. He adds, “I take care of everyone as if they are the most important person.” Did the letter from The Cathedral of St. Andrew – Honolulu, surprise him? “Absolutely. It is very rewarding to be acknowledged for doing what I love.”
T2’s Connect 2015 New Orleans, a.k.a., The Big Easy, will play host to one of the parking industry’s premier conferences, Nov. 17-19 at the New Orleans Marriott in the French Quarter. Mike Poirier, Vice President of British Columbia and Joe Koontz, Self Park Seattle City Manager will attend. Mike says the conference is an excellent forum to network and explore new business opportunities. “Keeping up-to-date on trends and new technologies in the industry is key to increasing efficiency, improving ease of parking management, and boosting revenue for all of our customers.” “From our point of view, adds Joe, “it’s important for us to see the latest in new technologies that we can share with our clients.” T2 Systems offers a parking management platform featuring a suite of apps designed to make parking management as seamless as possible.
Team Power Continued from cover
and goals.” Joe notes that another essential ingredient in the Diamond Team is trust. “We trust each other professionally. We foster mutual trust by communicating openly, exchanging opinions, ideas and feedback on a regular basis.” We all agree that if you want to be part of a team, you can’t claim the glory for yourself. What you accomplish within the team is a shared success. “Great teams make a habit of celebrating success each and every day. We like to think that success has become part of our team’s DNA,” concludes Joe.
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Canadian Corner Kelowna, BC Kelowna, British Columbia is an exciting hybrid of food, wine, and retail perched on the shores of the Okanagan Lake. In 2010, Diamond Parking Canada, opened parking operations under the leadership of City Manager Peter Grewal. “We started from scratch identifying niche markets often overlooked by competitors,” explains Peter. He says anticipating trends and being “opportunistic” has helped Diamond develop a growing portfolio of highly visible properties such as Kelowna’s Mission District. “It’s vibrant and
trendy. Today we manage parking for garages, hotels, restaurants and resorts.” Peter says “the big news for Diamond is being awarded a new parking contract for SOPA” – a huge mixed use development of residential and retail that is finally being developed thanks to a prominent Canadian family. “The Vancouver-based Aquilini Family Investment Group is backing SOPA, by far Kelowna’s biggest development. The project stalled when the economy softened in 2008. Now it’s on a fast track and we will manage the parking.” Peter attributes
Diamond’s track record of providing excellent customer service as well as increasing parking revenues as the primary reasons of winning the SOPA business. “I’m really pumped that a very sound financial group is able to get this project moving and completed. It’s a huge opportunity for Diamond Parking Services.”
Ahead of the Curve Steven Chaves
Steven Chaves, Attendant, Honolulu, HI
In 1980, native born Hawaiian Steven Chaves applied for the job of parking attendant. In January of 2015, Steven celebrated 35 years with Diamond. “Back then, I remember seeing Diamond’s ad in the phone book. They had a great listing. I was impressed. They were always my first choice,” notes Steven. He adds that Diamond gave him a career when he was only searching for a job. “I love the opportunity to meet so many people,” states Steven. “I have a lot of fun in what I do. I take one day at a time and try not to get too far ahead.” Interesting to learn that when Steven is not working at Diamond he pursues his lifelong passion of surfing. Next time you visit the South Shore of Diamond Head beach, you may catch Steven as he climbs a wall of water and “takes the drop.”
Diamond Feedback
Diamond Anniversaries We want to congratulate those employees who are celebrating 10 or more years with Diamond Parking. Thank you for your dedication! 30+ Years Daniel Geiger Diane M. King Cheryl O’Reilly
Spokane Downtown Honolulu Seattle Attended
38 years 32 years 30 years
20+ Years Siyoum G. Tesfay Roger R. Pagaduan David W. Parks Sara Baraki
Seattle Self Park Honolulu Spokane Airport Seattle Attended
27 years 25 years 23 years 22 years
Robert L. Turley Kevin Campbell Ellory Earl I. Bannister Jill Daher
Home Office Parking Service Seattle Attended United Parking
19 years 19 years 19 years 18 years
Haileslasie N. Asres Sonia N. Nakamoto Yonas Tegegn Demessie Anh Thi Hoang Nguyen
Seattle Attended Honolulu Seattle Attended Salt Lake City Airport
17 years 16 years 16 years 15 years
10+ Years Linda S. Fait Lance Morrison Bernardo T. Tagaca Steven R. Smith Tesfaye F. Debebe Theresa L. Malufau Donna M. Richardson Marc E. Rand Rodney D. Larsen Darrell G. Taylor Ahmed A. Farah
Medford United Parking Honolulu Eugene United Parking Honolulu Tacoma Anchorage Airport Salt Lake City Airport Seattle Attended Seattle Attended
14 years 14 years 13 years 12 years 12 years 11 years 11 years 10 years 10 years 10 years 10 years
15+ Years
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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.
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Seasonal Tips Tips for Winter Driving Winter weather is a mixed bag. Snow and sleet, wind and rain, ice and cold can present several challenges to you and your car. Here’s a mini check list to get you thinking about winter driving. Start by scheduling a service appointment for peace of mind. Buying a new car? Research safety features in winter driving. Pack an emergency kit with recommended essentials. Keep your gas tank full. Check your front and rear wipers. Fully charge your battery. Don’t use cruise control when driving on slippery surfaces. When driving in snow SLOW DOWN.
Bottom Line - Cold weather tests the limits of your car’s mechanical abilities. Treacherous conditions test your abilities as a driver. It pays to be prepared.
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