06/15/2011

Posted By: Robin Magnuson

VPNE Director of Special Projects Andrew Hill and VPNE Marketing Director Stacey Vega were recently invited by the National Parking Association (NPA) to speak at the University of Baltimore. Hill and Vega presented on “The Principles of Customer Service” to assembled members of the National Parking Association and the Middle Atlantic Parking Association. VPNE’s presentation was part of the NPA’s CPP Summit, a day-long event meant to prepare candidates for their upcoming Certified Parking Professional (CPP) exam.

The Certified Parking Professional (CPP) program is a practical, comprehensive curriculum designed to assist managers in performing their duties in an effective and professional manner. This program sets performance and service standards for over a dozen critical areas of parking operations, including Customer Service, Human Resources, Facility Design, PARCS Equipment and Technology, Disaster Planning, Safety, Maintenance, Administration, Accounting, Auditing, Marketing and Valet Operations. Individuals seeking to obtain a CPP certification must submit an application with the NPA.

Approved candidates receive a 200+ page study guide developed by over fifty of the parking industry’s leading experts culled from the NPA ranks, including members of the NPA’s Parking Consultants Council. Each chapter includes industry best practices, definitions and tips designed to improve the knowledge of parking facility managers and hone their professional skills as well as a summary of critical lessons and a mock quiz. Candidates who have completed study report to a certified testing center to take a professional exam administered by a third-party testing agency. Those candidates who meet or exceed the minimum score are awarded their certification, which remains valid for five years.

In addition to Hill and Vega, the CPP Summit included speakers from American University and Colonial Parking as well as Pat Brown, the noted criminal profiler who has been featured on CNN, Fox, NBC and CBS. Other presentations touch on the topics of parking facility maintenance, auditing and cash controls, crime prevention and anti-terrorist protocols for parking facilities. Attendees traveled from as far as Toledo, Ohio for the event and represented a variety of parking operators, municipal authorities, higher education institutions and investment trusts involved in parking. Hill and Vega’s participation reflects VPNE’s commitment to continue to be an industry leader.