CHICAGO, May 25, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SP Plus Corporation (SP+), (Nasdaq:SP), a leader in parking management, ground transportation and ancillary services, has become first commercial parking operator to be certified by the International Parking Institute (IPI) as an Accredited Parking Organization (APO). SP+ was recognized at the 2016 IPI Conference & Expo in Nashville on May 18, 2016. Roamy Valera, Senior Vice President of Municipal and Institutional Services, and Casey Jones, Vice President of Institutional Services, accepted the official recognition on SP+’s behalf.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9a99ca4e-17a8-4d70-8550-c911491d520e
“We are delighted to welcome our first commercial parking operator as an Accredited Parking Organization,” said IPI Chief Executive Officer Shawn Conrad, CAE. “They are setting a precedent by demonstrating their commitment to ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement. As an APO, they are leading the way, showing customers and stakeholders that they have achieved a quality benchmark throughout their operations.”
The APO program was established in 2015 to set industry standards that develop, ensure and support a high level of professionalism and competency in parking management. To earn the APO designation, an organization must demonstrate its commitment to ongoing evaluation and improvement of program outcomes throughout its operations. An APO must meet at least 80 percent of the more than 150 criteria, 25 of which are mandatory, which reflect best practices in responsible parking management and operations, customer service, professional development, safety and security. In addition to an extensive evaluation of its corporate practices, standard operating procedures and policies, seven SP+ facilities across the country were inspected as part of the company’s corporate application and earned APO Premier Facility designations and the right to brand themselves accordingly in their marketing initiatives.
“IPI’s high APO standards will improve operational excellence and business models across the industry,” added Thomas L. Hagerman, Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer for SP+. “It’s exciting to be the first commercial parking operator to receive this recognition. It was a great collaborative effort by many folks within our organization and reflects our commitment to providing the best service to our clients and parking patrons.”
SP+ provides professional parking, ground transportation, facility maintenance, security and event logistics services to property owners and managers in all markets of the real estate industry. The Company has more than 22,000 employees. The Company operates more than 3,900 parking facilities with 2.1 million parking spaces in hundreds of cities across North America, including parking-related and shuttle bus operations serving more than 60 airports. USA Parking System, a wholly-owned subsidiary, is one of the premier valet operators in the nation with more four and five diamond luxury properties, including hotels and resorts, than any other valet competitor. The Company's ground transportation division transports over 40 million passengers each year; its facility maintenance division operates in dozens of U.S. cities; and its SP+ GAMEDAY operating group provides a wide range of event logistics services. For more information, visit http://spplus.com.