U.S. firm challenges parking titan

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Claire Berard (left) with Kathleen Taylor of Standard Parking. (BORIS.MINKEVICH@FREEPRESS.MB.CA)

One of the giants among North American parking-lot operators is taking on Imperial Parking's dominance in the Winnipeg market after being lured here by rapidly rising parking rates.

Chicago-based Standard Parking Corp. has opened a regional office in Winnipeg and plans to compete head-to-head with Impark for contracts to manage local parking lots and parkades.

Kathleen Taylor, senior vice-president of Standard Parking's Canadian operations, said Standard had been eyeing the Winnipeg market for the last five years. She said it was just waiting for the right opportunity to enter the market, and for local parking rates to rise.

The right opportunity came along last summer when it landed the contract to manage the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's new multi-level parkade at Main Street and Logan Avenue.

And parking rates have also risen to the point where it's worthwhile for Standard to come here, she said.

A controversial report released earlier this year by Colliers International said Winnipeg posted the country's largest increase in parking rates in 2008, at 72 per cent. But Impark hotly disputed that figure, saying the increase was more like 10 to 15 per cent.

Although Standard is starting out with just one parking property here, compared with Impark's 150, Taylor said that doesn't bother company officials.

"We'll grow our company in Winnipeg slowly but surely, one contract at a time."

She said Standard has no intention of getting into a price war with Impark. Rather, it hopes to chip away at its near-monopoly share by offering superior service to local parking-lot owner/managers.

"I'm not sure how Winnipeggers are with change," she said. "But I sure hope that people will at least give us a look and see what we have to offer."

Local business and consumer officials predicted Winnipeggers will welcome this kind of change.

"Impark has the lion's share of the business here... so it's just good for everybody to have another competitor in marketplace," said Dave Angus, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

"It's amazing what competition will do, particularly in terms of improving quality, reducing prices and improving service."

Increased competition is also good from a consumer's point of view, said Gloria Desourcy, executive director of the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Consumers Association. "It will be interesting to see what actually happens."

CCA national president Bruce Cran said parking can be a hot-button issue for many consumers, particularly if they've had their vehicles towed away or been assessed a fine by a parking-lot operator.

And because Impark is the major player in a number of Canadian cities, including Vancouver, it's attracted its share of complaints from Canadian consumers, he added. So he expects Winnipeg consumers will welcome another player in the local market.

Even Impark spokesman Julian Jones had nothing but good things to say about Standard's arrival.

"We certainly welcome competition in any case," he said. "We think it's good for the market and the consumer... and the property owners."

He noted Impark already competes with Standard in other Canadian cities, and has no qualms about duking it out with them in Winnipeg.

Standard operates in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Ont., Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Taylor said a number of its clients also have parking lots here, so she's asked them for a chance to bid on their contracts when they come up for renewal.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca

Side-by-side comparison

Here's how Imperial Parking Corp. (Impark), by far the dominant parking-lot operator in Winnipeg, stacks up against the new player in town -- Standard Parking Corp.:

Impark Standard Parking

Corporate headquarters Vancouver Chicago

Years in operation 47 80

No. of employees 3,700 12,000

Parking lots/parkades

(under management) 1,900 2,200

Parking stalls

(under management) 450,000 one million-plus

Parking lot/parkades

in Winnipeg 150 one

No. of markets

in North America 30-plus 338-plus

Annual revenues N/A $701 million

Primary service: Both firms specialize in managing multi-level parkades and surface parking lots for the owners or managers of a variety of properties, including office buildings, retail complexes, mixed-used commercial facilities, multi-family residential complexes, hotels, hospitals, airports, universities, sports stadiums and municipal complexes.

Ancillary services: Impark also offers hotel/valet parking services, technological and back-office services and financing for capital improvements. Standard Parking's additional services include hotel/valet parking, airport shuttle-bus services and on-street parking enforcement and meter-collection services for municipal clients.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 21, 2009 B4