State & Regional Spotlight

The New England Parking Council (NEPC) is a 200+ member confederation of parking, transportation, and mobility professionals from municipalities, public agencies, colleges and universities, hospital and medical centers, private developers, product, and service providers from across Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Current members include representatives from three Ivy League universities; 11 individuals from nationally recognized public higher learning institutions; managers for the transportation agency servicing the Boston metropolitan area; directors of public parking systems servicing nine major municipalities of over 100,000 residents; and executives from six world-class medical institutions.

The NEPC hosts three annual one-day educational forums to serve our constituents in the Municipal (Public), Healthcare, and Higher Education sectors at various regional locations, one two-day conference, a charity golf tournament, and occasional webinars. As a matter of practice, the location and date of these events vary each year to fairly serve our membership across a large geographic region and provide year-round opportunities for education and networking.

Most recently, the NEPC hosted a forum for colleges, universities, hospitals, and medical centers at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, in October of last year; a forum for municipalities and public agencies in West Hartford, CT, in March of this year; and our annual golf tournament and conference in Portland, ME, in early June. Total attendance at these events was more than 300 people. Educational sessions covered a broad spectrum of topics, including electrical vehicle charging, the state of autonomous vehicle development, funding opportunities tied to the most recent Infrastructure Act, curb management, data management and integration best practices, and customer service.

NEPC members like to play as hard as they work. All 19 of the teams participating in our 2023 Golf Tournament at Nonesuch River Golf Club took advantage of the air-driven cannon provided to improve their “drives” off the 10th tee. During our most recent conference, first time attendees and sponsors attended an opening night reception at Hadlock Field to watch the Portland Sea Dogs, AA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, defeat the Akron Rubber Ducks. As a bonus, one of the NEPC’s Platinum Sponsors threw out the game’s first pitch! On the second night of the conference, more than 50 NEPC members turned out to try their hand at axe throwing while sampling the region’s top microbrews and Portland Pie Company pizza.

This year, the NEPC also introduced the Vanguard Award, recognizing members who have provided extraordinary leadership, innovation, and mentorship to the parking and mobility industry. Any active member can nominate a current or former NEPC member for the award; award winners are chosen based on their experience and contributions to the industry. The inaugural NEPC Vanguard Award winners for 2023 were Carey Redd II, CAPP, Director of the New London (CT) Parking Authority, and Norman Goldman, Senior Vice President (retired) for DESMAN Design Management. Both gentlemen were recognized before more than 150 of their peers in a ceremony at the most recent annual conference.