Meet Robert Wilson | Civil Engineer & CEO of Parking Pin, Inc.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Robert Wilson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robert, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My college years were just as memorable as anyone else’s. I have fond memories of experiencing the hustle and bustle on campus, participating in fraternity programs, career fairs, and student government events filled with laughter and random antics. Despite all the good memories, my opportunities grew larger as my time on campus grew scarce. At first, I couldn’t put my finger on why that was. Once I figured it out, the problem only made me more frustrated.

I was spending too much time parking. I was constantly stressed about making it to class on time—the missed quizzes, being late to exams, and the parking tickets born out of desperation just to get there. I wish I could say I wasn’t punctual, but that wasn’t the case. It was finding parking—and everyone around me agreed, even those who didn’t attend my university. Students and faculty members complained about the difficulties of finding parking on campus, and not being aware of lot closures.

If only there were a tool to help alleviate some of this difficulty.

That’s when the idea of Parking Pin, Inc. was born. With years of experience as a transportation design engineer coupled with my commitment to innovation, I strive to create transformational change in the parking industry and, consequently, in the lives of college students to come. As a graduate of a historically Black university, I understand and appreciate the importance of education. One thing will always remain true for me:

Every student deserves a chance to be present and fully engaged in their educational journey. Your opportunity for attendance should not suffer due to lack of parking information.

Our product connects parking administration to students, students to campus, and streamlines all commuter needs, without the need for hardware.

What should our readers know about your business?
Parking Pin helps parking administrators generate real-time insights into parking availability to improve parking compliance, planning, and the communication efficiency of their operations – all without the need for hardware.

Our accessible and cost-effective all-in-one mobility platform enables parking administrators to collect and report real-time parking availability, forecast future demand, and streamline important updates to their campus population directly to a mobile app.

Our list of indirect competitors offer hybrid solutions, which are reliant on hardware sensor or camera installations to generate parking availability for customers. Even for smaller projects, hardware installations usually have high rollout cost, accessibility limitations, and longer implementation times.

Our platform leverages GPS in a mobile device, so we don’t require hardware to collect parking data or generate real-time parking availability for customers. Universities favor solutions that can save them money in the long-run, don’t involve too much maintenance, and are easy to integrate with existing workflows – all of which our system can achieve.

The first iteration of our mobile application will serve push notifications to commuters about peak-times, availability, and lot closures to promote the usage of all inventory on campus, alleviate traffic congestion, and help students avoid violations as they search for parking.

By supplying affordable solutions for dynamic data collection and targeted communication to administrators, we will enhance the overall campus parking experience, improve customer satisfaction, and support strategic planning for campus growth.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
After picking up my best friend from the airport and settling into the hotel, we’d kick off our adventure with a delicious lunch at Bahama Breeze, making sure to savor their famous jerk chicken. In the afternoon, we’d explore the Art Museum located near the state fairgrounds, taking in the various exhibits and enjoying the creativity on display. As evening approaches, a leisurely walk downtown would allow us to absorb the vibrant atmosphere of the city. To top off the night, we’d head to Still Life for some music and dancing, followed by a visit to Insomnia Cookies for a delightful late-night snack.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Absolutely! I give all the credit to God. There have been many long nights where I’ve faced roadblocks, and God has always pulled me through. I don’t lean on my own understanding in this business; I follow God because He is my CEO. The past two years of conducting research, gathering feedback, and building a product that meets commuter needs have been nothing short of extraordinary. Each chapter has brought new voices, perspectives, challenges, and risks. Our approach is unorthodox because true innovation happens outside the box. We connect people to parking spots in real-time while upholding our values of innovation, sustainability, and customer-centricity.

Website: https://parkingpin.io/

Instagram: https://linktr.ee/parkingpin

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parking-pin-llc/

Twitter: https://linktr.ee/parkingpin

Facebook: https://linktr.ee/parkingpin

Image Credits
Black Ambition Prize