T2 has some of the brightest minds in the parking industry, and each employee brings a unique set of talents and experiences to the table. We thought you might like to learn more about these talented individuals. In our Employee Spotlight series, you’ll get to know one employee each month. This month we talked to Josh Allanson, who currently serves as T2’s Manager, Services Operations but is moving to a new role as Manager, Business Systems.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on the northeast side of Indianapolis, went to school at Butler University in central Indianapolis, and now live in Fishers, a northeast suburb. I’ve basically lived within a 15 mile circle my entire life.
How did you end up in the parking industry?
Dumb luck. I had graduated in December with a Management Information Systems degree, and there weren’t a lot of places that were hiring new grads at that time. So, I stayed on at Butler as a Contractor for the IT Help Desk while I was on the job hunt. Nothing really stood out to me until about six months later when I came across a T2 posting on Monster for a Business Analyst role. I didn’t have the experience they were looking for, but I took a shot anyway and T2 decided to give me a chance. I’ll never forget my first week when the new hires had our onboarding and met with all of the executives. Mike Simmons looked right at me and said, “You’re a bit of an experiment for us, we don’t typically hire kids right out of school.” Here I am 7.5 years later and we’ve hired four more college grads right out of school within the department, so I guess the experiment went okay.
What do you do as Manager, Services Operations for T2?
After several years of implementation and data conversion work, I transitioned into more of an internal role to work with our Project Managers, Business Analysts, and other Professional Services Managers to help improve processes and the customer project experience. A large part of that is generating the Professional Services Revenue Forecast and Resource Utilization analysis to help make sure we have the right resources and scheduling to deliver quality and on-time projects, as well as some systems automation. And every once in a while they still let me talk to customers and I get to do a project like an SQL script or some technical requirements gathering.
What will you be doing in your new role as Manager, Business Systems?
I’m going to be working with our internal teams to review and optimize all of the business systems that help T2 operate. That includes things like consolidating overlaps, resolving gaps, training and onboarding employees, and improving integrations. “Work smarter AND harder” is my mantra for 2020, and it’s all about making sure T2 staff are equipped with the right tools and processes to deliver on the promises and commitments we’ve made to our customers and stakeholders. Efficiency and quality are king.
What’s something that you think people don’t know about parking that you find interesting?
You mean there’s more to parking than just stopping a car between two white lines? But really, it’s one of those industries that I’m always amazed by the sophistication and attention to detail it takes to effectively run an operation. It’s not a very forgiving industry, either. Typically, a good parking experience doesn’t get people excited or happy – it’s just a necessary step along the way for whatever activity they are engaged in. But a bad parking experience can ruin a day, regardless of how the rest of trip goes. That’s a lot of pressure to live up to, but I also think it’s what makes folks that work in the parking industry so special; they don’t get a lot of love and recognition for their hard work, but they play a vital role in the consumer experience and really take that to heart.
What do you enjoy about working at T2?
First and foremost, it’s the people. I get to work alongside some amazing folks that are really good at what they do and truly care about me as both an employee and a person. I’ve had a lot of opportunity to grow and gain new experiences in my time here, which is not the case everywhere. The other thing I enjoy is the T2 Customer Community, which is why Connect is always my favorite work week out of the year. Parking is fairly unique in that most of our customers aren’t really competitors. I’m going to park where I’m physically located, so if University A shares an idea with University B, they aren’t giving up a trade secret or competitive advantage. Instead, you have a community that continually helps each other and makes everyone better and stronger. I’ve been to several other conferences as a customer and it’s not like that; you don’t get that shared “Better Together” mentality that makes this group so special.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I played volleyball in high school. We started a club team my junior year, because boys volleyball isn’t an official sport in Indiana. It often gets labeled as a girls sport, but after basketball it is my second favorite sport to play. I also had to take on a different demeanor on that team; usually with sports I’m really fired up and emotional, but I had to play the calming influence with that group and it taught me a lot about knowing your team and adapting to a role that may not feel natural, but is important and needed.
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