First Round of ‘Valet Olympics’Held inNewJersey


ber of the National Valet Parking Association (NVPA), held its inaugu- ral “Valet Olympics” onMarch 22 in Verona, NJ.


A The purpose of the NVPA Valet


Olympics is to find the best valetswithin the member companies by evaluating the skills and experience of each employee competi- tor.All eligible valets have been employed for at least six months, have had no infrac- tions on their record for the past sixmonths, and uphold and maintain the company’s high standards. In New Jersey in March, 90 sharply


dressed and motivated employees were greeted by Ellis M. Dumont, APC’s Chief Executive Officer. The tone was set as team captains and drivers prepared their strategies for competition. Teams were eager to showcase their talents in the Key Jum-


The Key Jumble at the Inaugural Valet Olympics.


ble, a relay-style event in which four team members had to locate, drive and retrieve a vehicle quickly while operating at less than 10mph. Ten sets of keyswere placed in a key boxwith all the tickets


mislabeled. Each valet had to locate the proper key and match it to the vehicle to be retrieved. This showcased the talents of APC’s experienced valets, who were able to match key styles and shapes learned by years of parking and driving all different types of vehicles. After a close competition, the team of Darrin Smith, Sohail


Sharifsuliman, Lofti Bassa, Johnathan Fernandez and Jose Tor- realba negotiated the course flawlessly, and were in first place after the Key Jumble. Then the IndividualManeuvering Event was used to deter-


mine the most skilled driver within the ranks ofAPC. Several coneswere placed at 25-foot intervals, and each team’s best driv- er stepped up to the starting line. Each had to negotiate the cones forward and reverse in the fastest time. NenilMathurin, a veteranAPC employee, was able to dom-


inate the field on a difficult driving course in just 53 seconds, a company best time. Next it was on to the Slalom, an event where each team of


drivers navigated a relay through a series of strategically placed cones, just like the IndividualManeuvering Event.This time, all team members were participating, and the results were close. The Slalom highlighted not onlyAPC employees’ skills as driv- ers, but also the company’s high safety standards. After a challenging set of events, the employees were eager


24 JUNE 2009 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com


to know the four teams that would be heading into the next round. You could feel the excitement as the teams were announced in the following order:


1st Place –Harrison ParkTowers in EastOrange,NJ, led by


Kishan Smith. 2nd Place – Supervisors Team in Verona, led by Darrin


Smith. 3rd Place – Crystal Plaza in Livingston, NJ, led by Carlos


Raigosa. 4th Place – Claridge House 1 inVerona, led byAngel Cail-


lahua. The top team of employees in the Regional Final will move


on to compete in the National Finals in Phoenix in November. As the remaining four teams prepare their strategies for the


nextwave of competition, all employeeswere leftwith a sense of camaraderie and company pride. The company said each employee’s high morale, professionalism and dedication were a testament toAPC’s commitment to creating the “perfect first and last impression since 1985.” The NationalValet ParkingAssociation is dedicated to pro-


moting the professionalism and integrity within the valet park- ing community and to educate clients about the benefits realized by workingmembers of the association.


For more information on the NVPA, go to the home page of its website (www.nvpaonline.com).


PT


DVANCED PARK- ing Concepts (APC), a New Jersey-based valet parking service company and mem-


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