What’s up blog,
For this post, I contacted three individuals who also have deal with private parking around UF campus. I was able to do this because I have started working at the Standard Gainesville, which has a 10 story parking facility with public parking.
The Domain Expert I chose for this is named Rick W. He is the maintenance supervisor at the Standard. He is an expert on our parking garage, and all of the technical details that go in to it. He has worked in facility maintenance for a long time, and is very knowledgeable about the building and parking facility. He can tell you the right square foot for a spot size, and can tell you the inner workings of a gate system. I met Rick through my work, and we have a professional relationship where I assist him and he assists me on tasks needing to be done. He could offer me advice on the technical aspects of parking and provide mechanical insight vs. business insight.
The Market Expert I chose for this is Rob M. He is the general manager of the Standard, and has transformed our parking situation. He is knowledgeable of the student market here, and knows what it takes to get revenue traffic in the garage. He has worked in student housing for many years, which is directly related to student parking. I also work with him on a daily basis, and we have a similar professional relationship to Rick and myself. He could provide me market insight and or suggestions on generating traffic.
The supplier I chose is John at HD Supply. John is our facilities maintenance rep at the Standard, and he allows are maintenance team to keep the apartments and parking garage in top shape. Any kind of technical or mechanical product, he has and will provide. I met him during this spring when we were renovating the building, and he was on sight many days. We have a working relationship and The Standard does a lot of business with HD. He could definitely supply me with the mechanical products needed to maintain any parking facility that I have.
This experience for me was different than traditional networking events, as I was able to created professional relationships with these people in a hands on, real world environment. This is not professional development, but rather actual business contacts that I have. Furthermore, I receive advice from these people on a daily basis, rather than having to ask for it as a favor.
Louis,
ReplyDeleteI admire your take on this assignment, instead of networking into various different departments for individuals who may or may not be much help to you, you reached out to your professional network that you have already created. Having actual strong relationships with professionals within your networking circle is much more beneficial than asking someone who barely knows you or your ideas for advice. Great work, I learned a lot from your post.
Louis,
ReplyDeleteYou have found some great connections for your idea. It is very convenient that you work there but it has helped you establish some very useful contacts.In the business world, connections are everything. I personally think you have the right guidance to make your idea a success. You have surrounded yourself with great people and you can easily do anything with these three connections. Keep up the good work.
Hey Louis,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you were able to use your new job as a means of finding and meeting new people. I actually talked to local people from back home, because they were easier to find for me rather than people from Gainesville. I agree that this felt different than traditional networking but I think reaching out to people like this is a smart way to meet the exact kind of people that you want to know.