November Parking Professional Spotlight

We're excited to feature Trina Tutor, TPN Senior Data Analyst, in this month's Parking Professional Spotlight—celebrating one of our very own! 

Trina has been with TPN (The Parking Network) since 2021 and has been an invaluable addition to our team.  Before coming to the parking industry, she was an in-school Speech Therapist. Her last Speech Therapist job had two big challenges: driving every day and COVID working logistics. These two challenges pushed her to look for something new in 2021. Her sister, Krista Olien, had been working for TPN for a few years and mentioned they were looking to hire a new Data Analyst. Trina knew nothing about the parking industry but applied for the job anyways. Although it has been a steep learning curve, Trina has enjoyed it enough to still be here four years later! 

As a Senior Data Analyst, Trina brings many skills to the “table.”  The two most important ones (that go hand in hand) that contribute to her success at work are: 1) her attention to detail and 2) her desire to hunt down answers (aka research, problem solve and analyze). Trina jokes that details are so important to her that she can be a little excessive and nitpicky about things! She commented that “most of the time I think it serves me well but sometimes it hinders my ability to be a good co-worker! (Sorry Kim!).”  I, Kim, say that it challenges me to be a better data analyst, so I happily “tolerate” her attentiveness to details.  Nothing gets by her…. 

As far as problem solving is concerned, it can also get Trina in trouble sometimes because she can go down deep rabbit holes! Her role isn’t always to find the answers, but because of her nature, leaving problems undone is difficult!   Most often, her role in the industry is to “report the news” as Clyde would say, meaning that TPN’s financial and operational reviews report what the data reveals.  However, when TPN does have a problem to solve, Trina is a great asset.  Her diligence, perseverance, and tenacity serve both TPN and her well.   

In Trina’s free time, she loves to read and bake.  She just finished reading The Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis. She had seen the movies but never read the books. Trina commented that C.S. Lewis’s style of writing in Narnia captivated her – interestingly, she chose to read the books in the order that they were written, not in timeline order, something fellow Narnia readers disagree about.  Willing to go against the tide, she enjoyed piecing the timeline together as she read through the 7 books and enjoyed the experience immensely.   

She also enjoys spending time with her husband, Eric, and her two dogs, Osa and Pitch.  They love long walks and playing frisbee together, reading, road trips, and gardening (although she doesn’t have a garden currently). 

When asked what advice she would give to a new parking professional, she recommended finding a mentor.  Parking seems like a simple industry from the outside, but once you are in it, you realize there are so many layers and factors that play into this modern industry. 

Trina has had the pleasure of having two mentors in the industry. Clyde Wilson’s wealth of knowledge about the industry and his experience has deepened her understanding of the industry and also offered her valuable insight into the industry's past and future direction. His passion for the parking industry is inspiring and, even though they have worked together for four years, he still provides Trina with new knowledge and perspectives. 

Trina’s second mentor as a Data Analyst is Krista Olien. She taught Trina everything she knows about this job and the importance of doing it well. She is great at asking the important questions and at pulling Trina out of some of those rabbit holes! 

We here at TPN are so thankful for Trina and all that she brings to our company.   Knowing a little more about her should give you confidence that, if you bring your data to us, you will receive a thorough analysis of your garage operations.