Michael Malatin started the first Hospital-based parking company in 1996. It became the nation’s largest specialized provider of contracted valet and parking services with over 320 hospitals in 34 states. He initiated service enhancements in patient satisfaction that led to Press, Ganey™ patient satisfaction scores that consistently exceeded the 95th percentile while parking over 20,000,000 cars annually. He developed operational guidelines and procedures to improve service delivery, training, accounting, talent selection, and management processes still used today as an industry benchmark. He sold the Company to ABM (NYSE: ABM) in 2007 and remained President of the 7,000 employee subsidiary until 2011.
For 5 years beginning 2013 and ending 2017, Michael founded and sold Pinnacle Automotive Hospitality Services. Pinnacle is the only company in the US that provides a sophisticated guest service approach to Porter and Support Services, developed strictly for Auto Dealerships.
Michael returned to the parking industry, creating Evolution Parking Systems in 2018. Michael has surrounded himself with a team of experts to fulfill the demands of the industry by providing the most professional approach in parking and hospitality management.
Michael Terry
Senior VP of People
As leader of the People Department, Mike oversees all human-resources functions including Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, Talent Development, Compliance and Benefits.
Originally from Kentucky, Mike moved to Tampa Bay shortly after college and began his career in human resources soon after. While beginning his career in publishing he has worked in several other industries including mortgage banking, insurance, hospitality, and retail. Prior to joining Evolution Parking & Guest Services, he worked at Bankers Financial Corporation, a conglomerate of insurance-related businesses headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida where he served as the Vice President of Human Resources. In 2018, Mike helped to found a non-profit membership organization called RNG Tampa Bay with a mission to help bring best practices and collaboration to over 400 in-house recruiters throughout the Tampa Bay Area. He served as the Board Chairman for the first two years of the organization’s existence and has served on the Board every year since in varying capacities.
Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Kentucky and Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.
Brooks Ellis
VP of Operations
Brooks has dedicated nearly 30 years to perfecting the art of leading teams in delivering service excellence in hospitality. Having held senior leadership and advisory board roles in parking management operations and mobility technology firms, he has developed a uniquely holistic perspective on both the operations and mobility solutions segments of the industry.
Brooks has experience leading locations across the nation supporting staff numbered in the thousands, and a developed penchant for incremental improvement overseeing more than 50 projects annually over the past 10 years. Projects varying in scope and facet from in-house compliance to nationwide operational improvement programs and multiple large scale PARCS equipment installs. He has accumulated a wealth of vital experience in successfully executing objectives across multiple disciplines.
Make no mistake about it though, Brooks’ passion for service excellence is imparted into each of these aforementioned roles and has been recognized across the industry including in his appointment to create content for, and to lead training of, the valet ambassador certificate training program for the National Parking Association (NPA).
The principles of servant leadership are core to Brooks’ success, as evidenced by the many roles within various industry associations as a trainer, speaker, peer mentor and committee chair around the country. Additionally, Brooks has earned multiple awards and certificates during his tenure in the industry, including the Certified Parking Professional (CPP) certification from the NPA, the Paradigm award from the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA), being recognition as one of the NPA’s 40 under 40 inaugural class, and a long list of performance awards earned through the organizations he’s led.
Ben Johanning
Regional Vice President, Operations - Midwest
Ben Johanning is currently serving as Regional Vice President, Operations for Evolution Parking & Guest Services based out of Nashville, TN. Ben is a 15-year veteran in the industry providing leadership over 9 Mid/Major markets and brands like Ritz Carlton; JW Marriott; Loews; Omni and Gaylord hotels. He has managed a $50M book of business with 1,500+ associates acquiring skills in hospitality, hazard abatement, talent acquisition, compliance, & world class training programs. Pre-Covid, Ben and his team drove revenue growth by 125% through sales strategies; revenue controls & reconciliation; as well as identifying successful vendor partners that have the capacity of scaling upward alongside him & the organizations he has represented.
Ben has attracted, developed, and empowered talent resulting in over 100+ first time salaried managers; 10+ senior-level leaders; & 4 HR professionals though personalized development plans, champion roles, high-level succession plans, one on one mentorship programs, and Emotional Intelligence leadership training. He is a champion of employee engagement and has carried the highest employee satisfactions scores in the company for two straight years. His mantra is that engaged employees produce loyal clients who deliver ecstatic shareholders. He believes that taking care of his people will take care of his business. He has partnered with his human resources team to drive turnover down 10%-15% year over year since 2011.
One of his gifts he takes great pride in is building an EPGS culture that sets the company up for success in the core metrics of our business. Through listening; practicing what he preaches; measuring & adapting; all while making work fun! This brings in talented recruits and improves morale for a stronger and more cohesive organization.
He has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for his executive leadership and community support. Including being inducted in the National Parking Association’s 40 under 40 in 2019. He is passionate about stewardship & giving of his time. Over the course of his career, he has raised well over $100,000 for several different parking companies’ non-profit organizations as well as faith-based ministries he & his wife support. Ben is also highly involved with youth sports; booked regularly as a speaker for FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and Little League Baseball events as a former professional athlete of the San Diego Padres Organization. He is also on the speaker circuit for his Alma Mater, the University of North Florida.
Ernie Camilo
Regional Director Operations, Southwest Florida
Ernie Camilo is a proven parking leader with close to 20 years’ experience of mentoring strong, customer focused parking teams that deliver high-end hospitality service.
Ernie, a New York native, began his career in 2003 in his hometown, working valet at the renowned Plaza Hotel. He was immediately hooked by the critical role that this touchpoint played in the overall hotel experience, and he dedicated himself to providing his guests with the best arrival and departure in the business. As Ernie explains, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and the primary role of the valet team in greeting guests, and then safely and professionally parking their vehicles, is to set the tone for a much broader hospitality experience. This responsibility is something that is both an honor and a privilege.”
With this mindset, Ernie rapidly rose through the parking industry ranks, and was quickly promoted to the role of Senior Manager.
In search of new and greater responsibilities, Ernie relocated in 2009 to Stamford, Connecticut, where he grew revenues year-over-year for his company across multiple hospitality sites.
Then, in 2014, Ernie moved to Orlando, Florida, for an opportunity to work with some of the city’s finest resorts, and where he would earn his reputation as an inspirational and motivational Regional Manager known for coaching and empowering the people around him to reach their full potential.
Some of Ernie’s major clients in Orlando included Walt Disney World Hotels & Resorts, Rosen Hotels & Resorts, and the iconic Grand Bohemian Hotel (the only luxury property in Downtown Orlando), where his valet teams served thousands of guests from around the world. He also oversaw the Miami area, including the Conrad Miami in Brickell.
With Ernie’s experience in delivering service excellence, in rapid business growth, and of leading new opening and valet transition teams, joining Evolution in 2021 was a natural career move. He was intuitively drawn to their vision: to become the pre-eminent world class provider of specialized services strictly to hotels and resorts nationwide.
Ernie is also excited by Evolution’s unique and exclusive partnership with Forbes Travel Guide. As he says, “Now more than ever we live in an experience-oriented culture, and consumers rightfully have the highest expectations. My role at Evolution is to ensure that our teams go above and beyond to provide our guests and our partners with a parking experience that is the best, bar none. The company is built around this framework and the future has never been more exciting.”
Connor Gray
Regional Director, Atlanta, GA
Connor Gray has been in the valet and commercial parking business for 14 years. Connor believes in leading his team by doing and strongly believes in building a culture of associates performing at high level in a luxury guest service environment. Connors parking experience is diverse, as he has personally opened 8 properties to include hotels, large commercial properties, country clubs, and restaurants.
In Connors current role, he will be focused on developing his team, expanding the Evolution footprint and keeping strong client relationships. In Connors spare time you can find him racing with the organization WERA in the A Superbike and A Superstock class. He has entered 15 races with 13 first place podiums and 2 second place. His favorite thing however is being a father to his 6 year old daughter.
Syed Abbas
Area Manager, Philadelphia
Syed Abbas is a diversified leader with a strong work ethic and a demonstrated history of working in the consumer services industry related to parking and mobility. He has strong professional skills in negotiation, team building, mentoring, organizational strategy development and implementation, operations management, financial modeling, sales, and customer service.
Syed has over 10 years of parking and transportation management experience with an aim to develop solutions to improve the bottom-line through innovation and efficiency while enhancing service to customers and clients. He has experience in operations at hotels, office complexes, hospitals, mixed-use facilities, commercial operations.
Syed studied Business Administration from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.
Jack Kane
Director of Business Development and Client Solutions
His passion for working with people led him to the hospitality industry, where he now works closely with asset managers and service-oriented leadership teams. In his current role, Jack utilizes his analytical background to deliver profit-maximizing strategies for Evolution’s new and existing partners.
He previously graduated from the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business as a varsity letterman, with a BBA in Accounting.
Amanda Jones
Corporate Office Administrator
Amanda brings over 20 years of business office management and office administration experience across various industries such as not-for-profit, services, and construction. Amanda handles maintaining, organizing, and leading all initiatives related to the procurement of equipment and supplies as well as basic technology integrations. She collaborates closely with all levels of leadership to effectively drive and execute on various projects and is closely aligned with field operations, sales, and accounting.
During her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters. She loves the outdoors and being adventurous with her family.
Julia Toole
Accounting Manager
Julia joined the team in June 2020 and brings more than 20 years of accounting and leadership experience to her role. She has worked with small businesses, start-ups, and public companies in different industries.
She was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys competing on the field and in the show ring with her Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs.
Sharron Bauer
Learning and Development Manager
As our Learning and Development Manager, Sharron oversees and maintains all learning programs to include the Evolution Academy, Guest Service, Safety, Operations and Quality Assurance. She also facilitates the Crescendo Excellence in Leadership Programs and collaborates with operations teams to identify opportunities to enhance organizational effectiveness.
Sharron is a Learning and Development professional with over 15 years’ experience in Adult Learning, Sales and Marketing within the Hospitality, Food & Beverage, Non-profit and Business to Business industries. She most recently worked at Coca Cola Beverages Florida where her responsibilities included Learning Management System (LMS) Administrator, leadership facilitator and e-learning designer. Prior to working with Coke Florida, Sharron was the Adult Learning Manager with Girl Scouts where she managed the LMS and all training design and implementation for 6500 learners within the west central Florida region.
Tony Nazario
HR Generalist
Tony is an accomplished leader, arriving to us with 7 years of experience in HR. Tony most recently worked as a HR Director and Business Office Manager with Innovation Healthcare Services where his duties included strategic planning, payroll, talent acquisition, staffing, and CMS billing. Tony served 12 years in the Army Reserve as a HR Specialist and Motor Vehicle Operator where he obtained his CDL Class A license. Tony earned a BS in Biology at Saint Leo University and is current studying to earn his SHRM-CP certification in HR.
