We’re thrilled to announce that our very own Mike Akahoshi has been selected for the National Parking Association’s “40 Under 40” Class of 2018. Mike currently serves as Vice President of our Hospitality division and has made a huge impact on our hotel portfolio since joining LAZ in 2000. He oversees over 250 hotels nationwide, along with supporting the continuous growth of our hotel portfolio.
Starting with LAZ as a Valet Attendant while attending Chapman University in Orange County, CA, Mike became the Parking Manager for the Beverly Hilton hotel in 2004, where he developed a passion for the hotel and hospitality division. In 2007, he was promoted to General Manager of Orange County, where he assisted in building a market presence from four locations to 25 by the end of 2009. In 2010, Mike took the opportunity to help build the Los Angeles Hospitality division where we expanded from one hotel to over 50 today.
Over Mike’s 18+ years with LAZ, he has been a part of countless developmental aspects of the business and Hospitality Division. Over the past eight years, he has been instrumental in expanding his region from five locations and 100 team members to over 300 locations and over 1,800 team members. His follow-through on promises and honest approach builds the confidence of hospitality clients, not only for LAZ, but by restoring the confidence in our industry’s ability to perform on the front drive better than the clients can themselves.
Mike is a true leader, sharing his knowledge and experience with those around him and continually developing and mentoring the parking leaders of tomorrow. Mike coaches for success not only in parking, but in life. A component of our mission statement is “creating opportunities for our employees” and as great as all the new business Mike has developed, his real passion is in creating opportunities for over 100 new parking leaders, a number that continues to grow every day. He has created workshops, summits and conferences which focus on the development of his employees’ careers and aim to ensure the full alignment to their future career goals. Now, these programs have been replicated in many of our regions across the country and will continue to be implemented in more regions in the future.
Giving back to his community is a major focus for Mike as well. Aside from LAZ’s longstanding support of the Special Olympics for which he helps raise over $50K a year locally, he also supports the Children’s Bureau of LA, along with the LGBTQ community. For Mike, supporting the local community is a crucial component of his department’s success, particularly because they make up the customer base that has helped support the overall success of LAZ and the parking industry.
Mike is in a great position to help guide the hospitality parking industry through great change in the coming years. He understands technology and has a unique ability to get clients and employees to buy into his vision and embrace new technologies and practices. Mike helps bring people into the parking industry, his mentorship is an invaluable asset to his employee’s careers, and his influence will undoubtedly be seen in the parking leaders of tomorrow.
The National Parking Association is the nation's leading parking trade group. Their mission is to serve as the market leader in parking industry research, education, and programs that advance the industry and its professionals. They support advancing the interests of the private and public sector in parking technology, sustainable mobility, certification, advocacy, research, and education. Founded in 1951, NPA has more than 2,500 members and represents all facets of the $29 billion parking industry.
See the full 40 Under 40 Class of 2018
here!
