As one of the founding partners of On Air Parking, tell us a little something about your background as an entrepreneur?
Sure! Let’s go back to my college days! I used Penn State as an incubator for any idea that really came to mind for me, or joined any project my friend’s were working on. My friends and I first got into printing and manufacturing t-shirts for all of the school clubs. We were friends with the students in charge of purchasing the t-shirts so we’d see what their lowest proposed price was, and beat it. I also would buy used books at the end of the semester from students for cash and 10% more than the bookstore would pay, and re-sell the books in the beginning of the next semester for 10% less than the bookstore. My friends and I also imported Bluetooth headsets that we then sold online. I would take out people’s trash for a full bag of aluminum cans that I would cash in, and I even invested in a show horse. All of this led to a fun summer project where I helped produce—and ended up acting in—an award-winning feature film named “Laid Off.”
How did the parking industry come to interest you as a professional avenue to explore?
When I co-founded a previous company, we were doing a lot of things that just weren’t scalable. When I looked at our parking revenue though, everyone was happy. Our customers were saving money, our partners were making money, and we were able to take a commission. I went to an NPA conference, met Brett Harwood, my co-founder, and fell in love with an industry that no one seemingly leaves.
Are there any unforeseen challenges you hadn’t taken into account when the business first took off? Anything you’ve learned from?
When we started this business we initially reached out to actual airports to see if we could help them increase their revenues with technology that private airport parking companies use. I found this to be a much longer sales process that wasn’t sustainable. I had spent a decent amount of the initial investment I received to create a working website to fulfill this model- without first seeing if there was demand for it. I learned the very valuable lesson to first test an idea in the cheapest way possible, sometimes you don’t even need an MVP, and scale from there. Luckily when money was running out my entrepreneurial blood kicked in and I was able to build our website from scratch and sign on with some private airport parking companies.
How did On Air Parking go from an idea to a thriving, 5-star parking business?
One thing I didn’t note above was that before starting to build the website that we ended up using for sales, I spoke to many parking operators and owners about how we could add value for months on end. This rigorous process allowed us to create something that our partners are actually happy to use. We also created a value statement that every team member reads when they come on board which really helps set the stage for our purpose—which is basically, giving love to all that are associated with On Air. For example, really putting yourself in the shoes of our travelers and helping them. The same goes for our team, shareholders, partners, etc.
What are some travel trends you’ve noticed over the years? Any changes to people’s travel habits since the pandemic?
We saw lots of budget travel right when the pandemic happened. Likely stimulus checks being used for those that weren’t concerned with the virus that wanted to travel. We then saw a slow pickup of domestic travel for those who wanted to see loved ones, which picked up heavily after the vaccines came out. In 2023 we saw a lot of international travel, likely for those that haven’t been overseas for some time. In 2024 we’re expecting both of these and a continued surge in business travel.
Finally, are there any parting insights or experiences you’d like to share?
If you follow your passion and make sure you’re truly helping people along the way, you’ll be successful.
Watch the Silicon Valley Successes Interview with Patrick Murray: