Tag Archives for: Dixon Resources Unlimited

DIXON Congratulates Emily Kwatinetz on her Promotion to Principal Consultant

March 20, 2023

DIXON Congratulates Emily Kwatinetz on her Promotion to Principal Consultant

We are thrilled to announce the promotion of Emily Kwatinetz to Principal!

Emily continues to be an essential part our team, and she has been instrumental in the success of our projects throughout the country. Emily deeply understands municipal operations, and she has expertise in parking policies and technology. Beyond managing our Planning Team and projects, Emily oversees our Data Team and the development of our new software solution, the DIXON Data Suite which has been successfully deployed in numerous municipalities.

Emily’s impact in the industry has been recognized by several awards including the Southwest Parking & Transportation Association Emerging Leader award this past October, and she received the “40 under 40” award from the National Parking Association in 2018.

Emily is an elected board member of the Pacific Intermountain Parking and Transportation Association. She also volunteers for the International Parking and Mobility Institute and the Washington State pedestrian advocacy nonprofit, Feet First.

Emily frequently presents at industry conferences, drawing upon her consulting experience supporting a range of municipal programs including paid parking, revenue collection and reconciliation, maintenance, employee and residential permits, wayfinding, shared parking, and other transportation and mobility matters. We are grateful to have Emily on our team!

Congratulations, Emily!

Julie Dixon, President

Dixon Resources Unlimited

Dixon Resources Unlimited is pleased to welcome Cameron Clark and Mike King to the company

March 16, 2021

Dixon Resources Unlimited is pleased to welcome Cameron Clark and Mike King to the company

Cameron Clark joins as a Project Coordinator after spending more than five years demonstrating his expertise in parking data collection and analysis. Previously, he was the Parking Operations Manager for IDAX Data Solutions, where he oversaw all parking data collection projects. After leading hundreds of parking studies, he has a unique understanding of the challenges in collecting accurate parking data across different facilities by using a variety of collection methods, manual and automated, to deliver high-quality results.

Cameron managed the development of a mobile GIS app used for parking data collection with the goal of improving quality and reducing costs. This tool allowed field supervisors the ability to effectively manage large teams and ensure the data collected was accurate in real-time. The app was a key tool for Seattle’s (SDOT) annual parking studies, gathering the input for the Performance-Based Parking Pricing Program which adjusts on-street paid parking rates and evaluates expansion of paid parking. Cameron’s leadership was integral to ensuring complete collection of all data and conducting a final quality review and analysis. Cameron also led or contributed to series of annual parking studies in Denver, Spokane, Berkeley, Palo Alto, West Hollywood and Costa Mesa.

Earlier in his career, Cameron was a Quality Control Specialist Lead for Google Maps, where he trained and mentored a large team of Map Operators for the user-generated content division. Cameron coordinated with international policy stakeholders to evaluate and create modeling and process policies for map operators worldwide, and managed the queue of requests for the development team.

As a Project Coordinator, Cameron supports the DIXON team on all data-driven projects, and his focus on data integrity provides clients with reliable datasets to drive successful decision making. Cameron is also using his computer science and product development background to support the data team in utilizing clients existing data to enhance the management of their operations. Cameron is currently working on a LPR pilot program, helping to grow the DIXON RAPID LPR Tool into a focal point of the operations.

Mike King is joining the company’s senior leadership. His experience includes a high-level leadership role in Sacramento’s parking program; managing logistics, contractors, and consultant resources in the SFpark program; and a long history in product development, systems implementation, and support services for enterprise IT systems. In 2019, he was awarded the Parking Professional of the Year by the California Public Parking Association (CPPA).

Mike’s most recent role was the Parking Technology and Infrastructure Manager for the City of Sacramento, California, a $40M parking enterprise, with 56,000 on-street parking assets, more than 10,000 off-street spaces in garages and lots owned by various entities, and 475 slips in the Marina. He directed all technical operations, including parking meter management and collections, off-street lot payment systems, garage PARCS equipment for multiple agencies, enforcement solutions, divisional IT support, security, and development and implementation of the technical components of the SacPark® program (the CPPA’s Public Parking Program of the Year in 2016), including the SacPark App and reserve.sacpark.org, used for event parking reservations. At the time of his retirement, he had created the foundation for an integrated data management system which will allow full operational and financial reporting for the enterprise, along with dashboards and analytics and tools for curb management.

Previously, Mike was a Program Manager for the prime contractor for SFpark, a federally funded program to address traffic congestion by implementing a new mix of technologies to make it easier for drivers to find parking. He worked closely with Julie Dixon while he directed over 25 vendors/subcontractors, twelve employees, and company resources to procure and deliver new parking meters, parking and roadway sensors, garage occupancy data, user surveys/data collection, marketing/communications, web site development, consulting, data warehousing, and other related services. He led multiple procurements, from initial solicitation through contract negotiation, and monitored contractor compliance and deliverables.

Mike has significant experience with a variety of parking payment systems, including parking meters, virtual meters, mobile payments, and multi-entity PARCS; occupancy systems, including parking sensors and image analytics; parking reservation systems; Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems; virtual permits and validations for on- and off-street applications; compliance equipment and citation processing; revenue and parking security systems; comprehensive inventory systems, and parking modernization. Throughout his time in Sacramento, other agencies and vendors regularly sought his advice, and local DMV officials referred to him as the LPR expert in California. Mike’s expertise with applying technology to solve parking challenges and his demonstrated record of innovation will help support other municipalities across North America.

Dixon Resources Unlimited is a consulting firm that specializes in municipal parking, transportation, and mobility solutions. DIXON’s uniquely-qualified team specializes in supporting municipal parking and mobility programs across the country, consistently proving its ability to identify and implement operations, management, and technology recommendations to transition municipal parking operations to long-term, sustainable programs.

Kenzie Coulson Joins Dixon Resources Unlimited

April 18, 2019

Kenzie Coulson Joins Dixon Resources Unlimited

San Diego, CA: Dixon Resources Unlimited is pleased to welcome Kenzie Coulson to the team as DIXON’s newest Associate. With over 20 years in transportation, Kenzie has extensive experience launching complex projects, planning for traffic mitigation, and developing parking strategy. As Parking and Fleet Administrative Supervisor with Park City Municipal Corporation in Park City, Utah, she overhauled the entire parking department, facilitating the launch of nine new technologies, infrastructure upgrades, wayfinding improvements, and policy updates that included the introduction of paid parking.

Kenzie has a wide breadth of project management experience aimed at overcoming logistically-strained operations. As a Senior Manager for Sundance Institute, Kenzie managed all elements of transportation for the Sundance Film Festival, including the scoping and development of a logistics management database and various traffic and parking plans. Sundance Institute, founded by Robert Redford, hosts the annual Film Festival, which draws more than 70,000 patrons each year into the narrow streets of Park City. Accommodating this volume of guests in a small corridor requires a carefully implemented parking, transit, and curbside plan, a challenge which allowed Kenzie to put to use her skills in managing seasonal flux and budget restrictions.

Kenzie’s leadership role in Park City proved her ability to fit within the DIXON ethos, showcasing her willingness to customize a community-specific solution. Working alongside the DIXON team, she helped develop the specifications necessary to solicit a comprehensive parking technology system. The Park City solution integrated transportation demand management (TDM) with a progressive incentive program to encourage the use of alternative transportation such as transit and carpooling. Her efforts have allowed the Park City operation to become a model for TDM and parking solutions.

Earlier in her career, Kenzie worked on a Software as a Service (SaaS) booking engine that has grown to offer white-label service for prominent events, cities, and destination markets. Her involvement with the launch of the start-up involved all aspects of managing technical development, contracting partners, sales, operational oversight, and marketing, including the development of the website www.stayparkcity.com. Her diverse experience allows her to effectively foresee potential roadblocks to success.

Kenzie’s roots are in operational team management. She values the operator’s voice and perspective and works to understand the “devilish” details in every project. She’s managed multiple teams, including a FedEx Ground/Home Delivery terminal, a wilderness lodge in Glacier Bay Alaska, and most recently, the electric bus fleet in Park City.

As a Project Associate, Kenzie will work directly with customers to assess, design, build, and operate successful parking programs. She will primarily focus on developing on-street and off-street parking solutions, engaging stakeholders, developing operating plans, and assisting policy development. By integrating her practical experience with a personal touch and commitment to customer service, she will ensure that DIXON’s customers are able to seamlessly implement their parking solutions.

Dixon Resources Unlimited – Access, Safety & Mobility Study for Griffith Park & Hollywood Sign Released

January 18, 2018

Access, Safety & Mobility Study for Griffith Park & Hollywood Sign Released

Los Angeles, CA — Today, Dixon Resources Unlimited, a transportation consulting firm, released a comprehensive study to improve safety, traffic, and tourist access around Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign. Councilmember Ryu introduced a motion instructing various City departments to study each strategy presented in the Dixon Resources Unlimited Study for its feasibility.

“Resolving issues of safety, traffic and responsible tourist and hiking access to our City’s most popular park and most famous icon have been a priority since the day I entered office,” Councilmember Ryu said. “I am very pleased to finally have this report after months of study by Dixon Unlimited.”

The study, created with input from various community stakeholders, offers a total of 29 strategies to improve access to Griffith Park and Trailheads, improve emergency vehicle access, expand transit options, enhance pedestrian safety, improve traffic flow & reduce congestion, increase parking efficiency and compliance rates and proactively manage visitors to the Park and Hollywood Sign. Data was collected through average daily traffic counts of both pedestrians and motor vehicles, occupancy of various trails, streets, and park areas, and by surveying visitors to the Park and Sign.

“The Department looks forward to working with Councilmember Ryu on resolving neighborhood concerns related to traffic, access and mobility,” said Michael Shull, General Manager for Recreation and Parks. “This study provides tremendous opportunities to achieve these goals by focusing on community concerns and potential strategies to improve the park and surrounding neighborhoods.”

The report, conducted by Dixon Resources Unlimited, to address issues of traffic and safety around the sign, offers several recommendations such as developing a shuttle service up Beachwood Canyon, studying the feasibility of an aerial tram, establishing a Hollywood Sign Visitor Center, implementing a wayfinding strategy, installing new signage, and working with Google and Waze to communicate accurate access information.

Councilmember Ryu has held hundreds of meetings with community groups, local businesses and stakeholders to embrace ideas and find consensus leading up to the commission of this study, and has not taken a position on any particular strategy offered in the Dixon study.

The stakeholders involved in creating this study were Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association, Friends of Griffith Park, Griffith Park Advisory Board, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council, Hollywood Knolls Community Club, Hollywood Sign Trust, Hollywood United Neighborhood Council, Hollywoodland Homeowners Association, Lake Hollywood Homeowners Association, Los Feliz Improvement Association, Los Feliz Neighborhood Council, and The Oaks Homeowners Association.

“Fixing traffic and mobility issues surrounding Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign is incredibly important work,” said Julie Dixon of Dixon Resources Unlimited. “Our priority was to work with the community and the park to develop a balanced solution that provides access and addresses safety, and our goal was to explore every possible route to find this solution.”

The Dixon study marks the first time a comprehensive study, replete with data and strategies relating to visitor access to the Hollywood Sign and reducing negative impacts on nearby neighborhoods, has been made available to the City of Los Angeles. With the new information and visitor data, it is now possible for the City to analyze the possible solutions with accurate and up-to-date information.

“The Hollywood Sign and Griffith Park are being loved to death,” Ryu added. “This is a world-renowned icon, and possibly the only one without proper access to it. It’s like having the Statue of Liberty without a visitor’s center, viewing platform, or even a sign telling you how to get to it. It is unsustainable and unsafe. I look forward to looking at the specifics of the feasibility of these strategies.”

Councilmember Ryu’s motion today instructs various City departments to begin studying the feasibility of the various strategies proposed in the Dixon study. Councilmember Ryu will continue to seek input from community members throughout the process. No single proposed idea is preferred over another by Councilmember Ryu at this time.

Read the report here.

Read the data collection & analysis here.

Read the motion here.

Read the FAQ here.

Los Angeles City Councilmember David E. Ryu represents the 4th Council District which includes Griffith Park, Sherman Oaks, Toluca Lake, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Miracle Mile, Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Larchmont and portions of Koreatown and Van Nuys.

Jennifer Rentz joins the Dixon Resources Unlimited

May 03, 2017

Jennifer Rentz joins the Dixon Resources Unlimited

San Diego, CA: Dixon Resources Unlimited is pleased to welcome Jennifer Rentz as the company’s newest Associate. Jennifer most recently served as Executive Vice President of West Coast Operations for Complus Data Innovations, Inc., a parking citation management firm. In her role with Complus, Jennifer was responsible for oversight of the company’s west coast office with responsibility for staff, client relations, revenue generation and administration. She also oversaw research and development of new mobile technology features and integrations.

Jennifer has worked in the parking industry for fourteen years and brings to Dixon Resources Unlimited and its clients her extensive knowledge of industry best practices. She was recently named one of National Parking Association’s “40 Under 40” in the parking industry and has been an active member of International Parking Institute’s Technology Committee for the past six years.

Dixon Resources Unlimited is a small, woman-owned consulting firm that focuses on supporting municipal parking needs. One of our key business objectives is to support our clients with the development of their customized parking roadmaps and, most critically, defining their current and future parking needs. Our specific areas of expertise include on-street and off-street parking, technology solutions, stakeholder engagement, operation plans and policy development for growing cities. Our experience and resources have a proven track record of identifying management, operational and technology improvements that have assisted cities throughout North America. We are excited to welcome Jennifer to the team and look forward to an exciting future together.