Tag Archives for: Rich & Associates

A Parking Industry Legend Richard C. Rich Dies at 92

August 15, 2023

A Parking Industry Legend Richard C. Rich Dies at 92

Richard C. (Dick) Rich, 92, died (August 11, 2023) at his home in South Lyon, Michigan.

Mr. Rich was born on January 3, 1931, and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After overcoming polio as a child, he attended Marquette University, where he earned a degree in civil engineering. While a student at Marquette, he worked as an attendant at a local parking lot and began a lifelong career that saw him become a nationally recognized leader in the parking industry.

Mr. Rich moved to Detroit in the early 1950s to work as a design engineer for National Garages, Inc. In 1963, he started his own firm, Rich & Associates, Inc. He soon earned a reputation as an innovative parking designer and was responsible for many of the world’s first mega parking facilities, including a garage at O’Hare International Airport that was once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest single parking structure.

Over his nearly 70-year career, Mr. Rich was involved in the planning and design of more than 3,500 parking structures across the United States and around the world with many of the world’s foremost architectural firms. His portfolio includes projects in China, the Middle East, Europe, South America, and Russia. His Detroit, Michigan based firm was also responsible for the design of more than 120 parking structures throughout the state of Michigan, including more than 50 structures in the Detroit metropolitan area.

One of the last remaining pioneers from the parking industry’s early days, Mr. Rich was an industry legend who was responsible for many of the innovations that we take for granted today. His history with polio as a young child provided a unique understanding of the importance of accessibility in parking, and he was one of the first parking designers to focus on handicap access.

In addition to Rich & Associates, Mr. Rich also formed MedPark Inc to develop, finance and manage parking for medical facilities. This gave him the opportunity to explore new concepts in design, lighting, and wayfinding that he then incorporated into his work on client projects.

His experiences traveling for business sparked a life-long love of travel. A devout Catholic, he traveled overseas to tour historic cathedrals and made pilgrimages to many holy sites. Mr. Rich was also a passionate photographer and an avid art collector.

Rich & Associates Plays Crucial Role in Completion of Bedrock’s Assembly Garage in Detroit’s Corktown Neighborhood

November 17, 2020

Rich & Associates Plays Crucial Role in Completion of Bedrock’s Assembly Garage

in Detroit’s Corktown Neighborhood

Southfield, MI (November 17, 2020)—Rich & Associates, the world’s oldest firm dedicated solely to parking, design, planning and management, was Architect of Record for Bedrock’s recently opened Assembly Garage – a 450 space parking structure with infrastructure in place for 8,500 sq. ft. of future ground level retail space.

The parking structure in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood supports newly renovated lofts, known as ‘The Assembly’ – a 160,000 sq. ft. mixed-use development offering residential, office and retail space.

“The expertise provided by Rich & Associates was critical to the construction of our Assembly Garage,” said Kevin Bopp, VP of Parking & Mobility at Bedrock. “They were a crucial part of our team; and the role they played in architectural, engineering, civil and parking design allowed us to develop a high-class garage from the ground up, offering some of the most advanced modern amenities to parking.”

Notably, the Assembly Garage features:

Bedrock’s first example of vertically stacked EV charging stations – an arrangement that allows for more strategic placement of EV charging, as opposed to the typical first floor grouping.
Flash access controls in the entry/exit lanes – one of the city’s first examples in publicly accessibly parking.

Additionally, the Assembly Garage recently housed an international collaboration between Bedrock, Ford, and Bosch to test the latest in automated valet parking – the first of its kind in the United States. Video of the test can be found online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr8ZdVz8Te8.

“We are excited about the role we played in the development of this landmark parking structure, which provides extraordinary benefits to Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood,” said David Rich, vice president of Rich & Associates. “We are also thrilled that the garage is playing such an important role in the development of automated valet parking technology.”

The Assembly is a reformed four-story commercial building that was originally built in 1913, and which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

About Rich & Associates

Rich & Associates (R&A) is the nation’s foremost parking consulting firm, providing customized solutions for every type ofparking need. Founded in 1963, Rich & Associates’ industry-leading role as planners, designers, developers, and operators comes from our focused expertise in the ever-changing field of parking and mobility. In keeping with our founding principles, we provide innovative approaches to all aspects of parking. Working as a cohesive team, while partnering with our clients, we deliver quality services and successful customized solutions to meet the unique needs of each parking project. Rich & Associates can be found online at www.richassoc.com.

Rich & Associates Names David Rich Vice President

June 18, 2020

Rich & Associates Names David Rich Vice President

Southfield, MI (June 18, 2020)—Rich & Associates is pleased to announce the promotion of David Rich to vice president. As vice president, David oversees the firm’s national business development efforts.

“David has been an integral part of the Rich & Associates team since 1986,” said Richard C. Rich, president of Rich & Associates. “He is a tremendous leader and he will continue to help lead our firm well into the future.”

A lifelong parking professional, David Rich joined Rich & Associates in 1986. In addition to overseeing hundreds of parking projects over the past 34 years, he also managed the firm’s business development efforts.

About Rich & Associates

Founded in 1963, Rich & Associates is the world’s oldest firm dedicated solely to parking design, planning, and management. The firm’s founder, Rich C. Rich is recognized as one of the parking industry’s most creative and innovative forces, and he helped create many design features that we take for granted today, including self-park garages, multi-use facilities, and mega-structures. His design of the first mega-structure at O’Hare Airport in Chicago was once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. The firm can be found online at www.richassoc.com.