Growing My Social Capital

Domain Expert:

I spoke with a city developer of “The Collier Companies”. This individual fills the spot because they are a local city developer whose job is to buy land or have other companies create and build certain projects.I contacted this person by going on their company’s website and seeing the different people of contact. The city developer believed my idea would be beneficial for many residents and visitors of Gainesville especially during high season but he did say that the cost of building a brand new parking garage is sometimes a multimillion dollar project. He did say it would be more cost-effective if I implemented the “Mark n’ Park” system app into already existing parking garages in Gainesville. However, he did say that my idea could definitely be useful in major cities that bring in more revenue and places that have stadiums/arenas. Since he took the time to talk to me, I thanked him and complimented the company’s service. I asked for his card so I would be able to stay in touch with him and give his information to anybody that is looking for a city developer. Having him as a contact is a great way to enhance my ability to pursue my idea because he is already in the field and has the necessary resources and experience to help push my project forward. 

Market Expert:

I spoke with the UF Transportation and Parking services who are in charge of all the parking spaces around the Stephen O’Connell center. They fill this slot because they are also targeting college students and family members who go or visit Gainesville to watch the games. I found the person by just going on their website and giving them a call. They told me about how their parking system works and the guidelines that people have to follow if they decide to park in those lots. They did mention that the lots begin to fill up a lot during game days and commencement ceremonies so a lot  of people have to find parking elsewhere. The favor that they did for me was provide me with more information as to how they run their lots and try to make their system as efficient as possible. Including this person in my network will help give me more of an idea as to how I want to implement my own system and is a gateway to getting involved with the university.

Supplier:

I spoke to one representative of “Landmark Properties” who built various student apartments including the Standard and its parking garage. They fill this slot because they provide the parking spaces for the residents of the Standard, other businesses, and visitors. I looked up on the Landmark Properties website and spoke with one of their representatives. This individual gave me feedback on my idea and went into a more detailed description of how they operate their parking garage and where they get their most profit from. In this case, I think the return expectation was flipped because I had initially mentioned to them that I was a current resident of the Standard and have my car parked in their garage. They were actually returning me a favor by giving their time and input into having a discussion. I believe that including them in my network will help progress my project in a much faster manner than if I were to try to do it on m own and I could possibly sell the idea to them as well.

Reflect:

This experience will help shape how I participate in future networking events by making sure that I give them sort of an incentive as to why they should invest their time and money on me. This experience did not differ from my networking experiences in the past because I had to “sell” myself and would always ask for their business cards or LinkedIn information to keep in touch with them and thank them for their time.