In 1963, 10 native New Mexican siblings founded Parking Company of America. Born to Petra and Nicodemus F. Chaves Jr. farmers from Pajarito, New Mexico. As an entrepreneur, Chaves wanted his children to go into a more reliable and lucrative business than farming because a year’s worth of work could be destroyed at the drop of a hat. One day, the Chaves patriarch found an ad in the Albuquerque Journal for a parking lot downtown that was for rent and showed it to his son who quickly secured the lease, and within days, the Chaves family was in the parking business.
Parking Company of America became the fastest-growing parking company in the nation. The company’s success was a product of the brother’s decision to expand across the country and each establish his own proprietorship in his own region in 1973.
1969 Corporate Retreat at the Disneyland Hotel, PCA grew to a powerhouse
The Los Angeles branch touched down in 1967 with a contract to park cars at a now-defunct supper club in Beverly Hills and to this day still remains a family affair.
Alex Chaves Sr. created automation in the parking industry before automation was even a thing. He was the original innovator of the parking meter. Once PCA made its mark in Los Angeles, it became clear that in order to run a successful parking business, allowing independence for both the customers and the business would ensure the most profit at the time. Chaves’ meter invention allowed his parking lots to work for him and the ability to expand into other regions more quickly. His technology is patented and is still being used today.
Alex Chaves Sr. the youngest of the brothers, his wife Nadine, and their three children have been the company’s bedrock since the beginning. Alex Martin, Eric, and their sister Renee stepped onto their first parking lot in the ‘70s, where they helped their parents keep up the lots and collect money from the honor-system fee boxes their father had invented, just to save money on attendants. Proudly, they continue to run the company today as the CEO, President, and Executive Vice President.
