National Parking Association‘s 40 Under 40 celebrates on-the-rise leaders who represent the future of the parking industry and make a positive impact every day.
This description fits Leo Connelly, Ocra’s Technical Project Manager, like a glove.
Which is why we’re so proud to announce that Leo has been inducted in NPA’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2023, joining his teammates Sarah Becherer (’18), Ethan Glass (’20), Avarie Anderson (’20), Nate Dunning (’21), and Chris Everton (’21).
As one of our founding members, Leo has propelled us towards so many milestones, and he’s been instrumental to shaping the company we’ve become.
You can learn more about Leo’s early days at Ocra (back when it was ParkPlace, an event parking operator for the area around the LA Coliseum!) here.
Today, as a core member of the Engineering Team, he works to build sophisticated custom integrations with aggregators, digital parking platforms, and other technologies to help solve the massive problem of data silos and system fragmentation in the parking industry.
We’d like to share this snippet from Leo’s submission to NPA’s 40 Under 40, because it very much sums up the kind of teammate he is:
How has your nominee proven to be a leader in the parking industry?
Leo exemplifies leadership because he never hesitates to get his hands dirty: whether it’s parking cars, conducting research and development, talking to customers, shaping the product roadmap, and execution on complex integrations.
This mentality, combined with the positivity and authenticity that he brings to the table every day, speaks volumes about the type of leader he is today and the one that he will continue to grow into.
Everyone who knows Leo does better work and is happier simply because he’s around to boost everyone up and encourage out-of-the-box problem-solving.
He is thoughtful, supportive, and kind as well as being a sharp and methodical engineer who continually pushes the envelope and makes impossible things happen.
Whatever’s ahead for Leo in parking and beyond, we know that he’ll make a colossal impact and help us all be the best, funniest, kindest, most creative problem-solvers we can be.
Congratulations to Leo, and to all of the well-deserving honorees this year!
