Draft:Herb Citrin

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Herb Citrin, known as Mr. Valet, first implemented the modern Valet Parking business model in 1946 Los Angeles. He outfitted his parking "valets" in smart uniforms, and introduced convenience, showmanship, and sophistication to the developing Los Angeles car culture. He remains an industry legend, an admired and inspiring leader who was instrumental in nurturing a unique business culture of professional integrity, camaraderie, and class.

Early years

Herb was born in 1922, and attended Eagle Rock High School. By age 15 and before he had a driver’s license, Herb had learned to park cars for his father’s parking concession. He worked for his father until 1942, when he left to serve in World War II as a US Navy submarine sonar and radio operator.

In 1946 Herb returned to Los Angeles and began his first parking concession at Lawry’s The Prime Rib Restaurant in Beverly Hills. At a time when parking attendants "usually wore dungarees and sloppy shirts", Herb called his parking attendants “valets” and dressed them in trim war-surplus Army Air Force uniforms. Herb himself parked cars and did additional duty as Lawry’s doorman.

Upscale car owners quickly embraced the convenience, safety, and status of handing their keys over to Herb's impeccably dressed and well mannered valets. Particularly luxurious cars, and those of the most extravagant tippers, were parked in prominent spaces adding to the status of both the business establishments and of the proud car owners themselves. Fostering a high class experience and trustworthy reputation with his customers, his convenient “Valet Parking Service" quickly grew with demand from dozens of Los Angeles area businesses. By the 1960s Herb’s valets were parking cars at numerous restaurants and hotels, at functions such as the Oscars, Grammy & Emmy Awards, and private parties at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion.

Legacy

Herb Citrin named his 1946 business Valet Parking Service, and proudly wrote at the top of his new 2001 website, "They named the industry after us". He is considered the first automotive valet operator to combine formal uniforms, luxury high-end service, and to promote the mega-successful business model that is the hallmark of the American valet profession today.

Herb was a generous sponsor and past president of Los Angeles Jewish Health, an organization dedicated to assisting elderly Jewish Los Angeles residents with their health and housing needs. Herb suffered a stroke in 2012, and was transfered from his Century City home to the LAJH Jewish Home for the Aged in Reseda, California where he passed away on June 15, 2013.

The Herb Citrin trophy

Beginning in 2012, the National Parking Association intermittently sponsors the Valet Olympics, with teams of valets from around the country competing in various car parking events.  These “athletes” show skills in activities such as key sorting,  parking cone slalom, sprinting and parking cars all while maintaining a maximum speed of 10 miles per hour. The winning team is awarded THE HERB CITRIN AWARD, the Valet Olympic’s highest honor.

Mentor & business culture leader

Herb continues to influence the business culture of the American valet industry today. He taught and embraced a professional camaraderie within the profession, and was generous in helping others. Colleagues found him eager to mentor, advise, and assist both his personal associates and his business competitors.

 LAZ PARKING co-founder and Chief Culture Officer Michael Harth said in 2016, “Herb Citrin founded Valet Parking Service in 1946 and served as a role model for not only LAZ Parking, but for the entire industry in terms of integrity and innovation.”