- Carbon Fiber jet fuselage.
Startups
Judgement is required when an airport leases to a startup. We had a company with a cutting-edge technology which mapped carbon fiber fuselages. The company at one point owed us $450,000 in back rent!
I had faith in the company, their personnel and their market. It worked out well, the company thrived and paid all back rent.
Do your homework and make a decision.
Lakeland Airport’s Piper Aircraft Plant closed in 1985. The 700,000 SF facility went through other owners. We assembled grants and loans to purchase and remodel the facility. This effort led to the Airport becoming self-sufficient for the first time.
Before Airline Service Punta Gorda Airport had decrepit hangars.
Punta Gorda Hurricane Charley – Don’t let a disaster go to waste! Using grants and low interest loans, we rebuilt the Airport.
We built a small Terminal, as part of a process of incremental steps.
Several times in my career I have had to say no. One of the projects was converting a couple of hundred acres of airport property into an industrial park. The upfront costs would have resulted a negative cashflow for many years. The “No” decisions were just as important as the “Yes” decisions!
Later, the County Economic Development Agency, as part of an incentive package for a large distribution company located adjacent to airport property, funded access roads and utilities through the airport. We had our industrial park!