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Turning The Corner

At last year’s Strictly Business Forum, my panelists brought a decidedly somber tone to the table. They concluded 2009 was a year they were happy to see in the rear view mirror.

This year, however, a sunnier mood brightened my group’s conversation. Some considered 2010 an unqualified success for their business or agency. Others felt they were meeting the challenges of the down economy and positioning themselves for a rebound when things improve. There was a shared sense that the North Country may have turned the corner on the Great Recession.

Joining me was: Tom Long who manages Plattsburgh International Airport, clearly one of the area’s visible and resounding success stories. Long spent 12 years in the Air Force, has a Masters Degree in Management and Airport Planning and finds time to teach related classes for Southern Illinois University.

“Our job is to ensure the airport runs smoothly and to develop it further,” Long said. “We are the caretakers of the airport for the community,” he observed, citing 2010 as a fantastic year. “The number of passengers flying to Florida and Myrtle Beach continues to increase. 2000 passengers flew in 2007; 43,000 in 2008; 73,000 in 2009, and we project 95,000 by the end of 2010 with nothing but continued growth on the horizon. And our commuter service to Boston, US Airways Express, averages about 25 enplanements per flight on the 34 seat aircraft.”

Long pointed to the huge challenges of dealing with explosive growth. “We are congested in all aspects of the facility. Its potential was grossly underestimated. The FAA’s (Federal Aviation Administration) preliminary studies predicting 255,000 passengers flying to and from Plattsburgh in 2030 may be too conservative already.”

To meet growing demand, Long continued, “We’re working to build a larger, paid parking lot where costs will be $3 -$5 per day. We could see a possible parking garage and adjacent hotel in the future as well.”

Plans are ongoing to expand the terminal and Transportation Safety Administration facilities. “We are in dire need of more space already,” Long said. “If we had the capacity, other airlines would definitely come here.”

Josh Kretser is owner/designer of pod Studio, specializing in interior design, wedding and corporate event planning as well as residential and commercial organization projects and home staging for area realtors. A Plattsburgh native, he studied interior design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, worked in New York City for about 10 years, and returned home to establish pod Studios a year and a half ago.

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