Partners LLC (the group’s consult- ing arm), and Widark Corporation. Still a major presence at LGB, Aerolease Long Beach currently manages more than 50,000 square feet of office space and 25 hangars, encompassing 151,000 square feet for corporate and privately owned aircraft. At VNY, where the company developed and manages over 267,000 square feet of aviation-related facili- ties, a new project in the form of a $7.5 million, 50,000 square-foot clear-span hangar, office, shop and terminal facility is slated for comple- tion in April 2017. The development, noted Castagna, is a project of the Aerolease Bonseph joint venture. Interestingly, the new hangar is being constructed on the original T-hangar site which Widelitz estab- lished in 1977. “Prior to demolish- ing the site to make room for the new facility, we relocated all of the existing T-hangars to other VNY propeller aircraft facilities to make 32 room for the design and construction of new accommodations for larger Gulfstream, Bombardier and other new business jets,” Castagna said. Castagna, who served as General Manager of the former Atlantic Aviation LGB FBO, has been with the Aerolease/Aeroplex Group since 1991. He pointed out that Widelitz built the business through strict adherence to a model that could have been unique for the time, at least in an airport business context. “Milton’s philosophy was that if you have a business on an airport, you don’t manage it in a vacuum,” said Castagna. “Working collabora- tively with the airport authority and other tenants provides the founda- tion for a healthy business environ- ment. As a result, the Aeroplex/ Aerolease Group has become very engaged in providing leadership to the airport business community.” Along this line, in 1982, Widelitz and Clay Lacy, a prominent pilot and private jet operator at VNY, founded the Van Nuys Airport Association (VNAA), which Castagna termed “the model for collaborative operations and relationships at airports.” He currently serves as president of the association, which represents over 100 businesses, employing 5,291 at the airport. “Although many airport businesses compete with each other, by partnering on a collaborative basis, they are able to find common ground on issues, and work with each other and government to achieve mutual goals,” explained Castagna. The Long Beach Airport Association (LBAA), for which he also serves as president, has been pursuing an identical mis- sion since 1947. Today, it is the voice of 200 businesses, employing 18,000. Collaborative efforts, Castagna stressed, are essential, consider- ing some of the challenges con- fronting airports today, such as obtaining federal financing for capital improvements. Aviation Business Journal | 1st Quarter 2017 Photo By: Bob Beresh
