Introducing NATA’s 2017 Board Members Continued from page 59 our industry and new opportunities and challenges all around,” He said. “I think we’re on the cusp of big changes in fueling, aircraft, avionics, everything, and we want to make sure our association and its Board are poised to help shape the direction of those changes and help our members make the most of those changes. I feel that, with the cur- rent board membership and the work of those who came before us, NATA is prepared to meet that challenge.” Closing out his comments with a further show of gratitude for some of the people who are shap- ing the future of NATA, Schmidt added: “I would really like to thank Andy Priester, our most recent Chair, for guiding me in this new role. He did a fantastic job for two years and it’s truly an asset to have him still on board through the transition. I am also look- ing forward to working closely with NATA President Marty Hiller, a veteran of the FBO and fuel business and an incredibly smart businessman, who is doing a fan- tastic leadership job. His executive team of Tim Obitts, EVP of Operations and Business, and Bill Deere, EVP of Government and External Affairs, are both working hard every day to be responsive to our members’ needs and cre- ate a steady revenue stream to support the association’s efforts. And above all, I would like to encourage all NATA members to get to know their board members, because the levels of reputation, experience, integrity and com- mitment in this group are second to none. This is a great group of people that I’m delighted to be associated with.” The new recruits Outgoing NATA Board Chairperson Andy Priester, who will remain on the Board for one transition year, says he is looking forward to see- ing the new team in action. Priester explained: “I have had the opportunity to work on NATA com- mittees and serve on the Board for the better part of a decade. The life blood of our association is the exper- tise, knowledge and participation of our members who contribute to the committees and on the Board. The professionals that have joined the Board this year con- tinue to demonstrate all that is good in our industry.” New additions to the NATA Board include: Randall Berg, Airport Division Director at King County International Airport in Seattle, Washington; Dennis Fox, Senior Vice President, Flight Operations at Aviation Business Journal | 3rd Quarter 2017 Executive Jet Management in Cincinnati, Ohio; Larry Jorash, Senior Vice President Operations at Signature Flight Support; and Larry Wade, President & Partner at Golden Isles Aviation in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Randall Berg has been at King County Airport/Boeing Field for just under two years, after serving 16-years as Director of Operations at Salt Lake International. He’s the second airport director on the current NATA Board, joining Boca Raton Airport Director Clara Bennett. “I think it’s admirable that NATA has airport representa- tion on the Board because we all have the same mission and those relationships have to be strong between the airport side of the industry and the FBOs and other service provid- ers,” said Berg, who served on the Executive Committee of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) for six years, which included serving as AAAE Chair (2014/15), prior to joining the NATA Board. “Those rela- tionships can always be strengthened, and I don’t want to imply that they’re strained now, just that there is always room to grow and evolve when we work together. It takes all of us working together to be successful.” Berg is particularly interested in working on initia- tives to bring more young people into aviation indus- try careers, mirroring an effort he’s spearheaded at King County Airport and Boeing Field to create what he calls an “airport of opportunity.” He said: “The idea is to look for ways to allow for the airport to serve as the umbrella, working to bring the various companies on the airport together to host events to bring young people out, to get kids and young adults inter- ested in this business, as we’re looking at the pilot short- age and other shortages in our industry. When I look at everything we have going on here at Boeing Field, I would love for the airport to be the catalyst to bring the busi- nesses together to spawn interest and nurture that inter- est along the way. And of course, I’m even more excited about ways to spread this idea among NATA members as we all put our heads together to plan for the future of our industry. I can tell you this: I’ve been running airports Continued on page 63 61
