Introducing NATA’s 2017 Board Members Continued from page 67 between the private sector and the airport world to the NATA Board, “My nature is I like to look for solu- tions.” His focus will be on developing relationships between aviation businesses and airport authorities. “In my experience, those kinds of collaborative rela- tionships are very beneficial to the health of the indus- try,” he said. “When I think on what we’ve accomplished here at Aeroplex, our business is a mixture of aviation development, airport consulting, and really working with bringing the private sector and public sector experi- ence together into the airport world. We’re really excited about where we see the health of the industry based on the high activity level at our facilities, and I’m eager to promote the value of what the business of general avia- tion brings to the economies of the community we operate in. When you project that out from here in the Southern California region to the entire general aviation indus- try, we’re truly talking about a huge positive economic impact. That’s a story we want to be able to tell well.” “Having the privilege and honor to be a Past Chair and serving in my fifth year, I have seen our board members grow and become even more passionate about what NATA stands for,” said Gary Dempsey. “The Board members are professionals who care about general aviation and the industry. The new board members coming in are from across all parts of the industry, successful in their busi- ness, and I believe will represent the whole industry very well. Looking forward to great things from this Board, both old members and new, in support of a growing industry with a lot of change. NATA is in good hands.” Clive Lowe, another returning member, believes the NATA Board is as strong as it’s ever been. “The recent additions have really strengthened the breadth and depth of Board perspective, and further reinforce the vast array of business types within the membership, from substan- tial corporate entities to small, family-owned businesses,” Lowe said, reflecting on the new makeup of the NATA Board. “This dynamic is a great strength of our industry.” Lowe sees important challenges for NATA in the year ahead, on several fronts. His top priority is: “Continuing to address legislative or regulatory pushes from one quar- ter of the aviation industry that may have unexpected, unarticulated or far-reaching consequences for another.” He added, “This is especially true given the functional diversity of our membership. Fortunately, we have nimble and well-connected staff and strong Board leadership that will get ahead of these issues before they surface, and keep communication channels open with other aviation industry groups. The Board needs to listen, think and act cohesively to support these efforts. Open and frank discus- sion, and a willingness to challenge assertions on the part of the Board will be important in achieving this cohesion.” Lowe oversees business development for Atlantic Aviation Services, including M&A, portfolio devel- opment, real estate investment, and industry and government affairs. He’ll continue to bring that background and expertise to the NATA Board. “Atlantic continues to invest in its portfolio, systems and operations,” he said, drawing parallels between his work at home and opportunities he sees for the NATA Board. “We have just opened redeveloped facilities in PDX and UES, and are close to completing a compre- hensive program at HOU. In each case, partnership in the broadest sense of the word with the respective air- ports has resulted in creating shared value, not just with the airport, but especially so with the customer.” Since June, the 2017 NATA Board members have already been hard at work representing the varied mem- bership and its initiatives. Christian Sasfai summed up the current strength of both the NATA Board and, as an extension, NATA as an organization. “The NATA Board members are a great cross-section of our industry,” Sasfai said. “The Association exists to serve its members; and I believe each segment of the industry is well-represented through the various Board members. In addition to being well-respected industry colleagues working together for a common purpose, the Board mem- bers form lasting friendships, which makes serving on the Board even more enjoyable and rewarding.” 68 Aviation Business Journal | 3rd Quarter 2017
