NATA Industry Excellence Awards Continued from page 23 recognition comes out of our wonderful partnership. We all realize that through working collaboratively, we can accomplish bigger and better things.” Among her many responsibilities, Margheritis is over- seeing a $26.3 million capital project to expand Taxiway Bravo, the first of three capital projects scheduled over the next four years. Under her leadership, airport tenants and project team members worked together to develop an optimal construction phasing schedule. “Any time an airport does a construction project, it impacts tenants,” Margheritis said. “Because we foster such strong lines of communication and working relation- ships, we were able to engage our tenants early in the game to provide input on how to move forward with each phase of the project with minimal impact to their operations.” She strongly supports LAWA’s leading sustainability and environmental initiatives, including the installation of rooftop solar panels on various hangars and businesses on the airport. And, on January 17, 2019, VNY became the first general aviation airport to offer sustainable alternative jet fuel on a trial basis with its one-day event, “Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Toward Sustainability.” “We’re demonstrating our commitment to sustainabil- ity and putting Van Nuys Airport on the map,” she said. “As one of the world’s busiest general aviation airports, VNY is often looked to as a model for the industry and we take that seriously. We’re really striving to lead the way.” When Margheritis looks out the windows of her office, she sees not only the potential for the future of VNY and its tenants, but also the fulfillment of a childhood dream. “My passion for aviation began when I was in elemen- tary school,” she recalled. “My uncle was the executive director at Mexico City International Airport in the ‘70s. I remember visiting him and dreaming of having an office like his someday. His windows had views of the runways and the control tower, and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. The changes I’ve seen since I was a little girl are really staggering to think about: the evolution of aircraft technology has been fascinating, and it just feeds into my passion even more.” She was so inspired by that early visit to her uncle’s office that she began taking flying lessons at the age of 15 out of Burbank Airport and earned her private pilot’s cer- tificate at age 17. She and her husband are now aircraft owners themselves: they have a Van’s RV-8—a two- seater, single-engine experimental aircraft built from a kit. “One of my goals is to help the public better under- stand the role of general aviation and its many benefits,” she said. This industry contributes significantly to the local economy, and the presence of VNY has a $2 billion annual economic impact to this area. It’s credited with producing over 10,000 jobs in the region, with more than 5,000 of them at Van Nuys Airport alone, making it a major producer of jobs in the San Fernando Valley. It’s very significant, so significant that the FAA has classi- fied VNY as a ‘national’ general aviation airport because it serves both national and global markets. These are points I like to emphasize to demonstrate the airport’s critical role in the national air transportation system. When our tenants are successful, our airport is suc- cessful; and, when our airport is successful, this entire region benefits. I take it very seriously, and it’s why, with every decision I make, I consider how the tenants will be impacted and engage them in the process.” Margheritis believes the Airport Executive Award reflects that partnership, above all else. “This is a huge award for any airport manager or air- port director to receive,” she said. “I deeply appreciate this recognition and would like to give a special shout-out to the Van Nuys Airport Association, our tenant membership group, for helping me to provide the leadership necessary to ensure that Van Nuys Airport achieves what LAWA calls its ‘gold standard.’ This means leading the general avia- tion industry in safety, security, service, and sustainability while also cultivating a strong business environment. 24 Aviation Business Journal | Summer 2019
