Former Shreveport Airport Director Henry Thompson resigned his position in early January of this year. Columnist John Settle examines what's at stake.
As airport director, Thompson was responsible for the operations of the Shreveport Regional Airport and the Shreveport Downtown airport. Thompson was the subject of many complaints by private aircraft owners at both airports.
The Shreveport Airport Authority Board (Authority) retained the services of ADK Consulting & Executive to recruit qualified candidates. The job listed closed July 26.
The posting required candidates to have a minimum of 5 years of "progressively responsible senior management and senior leadership at a public, commercial service airport." The posting noted that an ideal candidate has a degree in airport administration, business administration, public administration or related fields.
ADK received 35 applications. These will be culled to 10 applicants.These will be reviewed by the board’s search committee-- members Jonathan Reynolds and Waynette Ballengee.
Ultimately the 5 member board will make a recommendation to Mayor Perkins for the director. The other board members are Grant Nuckols, Mary Jackson and Margaret Shehee.
The Shreveport city council must approve the selection by Perkins for this position.
The compensation for this position was listed as $115 to $150 grand plus benefits. These included an insurance package, vacation and sick leave, 10 paid holidays, and a vehicle.
The SAA has a staff of over 80 employees with an operating budget of nearly $24 million and a capital budget of $3.5 million. In 2018 more that 629,000 passengers few through the regional airport. The passenger count for this year has increased.
The airport has, by most accounts, underperformed for many years. There are currently significant parking challenges for those using the airport. Perkins has pushed to have the airport designated as an international airport in an effort to increase air freight traffic.
