Minnesota Airports Conference. April 18 20, 2018 Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Duluth, Minnesota E A R S

Transcription

1 Minnesota Airports Conference April 18 20, 2018 Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Duluth, Minnesota Y E A R S 1

2 Mark Your Calendar! 2019 Minnesota Airports Conference April 24 26, 2019 Willmar Conference Center Willmar, MN 2020 Minnesota Airports Conference April 29 May 1, 2020 Mayo Civic Center Rochester, MN Thank you to our Platinum sponsors!

3 Table of Contents General Conference Information... 1 Conference At-a-Glance... 2 MCOA Welcome... 3 MCOA Board of Directors... 4 MnDOT Aeronautics Overview... 5 MnDOT Aeronautics Staff... 6 Schedule: Wednesday, April Schedule: Thursday, April Schedule: Friday, April Exhibitors Exhibit Hall Map Exhibitor Contact Information Speaker Bios In Memoriam In 1943, the Minnesota Aeronautics Commission became the Minnesota Department of Aeronautics. In the same year, a constitutional amendment was proposed (and ultimately passed in 1944) that would allow the state to collect taxes and build airports. Please join us in celebrating the 75th anniversary of this historic change at this year s conference! Y E A R S

4 General Conference Information This year, we ve adjusted our program to give conference attendees a chance to enjoy Duluth and to help facilitate additional networking outside of the conference venue. The most significant change is that the MCOA annual member s meeting is moved from Wednesday afternoon to breakfast on Thursday morning. Subsequently, the MCOA board meeting is moved to Friday morning. In addition, we will end our general sessions by early afternoon on Wednesday and move right into our Wednesday social. See below for more details. Please note: All of Friday s sessions will be held at the Holiday Inn. No need to walk back over to the DECC. You can head right to the hotel s Great Lakes Ballroom for breakfast and the morning sessions and leave directly from the hotel. Wednesday Night Social Wednesday, April 18, 3:45 6:15 p.m., Harbor Side Ballroom exhibit area After we wrap up the first day s sessions, meet up with your colleagues and visit our conference sponsors at the social mixer in the exhibit area. Light appetizers will be served and a cash bar will be available. Be sure to stick around for some special drawings. The session will end early in the evening so that you can enjoy some of Duluth s fine restaurants and the Canal Park area. Visit Duluth, the city s convention and visitor s bureau, will be available Wednesday from 8 a.m. to noon near the conference registration area. Thursday Night Entertainment Thursday, April 19, 6:00 8:00 p.m., Lake Superior Railroad Museum Join your colleagues inside the museum, located only a few blocks from the Holiday Inn, where you can enjoy the exhibits and some excellent food with drink sampling from local establishments. Meet with an FAA Program Manager FAA program managers are available for individual meetings on Thursday, April 19. Scholarships MCOA is committed to improving outreach to future aviation leaders. To that end, the MCOA board offers conference scholarships in addition to an academic scholarship to aviation-focused college students. Students from the University of North Dakota and Minnesota State University Mankato attended last year s conference. Some of the proceeds from conference sponsorships support the conference scholarship fund. Wi-Fi Free Wi-Fi service is available in the Harbor Side area: Select network MNAIR2018. Wi-Fi will not be accessible from other parts of the facility, so no password is needed. 1

5 Conference At-a-Glance Wednesday, April 18 Time Activity Location 8:00 a.m. Registration Harbor Side foyer 9:00 11:00 a.m. Cirrus tour Cirrus Aircraft facilities, Duluth Noon 1:30 p.m. Luncheon DECC Harbor Side Ballroom (upper level) 1:45 3:45 p.m. General sessions DECC Harbor Side Ballroom (upper level) 3:45 6:15 p.m. Reception & social DECC Harbor Side Ballroom exhibit hall (upper level) Thursday, April 19 Time Activity Location 7:30 8:30 a.m. Breakfast DECC Harbor Side Ballroom (upper level) 8:30 10:00 a.m. General session DECC Harbor Side Ballroom (upper level) 10:15 11:15 a.m. Concurrent sessions DECC Harbor Side breakout rooms (lower level) 11:45 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Awards lunch DECC Harbor Side Ballroom (upper level) 2:00 4:30 p.m. Concurrent sessions DECC Harbor Side breakout rooms (lower level) 4:30 5:30 p.m. LASAC meeting DECC Harbor Side breakout rooms (lower level) 6:00 8:00 p.m. Social Lake Superior Railroad Museum, Historic Union Depot Friday, April 20 Time Activity Location 7:00 8:00 a.m. MCOA breakfast Holiday Inn Great Lakes Ballroom board meeting 8:00 a.m. noon General sessions Holiday Inn Great Lakes Ballroom 2

6 Welcome from the Minnesota Council of Airports On behalf of the board of directors and our members, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 34th Annual Minnesota Airports Conference. I m excited to share my hometown of Duluth with all of you. While you re here, I hope you ll take the opportunity to experience some of Duluth s vibrant nightlife, take a brewery tour, or try a tasting at Vikre Distillery, located at the foot of Duluth s iconic Aerial Lift Bridge. The Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC) provides a great environment for learning and networking during the conference, and we have a tremendous line-up of keynote speakers and compelling sessions that strike a balance between technical and administrative topics. Among the featured speakers is Dale Klapmeier, co-founder and CEO of Cirrus Aircraft. We ll hear firsthand about Cirrus s journey to becoming an industry leader in aircraft manufacturing and innovative design. This year you ll also note a special emphasis on women in aviation. Our other featured speaker, astronaut Rhea Seddon, was one of the first six women to enter the astronaut program. She ll be joined by other women who have blazed trails in a variety of aviationrelated career fields. As a special treat, our Thursday evening social will be held at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in the Historic Union Depot. There will be food and a beer tasting featuring many of the region s craft brews. Enjoy networking while you view the many historic trains that played a part in building Minnesota. You ll also have opportunities to visit the many vendors here. Our vendor community is always at the cutting edge of the latest products and services that allow us to take our airports to new heights. I want to thank each of them for their continued support of this conference. Finally, this conference would not be possible without the support of our agency partners: MnDOT s Office of Aeronautics, FAA s Great Lakes Region Dakota-Minnesota Airports District Office, and AirTAP. Seek their representatives out during the conference concerning any issue or project you may have at your airport. MCOA continues its role as the preeminent leader in airport advocacy and professional development within Minnesota. I m humbled to have been given the opportunity to lead this organization over the last two years. Our conference planning committee, under the leadership of Bill Towle, has assembled an incredible program for you, and I cannot thank them enough! Let any one of the MCOA board members know if there are areas where we can better assist you. If you see me during the conference, come up and say hello. I would enjoy making the connection. Let s have a great conference! Sincerely, Tom Werner, C.M. Chairman, MCOA Board of Directors 3

7 MCOA Officers Chairman Tom Werner Duluth International Airport Vice-Chairman William Towle St. Cloud Regional Airport Secretary/Treasurer Mark Hagen Detroit Lakes Directors Shaun Germolus Region #1 Range Regional Airport Karen Weller Region #2 Bemidji Regional Airport Steven Wright Region #3 Brainerd Regional Airport Ryan Mathisrud Region #4 Park Rapids Municipal Airport Joe Harris Region #5 Downtown (MAC) Airport/MSP MAC Kurt Claussen Region #6 Rochester International Airport Dave Beaver Region #7 Owatonna Regional Airport Kevin Baker Region #8 Mankato Regional Airport Joe Hedrick Region #9 Thief River Falls Airport Phil Tiedeman Region #10 South St. Paul Municipal Airport Pam Schroeder Fillmore County Airport, Preston Directors Emeritus Steve Leqve Duane Doc Wething MCOA Advisory Staff MnDOT Advisor Cassandra Isackson Executive Director Mark Knoff Dak/MN Asst. Director Lindsay Butler

8 MnDOT Office of Aeronautics Overview Dear airport sponsors and friends, This year we are celebrating a bit of aviation history in Minnesota. On April 22, 1933 some 85 years ago the Minnesota Aeronautics Commission was created. The Commission focused on two main goals: making aviation in Minnesota safe and promoting interest in aviation throughout the state (still the reasons we come to work today!). Although 85 years is certainly a noteworthy milestone, we have chosen instead 75 years for our celebration. In 1943, the Aeronautics Commission became the Department of Aeronautics. An amendment to the Minnesota constitution was proposed by the legislature, and later approved by voters, that permitted the state to construct airports, issue bonds, levy excise taxes, and tax aircraft. This action ensured not just the promotion of aviation, but long-term financial support of Minnesota s system of airports. For 75 years the State of Minnesota has been a partner with your local airport. We believe this partnership is the foundation of one great transportation system, so we re celebrating 75 years of state support for airports! In 1976, the Department of Aeronautics joined the Department of Highways and portions of other state agencies to become the modern-day Minnesota Department of Transportation. Our vision is that Minnesota s multimodal transportation system maximizes the health of people, the environment, and our economy. Aeronautics works every day to ensure that Minnesotans reap the benefits of aviation. Today, aviation taxes are deposited into the state airports fund, which is used to support: 140 state-owned navigational systems (VORs, ILSs, AWOS/ASOS, NDBs) 135 airports (everything from runways to windsocks as well as operations such as snowplowing) Aviation education programs (still working on the next generation of aviators!) Safety through licensure and inspections We are currently working on our state aviation system plan. This plan serves as a report of the state-of-the-state of aviation in Minnesota and guides future investments in the system. Look for opportunities to participate on our Facebook page. We also hope to see you at aviation conferences and fly-ins throughout the year. Please be sure to let us know about your fly-ins so we can include your airport on our calendar of events. We look forward to another 75 years of supporting your airports! Sincerely, Cassandra Isackson, PE Director of Aeronautics Y E A R S 5

9 MnDOT Aeronautics Staff Contacts Aeronautics Administration Cassandra Isackson, Kathy Vesely, Kyle Fischer, Planning & Finance Kevin Carlson, Julie Carr, Ryan Gaug, Rylan Juran, Shari LeBlanc, Chris Morgan, Aviation Representatives Kelly Akhund, Rick Braunig, Mike Hartell, Chris Meyer, Judy Meyers, Navigational Systems John Schroeder, Jay Zimmerman, Operations Shalette Cauley-Wandrick, Darlene Dahlseide, Airport Development Jenny Bahneman, Harris Baker, Don Berre, Dan Boerner, Bob Burrell, Brian Conklin, John Fahrendorf, John Giguere, Matt Lebens, Air Transportation Linda Connor, Barry Erickson Jeff Flynn, Sheila Kvilvang, Dan McDowell, Rachel Obermoller, Eric Peltier, Tim Valento Aircraft Registration Karen Lager, Sandra Martinez, Jana Thompson,

10 Schedule: Wednesday, April 18 Participant registration... 8:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Harbor Side Foyer Exhibitor check-in and booth setup... 8:00 a.m. 1:30 p.m. Harbor Side Foyer Exhibitors will have extra time to set up their booths to accommodate those who would like to attend the Cirrus tour. Tour of Cirrus Aircraft facilities...9:00 11:00 a.m. Cirrus Aircraft Come to this exciting tour and see Cirrus Aircraft s state-of-the-art lean manufacturing facility, where all aircraft assembly, completion, flight testing, and delivery occurs for its piston and turbine aircraft the SR20, SR22, and Cirrus Vision jet. Opening luncheon, welcome, and keynote speaker... Noon 1:30 p.m. Harbor Side Ballroom Duluth Mayor Emily Larson will welcome attendees, then Dale Klapmeier, CEO of Cirrus Aircraft, will talk about his company s history, challenges, and drive to deliver an innovative aviation experience for Cirrus customers. Networking with colleagues and exhibitors... 1:30 1:45 p.m. Harbor Side Exhibit Hall Exhibit hall opens at 1:30! Enjoy networking and learn about the latest in services and products. General session: FAA Update... 1:45 2:30 p.m. Harbor Side Ballroom Join FAA representatives Rebecca MacPherson and Sue Mowery-Schalk to get the latest information on safety, funding, and new initiatives at the FAA. General session: TSA Update... 2:30 3:00 p.m. Harbor Side Ballroom Rebecca Roering and Brian Peterson of the TSA will discuss and answer questions about how you can make your airport safer. General session: MnDOT Aeronautics Update... 3:00 3:45 p.m. Harbor Side Ballroom Join MnDOT Aeronautics director Cassandra Isackson and assistant director Kathy Vesely as they share the latest funding and policy topics at MnDOT. Networking with colleagues and exhibitors... 3:45 6:15 p.m. Harbor Side Exhibit Hall Enjoy a social mixer with exhibitors, friends, and colleagues in the Exhibit Hall and take this opportunity to talk with industry leaders. 7

11 Schedule: Thursday, April 19 Breakfast and exhibit hall opens...7:30 8:30 a.m. Harbor Side Exhibit Hall Exhibits will be open throughout the day. MCOA annual membership breakfast meeting...7:30 8:30 a.m. Harbor Side Ballroom General session: Dr. Rhea Seddon...8:30 10:00 a.m. Harbor Side Ballroom Hear from Hall of Fame astronaut, physician, and author Rhea Seddon as she shares stories and insights from her groundbreaking career. Networking with colleagues and exhibitors... 10:00 10:15 a.m. Harbor Side Exhibit Hall Concurrent session: Careers in Aviation Take Flight...10:15 11:15 a.m. Horizon Room 203 Join us as we celebrate women in aviation! Rhea Seddon, Hall of Fame astronaut, physician, and author; Julie Clark, flight attendant, airline captain, and aerobatics superstar; and Penny Dieryck, squadron commander for the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, will talk about their challenges and successes navigating a career path in a male-dominated industry. Concurrent session: Airports :15 11:15 a.m. Horizon Room 204 What do airport managers do? Melissa Underwood and Ron Roetzel (Bolton & Menk) will give you a better understanding of an airport manager s role in protecting and developing an airport, as well as common standards and general technical compliances. Concurrent session: Environmental Compliance A Collaborative Approach...10:15 11:15 a.m. Horizon Room 205 Proposed airport projects with potential environmental impacts require a proactive approach to National Environmental Policy Act review and resource agency coordination. In this session, Josh Fitzpatrick (FAA) and Evan Barrett (Mead & Hunt) will highlight a recent successful NEPA review for a runway improvement project at Detroit Lakes Airport. Networking with colleagues and exhibitors...11:15 11:45 a.m. Harbor Side Exhibit Hall Awards luncheon...11:45 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Harbor Side Ballroom Join us as we recognize scholarship recipients and those receiving awards for excellence in aviation. 8

12 Networking with colleagues and exhibitors... 1:45 2:00 p.m. Harbor Side Exhibit Hall Concurrent session: Airport Legal Issues...2:00 3:00 p.m. Horizon Room 203 Get information from Chris Smith (League of Minnesota Cities) and John DeCoster (Trillion Aviation) on legal issues regarding 5010 inspections de-constructed; airport minimum standards and why your town needs them; leases, insurance, and courtesy car insurance; and fixed-base operator agreements. Concurrent session: Intro to Unmanned Operations Past, Present & Future...2:00 3:00 p.m. Horizon Room 204 What should airport managers know about unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations? Katie Gilmore (PAAP Drones) and Curt Zoller (Northland Community & Technical College) will discuss the approval procedures and best practices for working with UAV operators and current laws and requirements for flying UAVs. Concurrent session: Airfield Pavement Management & Preservation Techniques...2:00 3:00 p.m. Horizon Room 205 In this session, Dan Gee (Gee Asphalt) and Kyle Potvin (Applied Pavement Technology) will share why you should have and implement a Pavement Preventative Maintenance Program. You ll also learn about useful tools and costeffective pavement preservation techniques. Networking, Minnesota aviation history celebration, and exhibitor prize drawings... 3:00 3:30 p.m. Harbor Side Exhibit Hall Join us in commemorating a 75th anniversary for Minnesota and its airports. Concurrent session: Why Won t the FAA Fund All of My Project? FAA Project Eligibility & Justification... 3:30 4:30 p.m. Horizon Room 203 In this session, Marcus Watson (TKDA) and Jake Martin (FAA) will give you an overview of FAA eligibility rules, justification thresholds, and required documentation for funding capital improvement projects as well as examples and advice for preparing a successful project justification for your next project. Concurrent session: Implementing Successful Airport Construction Safety Phasing Plans... 3:30 4:30 p.m. Horizon Room 204 Construction activities can significantly impact day-to-day airport operations and operational safety. This roundtable with Taylor Peterson (Mead & Hunt), Craig Ploetz (Northland Constructors), and Mark Priglmeier (St. Cloud Airport) will share experiences with construction safety phasing plans and identify common issues and best management practices for construction projects. 9

13 Concurrent session: Public Engagement at Your Airport Best Practices & Lessons Learned... 3:30 4:30 p.m. Horizon Room 205 Why are meaningful public engagement and selling the community on your airport s value important? Come get advice from Kaci Nowicki (SEH), Gina Mitchell (FAA), and Tom Werner (Duluth Airport Authority) that they ve gained from various public involvement efforts. Local Airline Service Action Committee (LASAC) meeting... 4:30 5:30 p.m. Horizon Room 205 Social: Lake Superior Railroad Museum... 6:00 8:00 p.m. Join your colleagues at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum and enjoy the exhibits, hearty appetizers, and a beer and wine tasting. Schedule: Friday, April 20 All sessions will be held at the Holiday Inn s Great Lakes Ballroom. MCOA board breakfast meeting...7:00 8:00 a.m. Aviation Leadership Perspective with Brian Ryks...8:00 9:00 a.m. Hear the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) executive director as he describes what s happening at the MAC and in Minnesota s aviation scene in this engaging session. Tell Us About Super Bowl LII...9:00 10:00 a.m. The Minnesota airport community spent months gearing up for the Super Bowl and events surrounding it. Come hear from the MAC s Joe Harris and Phil Burke as they describe how both metro and outstate airports planned and executed operations during this busy time. Organizational Leadership, Goal Setting, & Staff Development...10:15 11:15 a.m. Tom Werner (Duluth Airport Authority) will share his experiences in developing organizational priorities and an airport staff. Building a strong team can elevate your organization to new heights. State Aviation System Plan...11:15 11:45 a.m. Join Rylan Juran (MnDOT Aeronautics) to discuss the state aviation system plan. Conference wrap-up and prize drawing...11:45 a.m. 10

14 Exhibitors Platinum Sponsors Booth Exhibitor 15 KLJ Engineering 16 Mead & Hunt 17 SEH Inc. 18 Karvakko, PA 19 TKDA 20 Bolton & Menk Educational Booths Booth Exhibitor 30 MnDOT Aeronautics 31 Metropolitan Airports Commission 32 Airport Cooperative Research Program Gold Sponsors Booth Exhibitor 12 Braun Intertec 23 Shell Aviation/Eastern Aviation Fuels Silver Sponsors Booth Exhibitor 01 Fahrner Asphalt Sealers, LLC 02 ProSource Technologies Inc. 03 Applied Research 04 DBT Transportation Services 05 Trueman-Welters 06 Tiger Corporation 07 Diamond Mowers 08 Westmor Industries 09 Midland Door Solutions 10 Hali-Brite Inc. 11 Gee Asphalt Systems Inc. 13 SwedeBro 14 Alliiance 21 ADB Safegate 24 American Engineering Testing 25 Quantum Spatial 26 Bollig Inc. 27 MacQueen Equipment 28 Airport Lighting Company 29 Epic Fuels HDR Engineering Inc. (no booth) RS & H (no booth) 11

15 Exhibit Hall Map Harbor Side Ballroom Harbor Side Ballroom Lobby 12

16 Exhibitor Contact Information ADB Safegate 977 Gahanna Parkway Columbus, OH Airport Cooperative Research Program Transportation Research Board The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC Airport Lighting Company 108 Fairgrounds Dr. Manlius, NY Alliiance 400 Clifton Avenue Minneapolis, MN American Engineering Testing Inc W. Michigan St., Suite 4 Duluth, MN eedlund@amengtest.com Applied Research Associates Inc San Mateo Blvd Albuquerque, NM baho@ara.com Bolton & Menk Nicollet Ave Burnsville, MN silaspa@bolton-menk.com Braun Intertec 3900 Roosevelt Road, Suite 113 St. Cloud, MN atast@braunintertec.com Bollig Inc 1700 Technology Drive NE, Suite 124 Willmar, MN jgimse@bollig-engineering.com DBT Transportation Services 2655 Crescent Drive, Suite A-1 Lafayette, CO sales@dbttranserv.com Diamond Mowers 350 East 60th Street N Sioux Falls, SD pschreurs@diamondmowers.com Epic Fuels 222 W Las Colinas Blvd, Suite 1452W Irving, TX bklenner@epicfuels.com Fahrner Asphalt Sealers LLC 6615 US Highway 12 W Eau Claire, WI kevin.kruckow@fahrnerasphalt.com Gee Asphalt Systems th St. SW Cedar Rapids, IA chavel@geeasphalt.com Hali-Brite Inc st St. SW PO Box 10 Crosby, MN loud@halibrite.com HDR Engineering Inc. 701 Xenia Ave. S, Suite 600 Minneapolis, MN eric.hanson@hdrinc.com 13

17 Karvakko, PA 2300 Bemidji Ave. N., Suite 101 Bemidji, MN KLJ Engineering 4585 Coleman Street Bismarck, ND MacQueen Equipment Group th St. E St. Paul, MN mpurdy@macqueeneq.com Mead and Hunt 7900 W 78th St., Suite 370 Minneapolis, MN bryan.page@meadhunt.com Metropolitan Airports Commission th Avenue S. Minneapolis, MN kathy.kramer@mspmac.org Midland Door Solutions th St. NE West Fargo, ND philip@midlanddoorsolutions.com MnDOT Office of Aeronautics 395 John Ireland Blvd St. Paul, MN darlene.dahlseide@state.mn.us ProSource Technologies LLC 9219 East River Road NW Minneapolis, MN jalt@prosourcetech.com Quantum Spatial 6216 Resource Dr. Sheboygan Falls, WI dfuller@quantumspatial.com RS & H Inc Airport Approach Rd. Duluth, MN darren.christopher@rsandh.com SEH Inc Vadnais Center Dr. St. Paul, MN bcohrs@sehinc.com Shell Aviation/Eastern Aviation Fuels P.O. Box New Bern, NC bkovac@easternaviationfuels.com Swedbro Inc th Ave. NE, Suite 3 Ham Lake, MN jjohnson@swedebro.com Tiger Corporation 3301 N Louise Ave. Sioux Falls, SD rsmith@tigermowers.com TKDA 444 Cedar Street, Suite 1500 St. Paul, MN john.peterson@tkda.com 14

18 Speaker Bios Evan Barrett Mead & Hunt Thursday, April 19, 10:15 11:15 a.m. Evan Barrett is an aviation planning and environmental project manager at Mead & Hunt. He has more than a decade of experience in preparing airport master plans, environmental assessments, and specialty planning studies for airport clients in Minnesota and throughout the country. Barrett has extensive experience managing large cross-disciplinary teams of various professional backgrounds, coordinating and leading stakeholder outreach programs, and securing project approvals at federal, state, and local levels. In his free time, he enjoys cycling and reading about world history. Phil Burke Metropolitan Airports Commission Friday, April 20, 9:00 10:00 a.m. Phil Burke is the director of MSP Operations at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), the largest of seven airports owned and operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC). He joined the MAC in 2001 in the Commercial Management and Airline Affairs department. Three years later, he was named the assistant director of MSP Operations/Facilities. In 2013, Burke was promoted to director of operations at MSP. Prior to joining the MAC, he worked for Mesaba Airlines. He earned a business administration degree from the University of North Dakota with a major in airport administration. Burke also earned a master s degree in organizational leadership at Bethel University in June Julie Clark Thursday, April 19, 10:15 11:15 a.m. Julie Clark is an aerobatic air show pilot and former commercial airline pilot. She started her commercial flying career with Golden West Airlines as a first officer and ended it in 2003 as a Northwest Airlines Airbus A320 captain. She was one of the first female pilots to work for a major airline and has been voted Performer of the Year several times for her performance in air shows. Clark s father was also an airline pilot and it was Julie s dream to be a pilot from an early age. Clark s mother passed away a year before her father was murdered in 1964 by a suicidal passenger on Pacific Air Lines Flight 773. Although the death of her parents was devastating, Clark still wanted to be a pilot a dream that was not supported by her guardians. She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, and took infrequent lessons at Santa Barbara Airport. Fortunately, her guardians never questioned why she needed so much money for school books. Clark has more than 45 years of flight experience, 36 years as a solo aerobatic air show pilot, and 30,000 accident-free hours to her name. She flies an average of 20 air shows a year in her Beechcraft T-34 Mentor and is rated in more than 66 15

19 types of aircraft. She has received more than 40 individual honors and awards. She is an enshrined member of the Living Legends of Aviation and will be honored as an inductee in the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame this April. John DeCoster Trillion Aviation Thursday, April 19, 2:00 3:00 p.m. John DeCoster has 23 years of aviation experience having been a regional director, airport affairs, for Northwest Airlines from before joining Trillion Aviation following his retirement from Northwest. DeCoster is the business services practice leader for Trillion and works with numerous general aviation, non-hub, and small hub airports around the country. During his time with Northwest, he was responsible for all Minnesota airports for eight years. He received his bachelor s degree from Kansas State University and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. Colonel Penny Dieryck U.S. Air Force (retired) Thursday, April 19, 10:15 11:15 a.m. Colonel Penny Dieryck was the mission support group commander overseeing the 148th Fighter Wing Civil Engineering, Communications, Security Forces, Force Support, Contracting and Logistics Readiness Squadrons from 2008 to Her duties included preparing airmen for deployment to support active duty needs of operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, New Dawn, and Partnership for Peace Initiatives. Previously, Colonel Dieryck worked at the Minnesota Joint Forces Headquarters, commanded an aircraft maintenance squadron of the 148th, and was the human resource manager for the 148th. She was deployed twice to Baled Air Base, Iraq, as the Aircraft Maintenance Unit Officer in Charge. In addition, she had assignments in various U.S. Air Force (USAF) bases around the United States during her career. Colonel Dieryck has a master s degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota and attended the USAF Air War College and the USAF Air Command and Staff College. She has been an adjunct instructor at both St Mary s University in Minneapolis and the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, where she has taught courses in written business communications, strategic management, human resource management, and organizational behavior. Josh Fitzpatrick Federal Aviation Administration Thursday, April 19, 10:15 11:15 a.m. Josh Fitzpatrick has worked with NEPA reviews for more than 10 years. He has been with the FAA for four years as an environmental protection specialist and prior to that worked for the Army Corps of Engineers in wetland Clean Water Act permitting. 16

20 Dan Gee Gee Asphalt Thursday, April 19, 2:00 3:00 p.m. Dan Gee is the president of Gee Asphalt Systems, which serves both private-sector and public and state aviation agencies as well as the U.S. Department of Defense. Gee followed his father in the family grading and excavating business, and then into asphalt preservation in He has bachelor s degree in industrial management. Since Gee Asphalt was founded in 1973, the company has preserved more than 100 million square yards of pavement or the equivalent of almost two thousand 5,000-foot runways. Katie Gilmore PAAP Drones Thursday, April 19, 2:00 3:00 p.m. Katie Gilmore has a long-held passion for aviation and technology. Her first job was at her local airport. She earned her private pilot s license when she was 17, and she was commissioned in the Air Force as a computer technology officer after graduating from college. Gilmore has spent the last 10 years in the defense and technology industries in project management and leadership roles before coming to Precision Approach Aerial Photography (PAAP) Drones. She now manages operations and outreach at PAAP Drones and flies as a UAV pilot. Joe Harris Metropolitan Airports Commission Friday, April 20, 9:00 10:00 a.m. Joe Harris is the airport manager of St. Paul Downtown Airport Holman Field and Lake Elmo Airport. He obtained a bachelor of science degree at the University of North Dakota and master of arts from Saint Mary s University. He is passionate about building stakeholder partnerships to build vibrant airport communities. He enjoys spending time with his wife and three boys. He tries to fly and golf as much as possible when he is not coaching baseball or hockey. Cassandra Isackson MnDOT Office of Aeronautics Wednesday, April 18, 3:00 3:45 p.m. Cassandra Isackson has been the director of the Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Aeronautics since This office collects aviation taxes, safeguards the long-term viability of the state airports fund, plans and promotes a statewide system of airports, distributes state and federal aviation funding, provides navigational systems, enforces state and federal safety standards, offers technical resources, fosters aeronautics, and provides air transportation to state employees. Isackson has worked in transportation for 24 years and is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Minnesota. 17

21 Rylan Juran MnDOT Office of Aeronautics Friday, April 20, 11:15 11:45 a.m. Rylan Juran is an aviation planner and the State Aviation System Plan project manager for the MnDOT Office of Aeronautics. He has more than a decade of aviation planning experience, is a certified member of the American Association of Airport Executives, and a private pilot. Juran has a B.S. in aviation management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Dale Klapmeier Cirrus Aircraft Wednesday, April 18, noon 1:30 p.m. Dale Klapmeier is co-founder and CEO of Cirrus Aircraft, responsible for active oversight of the company. In 1984, he, along with his brother Alan, founded Cirrus in a barn on their parents rural farmland near Baraboo, Wisconsin. Their first design was the VK-30 homebuilt aircraft, which they introduced at the 1987 EAA Convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. From the brothers experience building and marketing the VK-30, they decided that safety and ease of operation would be at the forefront of all their future designs. Since then, Cirrus has revolutionized the general aviation industry with the use of composite materials, fully integrated glass-panel cockpits, and whole-airframe ballistic parachute systems, a standard device on Cirrus aircraft that has saved nearly 150 lives to date. Under the leadership of Klapmeier and his team, Cirrus has been the largest producer of piston aircraft since 2013, delivering more than 6,800 SR-series aircraft in 18 years of production. In addition to numerous aviation industry and entrepreneurial awards, Dale and Alan were formally inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2014 and were ranked the 17th most influential figures in aviation history by Flying Magazine. In 2015, Dale became enshrined in the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame. He holds bachelor of science degrees in economics and business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and has been flying since the age of 15, accumulating about 6,000 hours of flight time in his career. Emily Larson City of Duluth Wednesday, April 18, noon 1:30 p.m. Emily Larson was elected mayor of Duluth in November Prior to becoming mayor, she was president of the Duluth City Council. She served as a commissioner on the Duluth Economic Development Authority; a board member of the Great Lakes Aquarium, Visit Duluth, and the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission; and was the council conduit to Parks and Libraries. Larson earned an undergraduate degree from the College of St. Scholastica and a master s degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth. 18

22 Rebecca MacPherson Federal Aviation Administration Wednesday, April 18, 1:45 2:30 p.m. Rebecca MacPherson was appointed the new regional administrator for the Great Lakes Region on January 8, Prior to rejoining the FAA, Rebecca worked as a transportation attorney, first as counsel at Jones Day and then as the principal at Rebecca B. MacPherson, Attorney at Law, PLLC. Her previous FAA experience was as the assistant chief counsel for regulations from 2004 to 2013, where she was deeply involved in aviation policy and regulation. Prior to joining the FAA, MacPherson was a regulatory attorney at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a trial attorney at the U.S. Maritime Administration. Her alma maters are Tulane School of Law and Loyola University. Jake Martin Federal Aviation Administration Thursday, April 19, 3:30 4:30 p.m. Jake Martin is a program manager with the Dakota-Minnesota Airports District Office in Minneapolis. He graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a B.S. in civil engineering and he is a registered engineer in the state of Minnesota. He worked for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) in the design and construction of highway projects and for the Office of Aeronautics in Airport Development. After leaving MnDOT, he worked for the Minneapolis Park Board as a construction engineer in asset management, primarily focused on facility management and CIP development. Martin has been with the FAA for three years, works with airports in the northeast part of the state and also manages PFC projects for many of Minnesota s commercial service airports. Gina M. Mitchell Federal Aviation Administration Thursday, April 19, 3:30 4:30 p.m. Gina Mitchell, AICP, is a community planner with the Federal Aviation Administration at the Dakota-Minnesota Airports District, Minneapolis Office. She s worked at the city, county, and federal government levels and in the consulting arena within the fields of aviation, land use, transportation, and environmental planning. She has also worked with consensus building and facilitation on a wide range of complex, controversial projects. Mitchell s primary responsibilities at FAA include managing projects relating to airport master planning, CIP funding coordination, facilitating runway protection zone alternative analyses review and approval, and providing support on land acquisition and Exhibit A efforts. Kaci Nowicki SEH Thursday, April 19, 3:30 4:30 p.m. Kaci Nowicki, C.M., is a senior aviation planner and project manager with 11 years of experience working with air carrier, reliever, and general aviation airports. She 19

23 leads the SEH Airport Planning group and is experienced in all phases of airport planning, including state system planning, master planning, ALPs, state and federal environmental review documents, site selection studies, noise modeling, activity forecasts, airport zoning and land-use planning, and public involvement processes. Nowicki holds a degree in airport management and Spanish from the University of North Dakota. She is a certified member of AAAE and is a licensed FAA private pilot. Taylor Peterson Mead & Hunt Thursday, April 19, 3:30 4:30 p.m. Taylor Peterson, P.E., is a project manager at Mead & Hunt focusing on airport design and construction. As project manager, he has experience at a variety of commercial service and general aviation airports throughout Minnesota. He has extensive knowledge of FAA regulations, policies, and procedures relating to airport safety and airfield pavement projects. In his free time, Peterson enjoys traveling, taking in live music, and playing hockey. Craig Ploetz Northland Constructors Thursday, April 19, 3:30 4:30 p.m. Craig Ploetz is the vice president of project management for Northland Constructors, an infrastructure company headquartered in Duluth that specializes in numerous facets of highway heavy and specialty construction within northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, parts of North Dakota, and beyond. He is a 1999 graduate of South Dakota State University with a bachelor s degree in civil engineering. There he was a four-year starter for the football team and earned an All-Conference selection. Ploetz started in the construction industry as a laborer and carpenter during the summer months of school. Following graduation from college, Craig accepted a position with Washington Group International where he worked as a field engineer. This work exposed him to a wide variety of heavy civil projects and gave him the opportunity to work in many different locations in the United States. In 2005, he began working for Northland Constructors, where he has managed many of the company s larger projects including the I-35 Reconstruct, Mall Area Reconstruction, Alberta Clipper Tanks, and Superior Terminal Enhancement projects. He is a licensed professional engineer in Minnesota and California. Mark Priglmeier St. Cloud Regional Airport Thursday, April 19, 3:30 4:30 p.m. Mark Priglmeier is an IT professional who made a life change to pursue his aviation dream. 20

24 Kyle Potvin Applied Pavement Technology Thursday, April 19, 2:00 3:00 p.m. Kyle Potvin is the program director for Applied Pavement Technology Inc. s (APTech) State Aviation Agency Program area. He has 23 years of pavement engineering experience and has been involved with Airport Pavement Management System (APMS) projects for 27 state aviation agencies and dozens of commercial airports and military installations. He is a voting member of the ASTM committee responsible for the standards involving pavement management systems, pavement testing methods, and pavement condition index inspection. He is also a member of the Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Pavement Management Systems and the National Association of State Aviation Officials Engineering & Planning Task Force. Potvin is currently working with the LADOTD Aviation Division on the update to the State of Louisiana s APMS, serving as APTech s project manager for the project. Ron Roetzel Bolton & Menk Thursday, April 19, 10:15 11:15 a.m. Ron Roetzel, P.E., is a principal aviation engineer with Bolton & Menk, which he joined in 1984, and leads the firm s Aviation Work Group. The favorite part of his job is the people he works with and the ability to solve their problems. He enjoys making his clients job easier. Roetzel has extensive experience working with general aviation airports across the Upper Midwest and setting up large projects for successful funding. He manages expectations of the agencies as well as the general public and leads the sponsor through challenges to complete the project on time and within budget. Brian Ryks Metropolitan Airports Commission Friday, April 20, 8:00 9:00 a.m. Brian D. Ryks, A.A.E., was appointed executive director and CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission in May Before arriving in Minneapolis, he held a similar position as executive director and CEO of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While there, Ryks oversaw the completion of several significant projects, including an airport rebranding campaign, transition from a county-controlled airport to an airport authority, and construction of a state-of-the-art stormwater/aircraft deicing natural treatment system and a new general and corporate aviation arrivals terminal. Prior to his time in Michigan, Ryks was the executive director at the Duluth Airport Authority, overseeing Duluth International Airport and Sky Harbor. During his 10 years in Duluth, he oversaw completion of $135 million in airport improvements, culminating with a $77 million project to develop a new terminal. Ryks has held previous positions with St. Cloud Regional Airport; the Aberdeen, 21

25 SD, airport; and Denver International Airport. He began his career as a noise technician at the Metropolitan Airports Commission in Ryks holds a B.A. from St. Cloud State University, is a licensed pilot with an instrument rating, and an Accredited Airport Executive with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). He currently serves on the Airports Council International North America Board of Directors, on the Finance Committee of the ACI World Governing Board and the AAAE Policy Review Committee. He also holds a professional affiliation with the Great Lakes Chapter of AAAE (GL-AAAE) and is past president of GL-AAAE. Sue Mowery-Schalk Federal Aviation Administration Wednesday, April 18, 1:45 2:30 p.m. Sue Mowery-Schalk joined the FAA as the Great Lakes Region s Airports Division manager in She joined the FAA with diverse professional experience in the airport industry, having spent 27 years in the private sector specializing in airport planning and environmental documentation after beginning her career on the staff of a commercial service airport. Shortly after joining the FAA, Sue was asked to lead the Office of Airports national initiative to standardize field operations. Mowery-Schalk served as chair of the Airport Consultants Council in She has a master s of public administration from Indiana University and a B.S. (magna cum laude) in aviation administration from Indiana State University. In addition, she became an Accredited Airport Executive in 1986, was certified as an American Institute of Certified Planner in 1990, and became licensed as a commercial pilot with an instrument rating in Dr. Rhea Seddon Thursday, April 19, 8:30 10:00 a.m. and 10:15 11:15 a.m. A woman of many firsts, Dr. Rhea Seddon was one of only six women in a class of 100 in medical school and the first woman ever accepted to her general surgery residency program. As one of the first six women accepted into the Astronaut Corps, her marriage to fellow astronaut Capt. Robert Hoot Gibson produced the first astronaut couple, and the two of them produced the first official astrotots. Besides her space career, life experiences have led her from surgeon to licensed private pilot to healthcare executive, entrepreneur, business owner, author, and now, public speaker. Dr. Seddon spent 19 years with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In 1978, she was selected as one of the first astronaut class to include women. She served as a mission specialist on space shuttle flights in 1985 and 1991 and as payload commander in charge of all science activities on her final flight in This brought her total time in space to 30 days. After leaving NASA in 1997, Dr. Seddon was the assistant chief medical officer of the Vanderbilt Medical Group in Nashville for 11 years. 22

26 A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in physiology, Dr. Seddon received her M.D. degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis, where she completed her residency in general surgery. Chris Smith League of Minnesota Cities Thursday, April 19, 2:00 3:00 p.m. Chris Smith has been working with municipalities in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest for over 20 years in the public and private sectors. Smith is currently the risk management attorney with the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust. In that role, he focuses on assisting cities with contractual issues, underwriting, and providing loss control advice. He previously served as bond counsel for cities, counties, and school districts and was a law clerk for the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Melissa Underwood Bolton & Menk Thursday, April 19, 10:15 11:15 a.m. Melissa Underwood began her aviation planning career in 2002 and is responsible for assisting aviation clients with all planning project including master plans, airport layout plans, environmental documents, and airport zoning. She is passionate about collaborating with clients to help them meet the needs of the existing and future users of their airport. She integrates GIS technology into the airport planning process and successfully incorporates community plans with airport expansion projects. Underwood also has her private pilot s license. Kathy Vesely MnDOT Office of Aeronautics Wednesday, April 18, 3:00 3:45 p.m. Kathy Vesely has been with MnDOT for 38 years, with 17 years in Aeronautics. Vesely transferred to Aeronautics so that her job and her hobby would match. Her husband is a pilot, and together they own a 1968 Cessna Cardinal. Before her transfer to Aeronautics, Vesely worked in Surveys, Detail Design, and State Aid for Local Transportation building streets and roads. Her studies at Bemidji State University included a major in earth science and a minor in geography, concentrated in landuse planning and environmental studies. Marcus Watson TKDA Thursday, April 19, 3:30 4:30 p.m. Marcus Watson is a senior aviation planner with TKDA. He has more than 10 years of experience as a consultant serving general aviation and commercial service airports. Watson is experienced in airport master planning, airport layout plans, airport design, airport project development, and FAA Airport Improvement Program grant funding. His goal is to work with airports to identify and achieve their airport 23

27 development goals. He is also a licensed FAA commercial pilot with an instrument rating, providing a unique operator s perspective to airport planning studies. Tom Werner Duluth Airport Authority Thursday, April 19, 3:30 4:30 p.m., and Friday, April 20, 10:15 11:15 a.m. Thomas J. Werner has been the executive director of the Duluth Airport Authority since October of Prior to his appointment as executive director, Werner held several different positions within the Duluth Airport Authority, most recently as operations director. During his tenure as the operations director he oversaw the final construction phase of the $80 million passenger terminal at the Duluth International Airport. Since becoming executive director, the airport had its second, third, and fourth best passenger years in its history. Werner has spearheaded a $78 million infrastructure renewal program at both Duluth airports that will rebuild three runways and most of the taxiway network, ensuring air commerce and the aviation cluster will continue to support the region s economy for decades to come. He is active in the community, coaching youth sports and serving on various community boards, including serving as chairman of the Minnesota Council of Airports. Curtis Zoller Northland Community & Technical College Thursday, April 19, 2:00 3:00 p.m. Curtis Zoller serves as Associate Dean at Northland Community and Technical College, where he is responsible for the growth and development of programs in the aerospace and agriculture departments. He has years of experience working in the drone industry including with military, civilian, and higher education training applications. Currently he is working with the National Science Foundation to offer workforce and educator workshops to train stakeholders on how to safely operate drone technologies. The purpose of this project is to increase access to the technology and grow the industry in a safe and efficient method. 24