Port authority debates hiring marketing staffer

The airport now charges a $4.50 per ticket fee.

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

VIENNA — After being awarded $575,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation to attract an airline that would provide daily service to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, it is more important than ever to improve the airport’s marketing capabilities, Western Reserve Port Authority member John Masternick said.

But the question of how to do that is far from clear.

At last month’s meeting of the port authority, which oversees the airport, members asked Steve Bowser, the airport’s director of aviation, to provide them with a job description for a full-time marketing employee.

That was prompted by concerns about whether the airport had done enough to stay in contact with companies such as RTI International Metals of Niles, which recently announced it might move its senior executives out of Niles to be closer to a major airport.

However, neither of the two port authority members pushing for hiring a marketing employee — Thomas Petrarca and Don Hanni Jr. — attended the port authority’s meeting Wednesday. Hanni recently suffered a stroke.

The five board members attending Wednesday had different ideas.

Port Authority member Clarence R. Smith, who did not attend last month’s meeting, said “it makes no sense” to pay a marketing employee $100,000 per year to do a job that could be handled better by a consulting company.

Other board members agreed, and asked Bowser to look into whether a headhunter, lobbyist, or consultant — preferably working on commission — could be put to work to market the airport.

Bowser said he knew of a couple such companies and would provide information on them at next month’s meeting.

The airport was approved last week to receive $575,000 through the DOT’s Small Community Air Service Development Program. The money will be used as a subsidy to encourage an airline to start offering daily flights to a hub such as Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Columbus or Cincinnati.

Bowser said he has no timetable for using the grant money.

Masternick and two other port authority members, Scott Lynn and Mike Harshman, agreed to serve on a subcommittee that will work to identify and talk to airlines that might be a good fit for the grant.

In other business, Bowser reported that the airport has begun collecting a $4.50 per ticket Passenger Facilities Charge. The revenues from PFCs are used to provide airport amenities aimed at helping passengers.

Bowser said the first project to be addressed with the funding will be replacement and expansion of seating in the primary passenger holding area. There are 120 seats available, and the flights to Florida being provided by Allegiant Air generally have around 150 passengers. The next priority is to build restrooms in that area, he said.

runyan@vindy.com