Chennault International Airport centerpiece of area’s economy
Published 12:34 pm Tuesday, January 2, 2024
- (Special to the American Press)
Special to the American Press
Chennault International Airport designs, operates and markets itself as a place where its tenant partners — ranging from national defense contractors to locally owned small businesses — can thrive and grow.
Chennault is a centerpiece of the Southwest Louisiana economy.
More than 1,000 people work at businesses large and small that operate on Chennault-owned property. The airport is working to expand economic opportunity and job creation as part of its ongoing mission.
The major tenants include Northrop Grumman, LandLocked Aviation Services and Citadel Completions on the aerospace side — and Louisiana Millworks/Masonite, CDL Mentors, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and, soon, the Louisiana National Guard also part of the complex.
All part of the plan
The past five years have been a process of establishing the foundation and rebranding, according to Executive Director Kevin Melton, the retired U.S. Air Force colonel who has led Chennault since 2018.
“It meant assessing, course-correcting and setting expectations,” Melton said.
That has included:
• Understanding the environment by identifying the challenges that impede growth and good business operations.
• Change for the right reasons, which “is tough for some,” Melton said.
• Establishing “core values, or who we are; understanding our mission — our action plan to get to achieve the objective; and creating a vision of our end state, our goals – and what we can be for our community.”
• Building airport operations and business operations foundations for the long term.
• Establishing policies and procedures to promote safety in all things.
• Policy adjustments in business dealings to ensure Chennault and its long-term viability are always considered
• Supporting tenant partners effectively and efficiently.
• Lean, clean administrative processes.
• Maintaining and improving existing facilities to promote efficiencies.
Melton said the appearance and development of the areas surrounding Chennault — particularly along Sen. J. Bennett Johnston Avenue, which fronts the airport – are also important.
“Aesthetics matter. First impressions matter. Our community matters,” he said. “It’s a major obstacle to growth and business development. How we look is a direct reflection of our pride in and our love for the community.”
The time ahead will require staying the course, Melton said. That will include supporting tenant growth with creative approaches to business development, such as:
• Continued marketing at the international levels. “Existing tenants already have international impacts, so we have a proven track record of support.”
• Continued focus on increased air operations.
• Promoting a climate that draws more aircraft.
Major impact
A study by economist Dr. Loren Scott measuring Chennault’s economic power found that the airport:
• Has a $410 million annual economic impact.
• Generates $136 million in new household earnings.
• Returns $7.2 million to the local community in tax revenue and $11.4 million to the state in tax revenue.
Chennault is No. 1 in total output among the state’s 61 general-aviation airports and No. 2 among all Louisiana airports — behind only New Orleans — in the total payroll it generates, according to a Department of Transportation and Development study last year.
“But it’s one of the least federally funded,” Melton said.
Community support and state and federal funding are critical for economic development, he said.
“We want to build a community understanding of the positive local impacts of Chennault — and just as importantly, the negative impacts if the airport was not here,” he said.
The time ahead
Melton summarizes the flight plan for Chennault’s future economic takeoff in one word: “Infrastructure.”
“We have a methodical plan which requires investments in infrastructure and our future,” he said.
Those facets include:
• Creating a resilient airport — one with underground power, facilities built to withstand storms and infrastructure improvements to support growth.
Infrastructure development for the former Mallard Cove Golf Course site, now a choice airport property.
• Implementation of the $30 million infrastructure development plan to bring utilities and access to nearly every available airport site.
“We’re already in the execution phase,” Melton said. “It’s critical to growth. If we don’t do it, we cannot grow. It’s the same formula for building a new subdivision — you have to have roads and utilities before you can grow.”
