AXiNsider by Airport Experience® News

Ep. 10 - Pat Murray, Deputy CEO, SSP America

When Pat Murray joined the newly established SSP America in 2007, the company's smaller budget necessitated growth through local partnerships and proprietary brands rather than licenses. The company had a different feel and, as it gained space and credibility, it helped raise the bar on airport food programs. 

Ep. 9 - Alan Gluck, Senior Manager of the Global Aviation Commercial Advisory, ICF

Alan Gluck has worn about every type of hat the airport industry offers. He's worked for consultants, overseen the conversion of BWI's concessions program to the developer model, planned RFPs for new terminals and managed individual programs. Any model can work well, he says, if staffed, contracted and overseen properly to ensure revenue generation and profits are balanced with making sure the public is served.

Ep.8 - Zenola Campbell, Vice President of Concessions, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

From her time as an executive at McDonald's to her 18 years in the airport industry, Zenola Campbell has spent a career in hospitality. She's learned that if you focus on satisfying customer needs, everything else will fall in place. As Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the airport and its concessions program continue to evolve in that direction, finding new ways to reduce traveler stress by automating processes and keeping them entertained.

Ep. 7 - Paul Brown, Senior Director of Airport Brands and Concepts, SSP America

Paul Brown, senior director of brands and concepts at SSP America, has worked with large operators, directed a large concession program and a small airport. As a consultant, he helped small businesses and large brands get into airports. He believes focusing on the improving customer experience will, in general, lead to larger spends. But he also believes many underrepresented populations still need assistance in being able to compete for space in airports.

EP. 6 - Eric Johnson, Director of Commercial Management and Airline Affairs, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

Eric Johnson's dad was in aviation so he grew up going to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He remembers spinning hot dog racks and generic restaurants. As his career started at MSP, the airport brought aboard more creative thinkers.  Working with consultants and operators interested in pushing boundaries, the airport became one of the first to start changing the industry. The result was a concessions program resembling a mall, with dynamic storefronts and eye-catching design that helped transition not just MSP but the entire industry.

EP. 5 - Andy Weddig - Executive Director of the Airport Restaurant and Retail Association

 Andy Weddig entered airports from commercial real estate just as airport concessions programs were beginning to resemble the malls where he previously worked. He started out helping manage programs at airports like O’Hare International and Midway in Chicago. More recently, he’s expressed concern on the operator side as costs and rents have increased significantly in ways that make it harder for both side to get what they need. 

Ep. 4 - Stu Holcombe, Managing Partner, Travel Retail Partners

Early in his career, Stu Holcombe convinced Jon Luther, then president of Delaware North Cos. subsidiary CA One Services, he could create a better portfolio of proprietary food and retail brands than existed at the time. That expanded to celebrity chef offerings and other advancements in airport food and retail. Later, he established his own company, LS Travel Retail, to help brands a pathway into airports. That segment is in transition now, with technology and passenger behaviors changing the way retail is done. 

Ep.3 - Candace McGraw, CEO, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

When Candace McGraw arrived at CVG, Delta Air Lines was dehubbing the airport. She focused on attracting new carriers, which reduced airfares, and creating a great customer experience through local food, art and retail. The airport’s regional economic impact has more than doubled in the time since. 

Ep. 2 - Ron Gomes, Retired Vice President of Strategic Alliances, HMSHost

The ACDBE program has created many opportunities for small women- and minority-owned businesses to participate at airports. But Ron Gomes says it needs to evolve, including providing incentives to grow rather than immediately graduating companies that get too large. It’s incumbent on the industry to work toward that, especially as the program faces uncertainty from recent Supreme Court rulings that could impact its future.

Oris Dunham, Managing Partner, Dunham Group, LLC

After watching the movie Airplane, Oris Dunham worked for free at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for 13 months to learn the industry. The multitude of tasks appealed to him, but concessions at the time were mundane and lacked variety. That has changed dramatically, with a focus on sense of place and tremendous design. Now, Dunham feels that airports may spend too much time creating on that sense of place at the expense of building capacity. He says international airports have overtaken those in the U.S., in many cases because governments have spent billions of dollars to build massive, fantastic buildings.