Airport prepares for U.S. Open Championship

The members of the Moore County Airport Authority, who operate the publicly-owned airport, announced this week that a community-based Business Advisory Committee has been developed to allow local business leaders to provide input and guidance for the strategic planning for the Moore County Airport.

The announcement was made by Mike Jones, Chairman of the Airport Authority, during their March meeting. The Business Advisory Committee will consist of leaders with differing business backgrounds, professional experience, and education.

“The Business Advisory Committee will provide fresh eyes on the Moore County Airport and will focus on the positive growth for the facility,” said Jones. “Business Advisory Committee agenda items will be structured to follow the long- term strategic plan that has recently been completed for the airport. This will help to fulfill the mission of the airport to be an engine of economic growth and opportunity for the people of Moore County and region.”

The 8-member committee who will report directly to Airport Manager Scotty Malta will include: 

Eric Kuester, Vice President, Sales Marketing and Business Development for Pinehurst Resort;

Natalie Hawkins, Executive Director, Moore County Partners in Progress, Economic Development;

Phil Werz, President and CEO, Convention and Visitors Bureau of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, and Aberdeen;

Charles Gregg, CEO, Pinehurst Surgical Clinic;

Janeen Driscoll, Director Brand Communications, The United States Golf Association;

Germain Brandt Elkins, Vice President, Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Sandhills Community College Foundation; and

Gretchen Kelly, Administrative Director, Government and Public Relations at FirstHealth of the Carolinas.

An additional member representing the Moore County Board of Commissioners will round-off the committee, and all members will serve a two-year term on behalf of the Moore County Airport.

Eric Kuester, who has been appointed as Chairman for the Business Advisory Committee, stated, “It is an honor to lead this committee of community stakeholders, who all have a vested interest in the successes for the Moore County Airport. The Business Advisory Committee will provide collective input to the Airport Authority as we assist the senior staff with navigating political issues, advance new business ideas, develop fundraising and grant funding opportunities and seek to be more involved with the strategies and growth of the Airport for the betterment of the community.”

Quarterly meetings for the Business Advisory Committee will be held at the airport beginning in April.

The Moore County Airport is ranked 15th in North Carolina with annual local economic impact of over $93 million. The facility is expanding with the addition of new hangars, which are in great demand, and planned capital improvements to improve the aircraft ramp areas, runways, and the terminal buildings. Enhanced aircraft maintenance availability, pilot training programs, flying clubs, and increased community events are all part of the future for the Moore County Airport.

Moore County Airport forms new Business Advisory Committee

Moore County Airport Manager Scotty Malta makes a presentation on the state of the airport to a joint meeting of the Moore County Commissioners and the Moore County Airport Authority. Photo taken in 2021 ~Sandhills Sentinel/John Patota.

“Our airport, like the area resorts and hotels, is busy,” stated Malta, who is laser-focused on the growth opportunities for the airport. “We have a lot of work to do, and we are excited to have a new Business Advisory Committee onboard to help us prepare to greet thousand of travelers over the next few years, especially during the Men’s U.S. Open Championship in 2024. We want everyone in Moore County to know what a valuable asset the airport is for our community.”

Mike Jones added, “We are the gateway to the ‘Home of American Golf,’ and we are dedicated to serving our region as one of the best aviation airports in North America. ‘One mile of highway will take you one mile, but one mile of runway will take you anywhere in the world.”

The Moore County Airport was established in 1929 when the Tufts family, founders and operators of the Pinehurst Resort, opened a dirt runway and named it “Knollwood Airport.” The airport was acquired by Moore County in 1935 and was later leased to the U.S. Army Air Corps until 1945 when it transitioned from a military airfield to a commercial airfield. The Pinehurst-Southern Pines Airport, with Piedmont Airlines as the primary commercial carrier, operated commercial service until the late 1960s.

The airport was renamed the Moore County Airport in 1980, and commercial air service returned in 1991 with CCAir, operating as USAir Express providing round trip service to Charlotte. Passenger traffic peaked in 1998 with over 50,000 passengers arriving and departing from Moore County. Commercial service was discontinued following the disasters of Sept. 11, 2001, which impacted commercial air travel around the country.

Today, the Moore County Airport is a vibrant hub for private aircraft and corporate charter flights arriving and departing to and from Moore County. The airport is operated and maintained by the Moore County Airport Authority, with a mission to be an engine of economic growth and opportunity for the Moore County community and region through the provision of excellent aeronautical support to the visitors, airport tenants, and to the business and military communities.

Feature photo of Moore County Airport sign by Sandhills Sentinel Photographer Melissa Schaub.

 

Contributed.

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