ADK Finds New Leader for Louisville Regional Airport Authority
March 6, 2018 – ADK Consulting & Executive Search has placed Dan Mann as the new executive director for the Louisville Regional Airport Authority (LRAA) in Kentucky. He succeeds C.T. Miller who retired this month.
“We are extremely pleased that an airport executive with Dan’s experience, vision and accomplishment will take on this important leadership role,” said Jim Welch, chairman of the LRAA board of directors. “Dan excels in all facets of airport management, but it is his proven ability to communicate and connect with airport customers and employees, as well as community and business leaders that sets him apart. The most important economic engine in our area will be in good hands.”
Mr. Mann has more than 25 years experience in airport management and air service development. He most recently served as executive director of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina, where he led the facility to five consecutive years of passenger growth, a milestone that had not been achieved in 40 years. He also spearheaded a $58 million capital improvement program, which included various sustainability initiatives such as the development of a five-acre solar farm on the airport’s campus. Mr. Mann formerly was executive director of the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, and before that he was manager of the airport in Casper, WY.
As home of the United Parcel Service’s international air-sorting hub, Louisville International ranks third in North America, and seventh in the world, in the total amount of cargo handled. The airport handled more than 6.8 billion pounds of cargo, freight and mail last year, and more than 1.6 million enplanements and 156,200 aircraft operations.
Airport Recruiters
Founded in 2003, Atlantic Beach, FL-based ADK Consulting & Executive Search specializes exclusively in talent searches for the airport management community. The firm has filled a number of important roles, including recruiting Carl Newman as chief executive officer of the Jackson (MS) Municipal Airport Authority, Kelly Fredericks as president and CEO at TF Green Airport in Rhode Island, David Haring as executive director of the Lincoln (NE) Airport and Michael La Pier as executive director of the Monterey (CA) Peninsula Airport.
ADK is led by founder and president Doug Kuelpamn, who has a history of over 40 years in aviation. He understands firsthand the issues and challenges that airport executives face as well as the requirements and experience necessary for executive level airport personnel, the search firm said.
Transportation Companies Turning to Search Firms
Over the past several months, a growing number of transportation companies have enlisted executive search firms to help them find senior talent. Here are some recent examples from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
Krauthamer & Associates placed Randy Clarke as the general manager and president/CEO of Capital Metro in Austin. Mr. Clarke previously served as vice president of operations and member services at the American Public Transportation Association since 2016. Capital Metro is the Texas state capital’s regional public transportation provider.
Heidrick & Struggles placed Mark Thurston as CEO of High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd., the company behind the U.K.’s planned £55 billion high-speed rail network. His appointment came after a five-month global search led by Heidrick, which reviewed some 20 potential candidates working on projects in America, Australia and Asia, as well as in the U.K.
TillmanCarlson recruited Scott Cousins as chief information officer of Roadrunner Transportation Systems. Founder Rob Tillman and managing director Kelly Carlson led the assignment. Roadrunner Transportation is an asset-light transportation and supply chain solutions provider offering a full suite of services.
Aviation Search Group placed Steven McNeeley as safety and security executive officer at AirMed International, LLC. Executive recruiter and client manager Jaime Truxal led the search. AirMed is one of the leading air medical transport companies in the world, with more than 20,000 missions completed in all 50 states and over 150 countries on six continents.
Spencer Stuart tapped Iftikhar Ahmad to lead T.F. Green Airport and serve as president and chief executive officer of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC). The position attracted high levels of interest with more than 100 candidates applying for the job, said RIAC Patti Goldstein, senior vice president of marketing and communications.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
