Business View Magazine | April 2021

126 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE APRIL 2021 “So, I’m not necessarily new to airport management,” he explains, “I’ve been involved here at the airport really my entire life. But to begin a new chapter with a new FBO and have 2020 as our first real year in business was interesting. When the beginning of the COVID pandemic hit in February and March there was a lot of concern. Tourism season is the big draw for the region, although, we are open and working here 365 days a year with a couple of operators flying in regularly. But we had no idea what was going to happen, and then when summer came, folks just came flying in. I think they decided that spending time at their cabin was better than spending it in their regular homes, and our season was as successful as ever.” The FBO is extremely fortunate to have a very strong customer base and even during the pandemic the airport saw steady business in fuel sales and car rentals. In Feb. 2021, a deal was closed on the third biggest hangar at the airport. Leslie notes, “It’s 70x75, heated, with offices and an apartment and I’ve got more people who want to be in the hangar than I can count, including multiple aviation businesses.” Sawyer County Airport will soon be developing a Master Plan which will see them through the next 20 years, and Leslie considers the work they are doing as the finishing touches to the expansion project begun a decade ago. This year they will be undergoing a ramp rehabilitation project on an additional 60,000 square foot asphalt ramp to the north, which connects the bulk of the hangars to the runways. This will see a crack sealing project and the entire airport will have its paint refreshed, which will mean closing the airport for a couple of days but all should be completed by July 4th. 2024 will see the paving of the entire runway and the creation of the Master Plan as the major projects. And that planning exercise brings along with it the challenges of limited space