“We try to do as much as we can on the airport side,” Ryan states, “like attending the Montana Aviation Conference recently. Butte Aviation was in attendance and Bert Mooney Airport is supporting the FBO’s efforts.” “We are in the design phase of building a hangar that we will lease to them for more space for their avionics maintenance facility. They are growing and hiring a bunch of mechanics. Their business is expanding and we are going to expand here at the airport to help them out with a facility,” Ryan highlights. Ryan also points to the airport’s willingness to expose the youngest members of the community to the world of aviation. “Every so often we will have preschool and daycares come out and we take them on a tour of the airport.” “We will show them snow removal equipment, our ARF capabilities, all those types of things,” Ryan enthuses. Ryan also mentions that the area’s high school is aware of the significance of the airport’s operation through Butte Aviation which has continued relationships with some local trades, including aviation mechanics. “It is a good working relationship.” TOURISM AND THE AIRPORT’S ECONOMIC ENGINE “We are centrally located right between the two big national parks in Montana; Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. So we have a lot of people that come through our area, either by vehicle or by aircraft and this has led to an increase in the number of boardings and deployments,” Ryan describes. When asked about tourism and the airport’s role, Ryan confidently states that tourism remains the single most lucrative business sector and the airport provides the perfect gateway for the area. “The tourist attractions throughout our area are just so diverse,” Ryan notes.“We have Blue Ribbon trout fishing 15 minutes from Butte, and we also have the 152 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 04
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