Business View Magazine - January 2024

the five-year plan.A SWOT analysis, representing a deep dive into the air center’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is forthcoming, which will help to define key components of the plan. “We’ll be in the planning stages for a bit yet and I do expect there will be some changes,” says Griego. “We will be flexible based on the feedback we receive. The goal of air center leadership is to promote and uncover landside development opportunities while generating jobs for the city of Roswell. DEALING WITH THE PILOT SHORTAGE AND OTHER CHALLENGES It’s no secret that the U.S. has experienced a pilot shortage for an extended period. A September 27, 2023, article in Travel Weekly cited statistics indicating that the national pilot shortage has moderated over the past year, partly from the reduction in regional carrier routes. However, this shortage is still a challenge, particularly in smaller U.S. markets. Roswell Air Center is one of those markets, and in the past, has been utilized for pilot training to help avoid such labor issues. Air center leaders engaged in past discussions with nearby Eastern New Mexico University Roswell to formulate plans for a flight school, but a lack of student interest has temporarily shelved that idea, says Griego. Being located in an underserved area doesn’t help either. The good news is that the infrastructure is there – the Roswell Air Center offers a full-service air traffic control center We have a lot of sun and little inclement weather.What (students) would get in their training is significant crosswind and (sunlight) training. Dean Baldwin Painting LP is a proud provider of large aircraft painting services, with three full-service facilities in the United States. Founded nearly six decades ago, Dean Baldwin Painting has grown to be one of the most respected names in aircraft painting. The over 300 employees are well trained in the use of the most current technologies and processes, insuring the most favorable and consistent paint services possible. Dean Baldwin Painting provides services to nearly all the major and regional airlines in North America and has been a subcontractor to the U.S. government. The 165,000 ft2 painting facility in Roswell, New Mexico is one of three Dean Baldwin facilities and was the first Dean Baldwin full service location, acquired and opened in 1999. Skywest Airlines was the first airline customer at that new location and to this day, Skywest remains an important customer in Roswell, NM. The Roswell facility processes 120- 150 aircraft each year, serving virtually all sectors of the aviation industry, including commercial, military, and VIP corporate aircraft customers. In addition to Roswell, Dean Baldwin Painting LP has facilities in Peru, Indiana and Macon, Georgia. The Georgia location opened in 2021, was newly built from the ground up. Combined, the company has over 452,000 ft2 , 14 full service strip and paint bays capable of servicing aircraft from regional size to the very large B747 and A330 aircraft. In addition to aircraft exterior strip and painting, Dean Baldwin Painting capabilities include aircraft weigh, flight control balance and minor maintenance. 284 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 11, ISSUE 01 ROSWELL AI R CENTER