July 2018

290 291 Pueblo, CO (KPUB) Delivering the fastest quick-spin in the West since 1969 A timeless classic. FBO Main 24/7: (719) 948-3316 | rockymountainflowerfbo.com PREFERRED VENDOR n Rocky Mountain Flower FBO www.rockymountainflowerfbo.com PUEBLO MEMORIAL AIRPORT ties to its northern neighbors, also makes it, and Pueblo Memorial attractive. He adds, “Housing prices are significantly lower in Pueblo County than they are in El Paso County or the City of Denver, or Jefferson County and Broomfield, up north.We are, in some cases, half that cost. That affordability transitions here to the Airport.We’re a pretty affordable place to base an aircraft or build a hangar or bring a business.” Pueblo’s advantages also include having plen- ty of land available for development and what Turner describes as an “historic” FBO. “I’m in my fifth state working in airport management, and Rocky Mountain Flower FBO is, by the far, the nicest stand-alone FBO location that I’ve seen,” he declares. “They provide a level of service that, in my opinion, can’t be beat, even by the larger FBO chains out there.” One thing Pueblo Memorial shares with simi- larly sized airports is a need for additional hangar space. Turner says the Airport’s 20 t-hangars are all full and there are 10 people on the waiting list. There are also 25 privately-owned hangars on the property, all with ground-leases. Pueblo Memorial is in the midst of a runway expansion project, for which it received a $4.5 million grant from the FAA. An application has also been submitted to the FAA for another $4.5 million grant for the next project on the to-do list - revitalizing the Airport’s aprons and some safety improvements. “Looking long term, my first priority is to support our current tenants,” says Turner. “They’ve made the investment in the Airport and they’ve been here, in some cases, 50 years or so, if you’re talking about the FBO. They deserve the city’s support and my support in the growth of their businesses. Also, looking into the future, I’d like a maintenance and repair organization, an aircraft interior manufac- turer, an avionics shop, or something along those lines, to be relocated to Pueblo. As we continue to see the growth in the community I think the avia- tion market here is going to grow.” “I get half a dozen calls a month and they’re looking to relocate a business from another loca- tion, or somebody wants to build a hangar,” Turner says, in summation. “That’s really picked up in the last six to 10 months and that’s quite a difference, from my understanding, from prior to my arrival in 2016, and for the last 10 or 18 months that I’ve been here. So stay tuned.”