Business View Magazine l October 2022

211 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 10 maintenance and snow removal vehicles equipped. With a staff of just five, Jefferson County Airpark manages to stay open 24/7. “As we improve, we are actively trying to go after a specific market – the guy that needs a little more space,” Thaxton explains, “He wants his own hangar, but it doesn’t need to be a huge corporate type, 10,000 square foot hangar to himself. We are seeing mostly this type of customer looking for space – the people who have outgrown the community hangars and need more security or space. In our case that has been business owners, who own small business class aircraft. We just saw this hole in the market, and we really seem to be fitting that niche well. The market is always changing. We have some long-time pilots aging out and we have some new younger pilots, all of whom are looking for different things. We must actively choose how to pursue the different markets.” Another indicator of the need to focus on business travel has been the growth of the regional economy in general. More and more businesses are opening and expanding, and in the wake of that growth the tide rises on the airport’s economic growth, as well. To put it simply, there are more planes. “Which again means that we have to offer better rates, better service, all the incentives to help make the transient business client want to make us their home base,” says Thaxton. “We are actively pursuing aviators to help them see the advantages of Jefferson County Airpark.” At the same time, Jefferson Airpark has been engaging the community in a variety of ways. There is an active relationship with the Jefferson County Visitor Centre in that both organizations try to promote each other, utilizing the resources of each to help grow the other. This year saw the return of the “Thunder in the Ville” fireworks festival, a local tradition that the pandemic got in the way of for a few years. On the last weekend in June, fireworks are launched out at the airport and this year brought in thousands JEFFERSON COUNTY A I RPARK of people – it was a monumental success. While waiting for the fireworks, attendees also got to enjoy a car show, music, vendors, and food. It was a carnival atmosphere that brought people together but also showcased the location and abilities of the airport. This will be a yearly event from now on. “We also just had an event where our EPA, the Young Eagles Flight Club, had over 60 kids come out and take a flight for free,” says Thaxton. “That was also a major success. On top of that, our local Steubenville High School has an aviation program. It’s an incredible program where students can come out of high school and be at