Business View-Oct 2023

264 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 10 The airport also secures convenient amenities for its pilots and technicians. It provides free Wi-Fi, a snack and food area, and an FOB, providing a consistent supply of Jet A, 100 low lead fuel, and ground power units. The airport remains firmly tapped into the daily operations of the various companies conducting business around the area. There is a large presence of commercial retail, manufacturing, and natural energy providers. So, leading companies like Form Energy, Mon Power, Appalachian Power, and Rural King all send aircraft through the airport as part of their normal operations. According to Airport Manager Russell Escue, Wheeling-Ohio County Airport also handles many private aircraft traffic sent in by charter companies, saying, “some days the ramps are full… [there’s] no indication of what the day’s going to bring… If something is going on in Wheeling, like a meeting or a big convention, that will bring people in,” he says, commenting on the dynamic nature of the airport’s daily traffic. In addition to commercial traffic, the runways are frequented by local hospitals that use them for medical evac. So, with such a diversity of aircraft moving through the runways, it only makes sense that Escue prioritizes maintenance standards and proper conditions to accommodate the airport’s patrons. Innovative Advancements in Sustainable Technologies With such a wide range of institutions using Wheeling-Ohio County Airport for business, there remains a large opportunity for collaboration among those commuting parties. The pleasant results of such collaborations have already emerged within the area. Chief Development Officer Kevin Price for aviation, who works for the Regional Economic Development Partnership (RED), expounded on this sentiment, saying, “new technology