WESTFIELD–The Barnes Regional Airport Commission has officially named and interviewed the two finalists for the vacant airport manager position.
Marcelo F. Lima and Robert F. Snuck are the two finalists for the position that was vacated by Brian Barnes earlier this year. The two candidates were interviewed separately in public interviews with the commission and representatives from the Westfield personnel department. Lima was interviewed on Nov. 28 and Snuck on Dec. 1.
The commission is expected to reach a decision on Dec. 19.
The control tower and a plane hangar at Barnes. (Photo credit: Dan Desrochers)
The position has been temporarily filled by Lee Lancaster, who has been provided by AvPORTS, a US-based airport management company. Lancaster is leaving the position Dec. 7, but AvPORTS is expected to provide another fill-in manager until a permanent option is chosen.
Both Lima and Snuck come to the position offering several years of airport management-related experience.
Lima, who comes from Birmingham, Alabama, has previous experience working in airport financial and planning sectors. Lima served as a financial project manager and an airport planner at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport from 2012 to the present, and served in operations and planning at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina from 2005 to 2012.
Marcelo Lima is interviewed by the commission
For Snuck, he most recently managed Pittsfield Municipal Airport in Massachusetts, but left after about a year due to a contractual dispute and issues with city management of the airport, he told the commission. In addition to Pittsfield, Snuck has served as the airport tower manager for McKeller-Sipes Regional Airport in Jackson, Tennessee, from 2009 to 2014, airport operations and customer service for Jet Blue from 2006 to 2008, and was a helicopter pilot and chief warrant officer for the US Army from 1977 to 1981.
Snuck said that his prior experience in the many positions he has served would help the airport.
“I’m a jack-of-all-trades and I think that’s what an airport manager has to be,” he told the commission during his public interview.
Snuck cited his many different occupations which would give him a wide variety of knowledge for the position.
For Lima, his prior experience as a financial planner was what he cited that would be most beneficial for the airport.
Robert Snuck is interviewed by the commission
“I spent one and a half years as a financial planner and had a $201 million financing project at Birmingham,” Lima said.
Lima said that he was then in charge of building a new terminal for the airport, and in addition to the $201 million, he was able to acquire over $10 million more in grant money not allocated for the development of the new terminal.
When it came to snow equipment–a topic that has been discussed by the commission of late with their snow removal equipment needing repairs or replacement–both candidates had experience with acquiring it.
Lima said that he was able to convince the Federal Aviation Administration to give Birmingham Airport a grant for $460,000 worth of snowplow equipment. Birmingham’s is not known for large amounts of snow, with its greatest snowfall total being 10.3 inches, on March 13, 1993.
Similarly, while Snuck was at Pittsfield, he said that he was able to procure a snowplow for the airport with FAA grants, but this required the city to pay for 20 percent of the equipment cost. He intimated that the commission could do the same and that his prior experience would help with that.
When it came to revenue streams, both candidates again had experience creating income for their respective airport.
Snuck said that his way of creating revenue was both direct and indirect.
“Every lease was reviewed at Pittsfield and I went through every income stream,” Snuck said. “I also increased landing fees, which increased income $80,000 to $100,000 a year.”
Snuck added that he also sought out solar energy for the airport which, if it happens, would also increase revenue but at a lower rate.
Lima’s experience in increasing revenue however, came from increasing visitors to the airport.
“A lot of our revenue in Birmingham is from concessions and parking,” Lima said. “If your customers have something they enjoy they will spend more money.”
Lima said that in the past he has utilized a “good marketing program” to get both developers and customers to Birmingham. He also suggested the idea of low-cost air travel companies to Barnes, which could create additional revenue, as well.
The airport commission will reconvene in a meeting tentatively scheduled for Dec. 19. More details will be made available later in the month.
