WESTFIELD—Barnes Regional Airport finally has a new airport manager.
Eric Billowitz interviews with the Westfield Airport Commission
Westfield’s Airport Commission announced yesterday that Eric J. Billowitz of Florida, New York, will be Barnes’s new airport manager. Billowitz was hired after being interviewed late for the position—just eight days prior—and after the commission’s first choice, Marcelo Lima, of Birmingham, declined the position.
“After a long, extensive search we have found a candidate that has the airport experience we have been looking for, the business experience to take the department to a new level and the industry support that will be able to continue to grow our airport and fill the void left by the departure of Brian Barnes,” Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan said of Billowitz.
Billowitz’s late interview—the process and interviews for the new manager began over the summer—was not due to the commission’s or city’s lack of interest. Instead, Billowitz interviewed late because during the initial search he was committed to his previous position with the airport consultancy firm Steven Baldwin Associates, working on a grant application process for $40 million for a Rochester, New York, airport. The airport was able to successfully get the grant and following that, Billowitz was able to interview for the job at Barnes, which just happened to still be open.
Billowitz’s experiences beyond working with Steven Baldwin Associates include working with AvPORTS—the airport management company that has been providing Barnes with interim management since the position opened—which he began while he was still in college in 1984. He served with AvPORTS in a variety of management positions at many different airports until 2016, when he took the aforementioned job with Steven Baldwin Associates.
According to Sullivan, Billowitz is expected to begin in the airport manager position Friday Jan. 13, on a part-time basis, before transitioning into the role full-time. At the same time, Westfield is expected to terminate its contract with AvPORTS. That contract was previously extended through the end of January as needed, until a replacement was found.
