Baton Rouge Metro Airport

[richyb83]

This was actually posted last Monday...technical difficulty on the website made for a frustrating week...so here it is again! now it will show on 1st page; instead of hidden on 2nd page

Proposed 44,000 sq ft to be built on the planned 300-acre Aviation Business Park north of BR Metro Airport; to serve as a Public Safety Multiplex able to support emergency avaition operations during natural disasters & other emergency situations.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/Disaster-center-takes-off.html

[dan326]

Cool to see North Baton Rouge getting some development.

[steve3n8]

Metro Airport aims to use trust fund to expand air service

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has an aviation trust fund that historically has been put toward capital improvements. Officials with Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport have been pushing for two years for some of that money to be used for incentives to recruit more air service. Most other airports have been leery, fearing it would limit infrastructure improvements, although some are opening up to the idea, says Ralph Hennessy, assistant director of aviation at BTR. A recent opinion of Louisiana’s attorney general says the idea is permissible, and Hennessy says a study conducted last year supports the change. "We’re trying to utilize that study as well as change the mindset of everyone to get them on the bandwagon and use this money to improve air service to our airports," he says. The Baton Rouge Area Chamber supports codifying the attorney general's opinion in state law and creating an air service fund, but there has been no legislative action this year. About $29 million is allocated to the trust fund per year; about $24 million to $25 million goes to airports, Hennessy says.

Businessreport.com

[steve3n8]

BTR hopes emergency response center will anchor business park

Anthony Marino, director of aviation for Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, says experiences after the hurricanes of the past several years have demonstrated the need for an aviation-friendly response center that is close enough to the coast to be accessible but far enough away to be safe. The airport is gathering funds from various sources for a "regional preparedness response center" that could also serve as the anchor tenant for an aviation business park. Marino says they've raised a total of about $8.5 million so far for a road and the 44,000-square-foot building, still in the design phase, without yet taking on debt. "If we have to incur a little debt, it's going to generate some revenue," he says. The airport currently is building the infrastructure for the site, spokesman Jim Caldwell says, with further development expected later this year. There will be a taxi lane suitable for military aircraft, loading docks for trucks, and enough room inside for response teams to set up camp. Marino says FEMA and several other agencies have asked about office space in the new facility. He stresses the center will complement, rather than replace, existing state and city-parish homeland security operations. BTR recently has been promoting the vacant land around the airport as a future site for an Aviation Business Park.

Businessreport.com

[Antrell Williams]

Perfect area for something like that. Hopefully it works out

[steve3n8]

Car auctioneer says it will employ 100 at BTR by end of 2013

By January, the Baton Rouge Metro Airport could begin flying dozens of car salesmen in and out of the city on a weekly basis. That's when ABC Baton Rouge plans to open the bidding process at used-car auctions in the Aviation Business Park at BRT. The car auctions could initially move up to 600 cars a week to dealerships in the Gulf Coast region, with a projected start in mid-January, says ABC Baton Rouge managing partner Butch Royall, who estimates the Capital Region could see as many as 35,000 cars auctioned off by the end of next year. "We can't believe this city does not have an auction," says Royall, who has spent 48 years in the business, mainly for ABC's nationwide parent company, Auction Broadcasting Co. "Somehow the industry hadn't noticed Baton Rouge. It's sort of a long, overdue process." The Baton Rouge Metro Airport is clearing 20 acres of woods on the north end of the airport to make way for a $2 million, climate-controlled warehouse for ABC Baton Rouge. "It's part of one of our first developments for the Aviation Business Park," says Jason Wilson, an administration and development manager at the airport. The bulk of cars that ABC will auction are those that were leased for about two years by car-rental companies, banks, and real estate and pharmaceutical companies, Royall says. The auctions will be open only to licensed car dealers. —Adam Pearson Read full story here.

[richyb83]

From 330...now to 700?

 

BTR aims for 700 acres of additional development with Aviation Business Park
 

So you're a developer in the market for land. What if someone told you that you could get a 99-year lease starting at 14 cents per square foot, with infrastructure already in place, security included, no property taxes and access to all sorts of valuable incentives? Is that something you might be interested in? Anthony Marino, aviation director of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, hopes so. As Business Report details in a report from the current issue, the airport's Aviation Business Park already has 57 lease agreements and hosts Coca-Cola Bottling Co., All Star Automotive Group and the Indie Stages film studio. But that still leaves 53 acres for sale and 659 acres for lease, and Marino is doing what he can to get the word out. Addressing a Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors luncheon in February, he said recent legislative tweaks make airport property more attractive. "Not for us to develop," Marino added. "For developers to develop." In an interview with Business Report staff writer David Jacobs, Marino explained that the airport has not hired a real estate firm or broker to represent the airport and beat the bushes for possible tenants. He says that's partly because he doesn't want to have to judge local firms' relative qualifications. "I'm not sure if it would be good or bad [to have a broker], but I'm not going to get up and say one's better than the other one," he says with a laugh. "You wouldn't either; you'd be suicidal."

http://www.businessreport.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=daily-reportAM&date=20140324

[garrett_225]

Exciting! Love it when that area of town sees more development. 

[richyb83]

Driving development

The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport has seen several non-aviation businesses, including a Coca-Cola bottling plant and a car dealership, sprout up on its land over the past several years.

Airport leaders now want to ensure that businesses leasing the land surrounding the airport will continue to prosper and try to attract more economic drivers to the area over the next decade. Those results would mean that the state’s second-largest airport — which has seen decreasing flights over recent years — can continue to operate without asking for tax dollars, they say.

Business developments are at the top of airport officials’ lists of what needs to be monitored and improved as the airport now enters a new master planning period. The Metro Council will vote this week on a $922,171 proposal for airport consulting firm Kutchins and Groh to create an updated master plan.

The Federal Aviation Administration will pay 90 percent of the master plan’s cost and the state Department of Transportation and Development will cover the remaining 10 percent.

Baton Rouge airport officials call the hub of new nearby businesses an “aviation business park.” Among its tenants are Coca-Cola Bottling Company, All Star Chevrolet North on Plank Road, and ABC Auction Broadcasting LLC on Blount Road.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re getting the highest and best use for the property that we have,” said Metro Councilman and Airport Commissioner Trae Welch. “We can say, ‘this is what we envision this land use to be, this is what will help your business be able to be a part of these other businesses.’ ”

There are 640 undeveloped acres on the north side of the airport that will be the target of the study, Welch said. He is particularly interested in any economic development that brings significant jobs to the area, like manufacturing.

Airport Marketing and Air Service Development Manager Jim Caldwell said finding businesses to lease airport land is a critical way that the airport brings in money. As many airports across the nation see volatility with airlines and how many flights they will offer, Caldwell said scouting businesses to sign long-term leases is a way to diversify revenue.

As an indicator of how much has changed since the airport’s last master plan in 2007, the old plan did not make any business-related recommendations. Instead, it focused on the airport improving many facilities with construction projects.

The airport has followed through on all seven of the recommendations, although it modified a few.

The changes most visible to customers were expanding security check-in space and adding more public parking. The airport enlarged its rotunda near the security check-in, and built a rental car parking garage to free up spaces rental cars were occupying in the public parking garage.

The airport also made several behind-the-scenes changes that were recommended in the 2007 master plan. They included extending a runway, building more air cargo facilities, acquiring property for future expansions, constructing more general aviation hangars and relocating a runway threshold.

Caldwell said the new master plan will take into account more than just the airport’s business ventures. Welch said the airport already prides itself on being user-friendly, but it can always find more ways to make passengers feel like the airport is advocating on their behalf.

“It’s a big economic engine in the community, it has a significant economic impact for the region,” Caldwell said.

http://theadvocate.com/news/13145140-123/baton-rouge-airport-hopes-new

 

[dan326]

They have a lot of land! I had to laugh at BTR being the second largest airport part though,

[greg225]

The BR Metro Airport can grow, but they need to start add more direct flights. If they really want to be a business hub add direct flights to New York, Chicago, L.A., San Fransisco and DC. I think BR Metro Airport only have direct flights to Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Charlotte. They need to add one direct flight every year and they can be in a strong position 10 years from now. Our Metro area  can easily be 1 million people in 20 years we have to be ready.  

Edited August 18, 2015 by greg225

[cajun]

The BR Metro Airport can grow, but they need to start add more direct flights. If they really want to be a business hub add direct flights to New York, Chicago, L.A., San Fransisco and DC. I think BR Metro Airport only have direct flights to Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Charlotte. They need to add one direct flight every year and they can be in a strong position 10 years from now. Our Metro area  can easily be 1 million people in 20 years we have to be ready.  

I'd like to see the Baton Rouge and New Orleans region cooperate to obtain three airline milestones:  

1.  A non-stop flight to one of the mainline carrier's hubs in Europe (Delta to CDG preferably) to and from MSY.  

2.  More direct flights to domestic hubs in the US (Delta to MSP or DTW would be great along with United's connection to the Denver hub) from BTR

3.  Discount airline service carrier in BTR

[Mr. Burnham]

 

I'd like to see the Baton Rouge and New Orleans region cooperate to obtain three airline milestones:  

1.  A non-stop flight to one of the mainline carrier's hubs in Europe (Delta to CDG preferably) to and from MSY.  

 

Wouldn't Heathrow or Frankfurt make more sense from an economic stand point?

[dan326]

Those sound like some attainable goals. What is the advantage of the Paris airport over the others?

[cajun]

Those sound like some attainable goals. What is the advantage of the Paris airport over the others?

Well, Delta's hub is Paris and Amsterdam and they tend to dominate the regional market over United or AA.

Edited August 29, 2015 by cajun

[dan326]

Oh Ok. That makes sense as I do think I've read Paris is the most visited city and its centrally located.

[Mr. Burnham]

Well, Delta's hub is Paris and Amsterdam and they tend to dominate the regional market over United or AA.

Okay. 

I went overseas this summer and Germany always struck me as the most American. 

[greg225]

Safer landings, softer touchdowns in store at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport with runway improvements                                                                Pilots will have an easier and safer time landing at the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport now that improvements have finished on the airport’s 7,500-foot-long runway.

The airport closed its longer commercial runway in November to start construction on its landing point. The changes will allow pilots to drop closer to the ground before deciding if they can land a plane during bad weather or limited visibility.

In the past, pilots would have to determine from about 250 feet up whether they could land on the Baton Rouge runway amid possibly bad or stormy conditions. If pilots could not see well enough, they would have to land at another nearby airport such as Lafayette or New Orleans and figure out how to transport passengers back to Baton Rouge, Assistant Director of Aviation Ralph Hennessy said.

With the improvements, pilots can wait until they are 100 feet from the runway until making the call about whether to land. The runway has additional lighting and fewer obstructions in the way of landing, as well.

“It offers the carriers more flexibility during inclement weather,” Hennessy said. “It increases their comfort level.”

The improved runway brings some economic benefits along with additional safety, according to Hennessy. If a pilot cannot land at his intended destination and has to land at another airport, the airline has to spend more money to transport the passengers back, he said. While that doesn’t happen often, it occurs from time to time during winter months when conditions are foggy and it’s hard to see, Hennessy said.

Though the improvements entirely change the instrument landing system for pilots, the average passenger probably will not notice many changes. The most palpable could be smoother landings because pilots will not have to jam on their brakes the instant they touch down now that they will have a longer stretch of runway ahead of them. Before the changes, the pilots had to land in a different spot on the runway, which gave them less room to coast.

Hennessy said the change also helps prevent wear and tear on a plane’s brakes and tires.

Though construction lasted about seven months, the project to upgrade the runway has been in the works for more than a decade.

In 2001, airport officials started trying to secure money for the project. They received a series of grants from the Federal Aviation Administration over the next three years that allowed them to start making progress until funding halted.

The state’s aviation department then stepped in and pulled money from the Aviation Trust Fund to help the project along. The trust fund’s money comes from a tax on aviation fuel.

The upgrades, including planning and design, cost upward of $8 million. The FAA paid around $3.5 million for the landing point’s relocation, and the state paid around $4.6 million for equipment and the new instrument landing system’s design.

Hennessy said the airport did not spend any of its own money on the upgrades.

During the time that funding was being secured, other changes were made at the airport that gave pilots a clearer path to the runway.

Hennessy said they tore down an old trucking facility near one end of the runway, lowered some lights on the Interstate and re-routed Blount and Plank roads.

The Baton Rouge Airport now has both of its main runways back open for commercial flights.

Having only one of them open earlier this year caused more problems than airport officials expected.

In February, an electrical short in the working runway caused flight cancellations for 500 to 600 passengers. Then in March, a small corporate jet rolled into the mud next to the runway and forced about 200 passengers flying into Baton Rouge to have their flights diverted to Lafayette or New Orleans.

Airport spokesman Jim Caldwell called it “just bad luck” at the time, noting that both runways cannot always be open indefinitely.

Hennessy said more changes will be outlined for the airport’s future when they begin a new master plan over the next few months.  http://theadvocate.com/news/13342663-123/safer-landings-softer-touchdowns-in                                             

Edited September 6, 2015 by greg225

[greg225]

Capitol Ultrasonics hopes to purchase, rezone property near airport for new headquarters           

Capitol Ultrasonics has signed a purchase agreement to acquire a nearly 16-acre tract in the 2600-2700 block of Progress Road, near the Baton Rouge Airport, and has filed an application with the Planning Commission to rezone the property from heavy commercial to light industrial.

If approved by the Metro Council in October, the company will develop a new headquarters facility on the site. Robby Bonvillain, finance manager of the 43-year-old family business, says the new facility will be between 20,000 and 25,000 square feet and will include office and warehouse space. Capitol Ultrasonics currently operates from three separate sites around the city and wants to consolidate under a single roof.

“We’re in three leased sites right now,” Bonvillain says. “It makes more sense to have everything together at a single location we own.”

In its application with the Planning Commission, Capitol Ultrasonics also says the move will “keep the company in Baton Rouge long term.”

Capitol Ultrasonics provides a variety of industrial inspection and testing services. All of its work is done at customer job sites, but the new facility is needed to house offices, vehicles and equipment.

Bonvillain says the purchase agreement on the property is for around $1 million. Ronald Norton currently owns the site, which is the last undeveloped tract near the airport’s growing industrial park.   https://www.businessreport.com/article/capitol-ultrasonics-hopes-purchase-rezone-property-near-airport-new-headquarters

[Mr. Burnham]

Finally! More development for NBR

[greg225]

Luxury transportation options coming to Baton Rouge, New Orleans airports          

When passengers step out of the Baton Rouge Metro Airport or the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, their transportation options are limited to shuttles, buses, a taxi or a ride from friends or family.

But soon, passengers will have some more exotic options, such as the powerful Rolls Royce Ghost or sleek Mercedes-Maybach, to take them from the airport to their next destination. That is the vision of David Mahler and Warren Conerly, owners of Elite Concierge, which will begin operations on Thursday.

Elite Concierge will offer luxury transportation, van services and point-to-point travels in a bevy of high-end vehicles, from the Ghost and Maybach to a Lamborghini Huracan and McLaren 570S. The business fills a void in Louisiana’s transportation options, Mahler says.

The idea came from Mahler’s love of exotic cars and cross-country travels to major cities in the past three or four years.

“Being in the different cities, they have luxury cars that pick you up from the airport, restaurants. In Louisiana, we don’t have that,” says Mahler, owner of H&O Investments and other business ventures. “If you want to get picked up from the airport now, it’s usually a suburban, Lincoln MKZ or a taxi.”

The service will cost $90 per hour for the Cadillac Escalade ESV, $135 per hour for one of the two Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans and $150 an hour to be driven around in the Ghost or Maybach. Conerly and Mahler will open two locations in Baton Rouge at 17425 Opportunity Ave. in Baton Rouge and 50 W. 23rd St. in Kenner. Mahler says both locations will have the same cars, with a few exceptions.

When the business launches on Thursday, only the Ghost, Maybach, Escalade and Sprinter vans available. Mahler says they are hoping to soon receive the Huracan, Bentley GT, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz SLS before the end of October to round out their lineup. The owners have hired three drivers and want to bring on a few more. All drivers will receive background checks and be registered with the Public Service Commission, Mahler says.

Before deciding to launch the business, Mahler says he and Conerly questioned more than 100 people, including local CEOs, to see if they would be interested in the luxury transportation service. They were happy with the responses.

“It’s a service that everybody seems to think would do well down here,” Mahler says.    https://www.businessreport.com/article/luxury-transportation-options-coming-baton-rouge-new-orleans-airports

[greg225]

Baton Rouge airport seeking subcontract opportunities with small disadvantaged businesses    

When the Baton Rouge Metro Airport puts projects and contracts out to bid, it asks contractors to subcontract a portion of the work to small disadvantaged businesses, as defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

On Wednesday, general contractors and owners of small disadvantaged businesses, known as SDBs under federal programs, will gather at L’Auberge Casino & Hotel for the 10th Annual Business Opportunities Workshop. The airport, city-parish and state officials annually host the workshop to engage small or disadvantaged businesses, give them a primer on the SDB certification process and share contracting opportunities with them.

Small disadvantaged businesses are defined by the SBA as those that are at least 51% owned by a person or persons considered both socially and economically disadvantaged.

Bonnie Garrigan is senior analyst at TMG Consulting, which has been the SDB consultant for the airport since 2001. She says small disadvantaged businesses have a multitude of opportunities to land work at the airport on everything from construction and food service to janitorial duties.

“The airport is kind of like a small city, and they need a lot of small services to make it all happen,” Garrigan says.

Before the airport sends out a request for proposals for a project to general contractors, officials use a formula to estimate how much of the work could possibly be subcontracted to small disadvantaged businesses. The general contractors are then urged to try to meet the estimate, but are not required to.

“It’s not a mandate, it’s not a quota, it’s a goal,” Garrigan says.

However, airport officials say 100% of the projects contracted last year met their goals for sending subcontract work to small disadvantaged businesses. Furthermore, 60% of the subcontractors used in 2014 were SDB certified and 17% of contract money went to SDB firms, according to the airport.

About 200 representatives from SDBs and general contractors have signed up for Wednesday’s workshop. Networking times are built into the day to allow SDBs to meet contractors and explain the type of work they do.

“The networking opportunity is really invaluable,” Garrigan says.

The workshop begins with registration at 7:30 a.m. and ends around 1 p.m. Get complete details.   https://www.businessreport.com/article/baton-rouge-airport-seeking-subcontract-opportunities-small-disadvantaged-businesses

[cajun]

I'm starting to think the leadership at BTR needs to be changed if new service isn't announced soon.  

[greg225]

Baton Rouge Airport Commission to consider changing lease rates at business park   

Ground lease rates at the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport’s Aviation Business Park could change if a measure before the Airport Commission is approved this afternoon at the commission’s monthly meeting.

The new lease rates would simplify the sliding rate scale currently in use and, it is hoped, make the business park more attractive to developers.

“We’ve got more than 600 acres of raw land that is available in various size tracts so we’re re-evaluating the land values in the area and trying to create a more consistent scale with just two rates instead of multiple rates,” says Ralph Hennessy, assistant aviation director.

Currently, there are eight different lease rates at the aviation park that vary depending on the size of the tract. They range from 21 cents per square foot, or $9,147 per acre, for parcels of .25 acres or less to 6 cents per square foot, or $2,613 per acre, for tracts of 50 acres or more. The two proposed new rates would be 21 cents per square foot, or $9,147 per acre, for 49 acres or less and 12 cents per square foot, or $5,227 per acre, for 50 acres or more.

“We think instead of a sliding scale having these two, consistent rates makes it more attractive for developers,” Hennessy says.

The aviation park is an industrial park that sits adjacent to the airport on 700 acres of airport-owned land. It currently has 14 tenants, and airport officials would like that number to grow. The park is the fourth-largest revenue source for the airport, generating between $2 million and $3 million a year, or between 15% and 20% of total airport revenues.

“We need to continue developing our land in order to be more self-sustaining,” Hennessy says.  https://www.businessreport.com/article/baton-rouge-airport-commission-consider-changing-lease-rates-business-park

[greg225]

Baton Rouge executives open business at airport to service private aircraft                  

Five local executives have launched a new business at the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport that services private aircraft. The Baton Rouge Jet Center, as it is called, is a fixed-base operation, or FBO, that provides fuel for private aircraft as well as amenities for the passengers and crews.

“We definitely think there is demand for the services we are providing,” says David Smitherman, manager of BTR Jet Center. “We have a fair amount of private aircraft traffic that comes through here, not like Houston or Chicago, but a fair amount for a market this size.”

The five owners of BTR Jet Center come from an array of local industry sectors. They include: Richard Lipsey, chairman of Lipsey’s; Laurie Aronson, Richard Lipsey’s daughter, who is president of Lipsey’s and also president of the family-owned clothing manufacturer Haspel’s; personal injury attorney Gordon McKernan, investor and financial advisor David Weinstein; and attorney Brett Furr, a real estate and commercial litigation specialist with Taylor Porter.

Together, the five partners share a private turboprop plane they have jointly owned for the past few years. Baton Rouge Metro Airport currently has two other FBOs that service private aircraft, but Furr says the partners have formed their own company because they believe they can provide better service and fuel at a more competitive price.

BTR Jet Center acquired nearly 22,000 square feet of vacant hangar space at the airport from PAI Arrow, which was looking to sell. The company now owns two hangars, which have been renovated for an undisclosed price. Smitherman says the hangars can accommodate anywhere between eight to 15 business jets, turboprops and piston-powered aircraft each.

So far the company has five full-time employees and is in the process of hiring three more. BTR Jet Center had a soft opening on the weekend of the LSU-Auburn football game in September. This week, it officially opens for business, but based on the response they have seen in the past month, the partners are optimistic.

“So far it looks good,” Furr says. “We’re selling high volumes of jet fuel, which is the goal.”    https://www.businessreport.com/article/baton-rouge-business-executives-open-business-airport-service-private-aircraft