b'LANDSIDE DEVELOPMENTDAY 59in 2005. When I started working for the airport as a maintenanceWilliams and his team scouted eight airports in six states operations supervisor in 2002, things were in rough shapesearching for the ideal site, and unique assets pointed them to DAY.physically and economically. People around here are resilient,The airports key advantages include proximity to Wright-Patterson though. DAY has been reinventing itself ever since. Air Force Base, available land on remote portions of the airfield and These days, Turner effortlessly recalls 20 years of improvementsa large apron and massive ramp already in place. The companys during his tenure at the airport: upgrades to the main entry,new 90,000-square-foot hangar allows crews to complete systems the addition of inline baggage screening, multiple terminalmodifications on some of the largest aircraft in the world. enhancements, construction of a new control tower and relocatingWe also considered the number of universities in the area that rental car services. Actually, DAY has been in a near-constantoffer engineering degrees that will improve our ability to hire the state of change since the 21st century began nearly a quarter- workforce we need, adds Williams. Wright-Patterson Air Force century ago. With change comes opportunity, and Turner and hisBase is the biggest employer in the state, and they are making predecessors have embraced it. all the decisions of future aircraft. Just as importantly, Ohio is completely committed to bringing in good-paying jobs and offered Turning the Tide great incentives. We will be working with the airport and investing When the cargo hub went away, our noise contour shrunk quitein STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] programs to a bit, says Turner of the ripple effect triggered by Emerys closure.help stimulate local ambitions.During its active days, the carrier had up to 75 nightly cargo flights at DAY. After Emery suspended operations, the airport was left withStay Tuned for Moreabout 2,000 acres of land outside the fence line that was purchasedWith the companys newly built Aviation Innovation and Technology through a noise mitigation program it no longer needed. Quite a bitCenter open, Williams says there are more plans on the horizon for of land was sold to private developers that have now successfullysignificant expansion at DAY. developed several large distribution-type facilities for a wide range ofThe long-term plan is to build a second 96,000-square-foot hangar consumer goods, Turner reports.as well as North Americas largest emissions-free paint hangar, he So far, NorthPoint Development LLC has built 10 warehouse orshares. Were very excited about whats to come in Ohio.fulfillment facilities for a cross-section of well-known brands such as Amazon, ALPLA, Crocs and Chewy.com. Turner is pleased with the economic activity this has stimulated locally, especially the diverse job opportunities these companies provide. Outside of the fence, the land sell-off and redevelopments are estimated to have created more than 4,000 new jobs so far, says Turner, describing how the airport rebounded after losing an important long-time tenant. Inside the fence, we had some assetsAIRFIELDHANGARSTERMINALSas well. The cargo facility vacated by Emery connects directly toi ithe airfield and already had a ramp capable of supporting some ofPLANNINGCA/CO/CMFUNDING/GRANTS i ithe largest aircraft in the world. That really made this site unique, and we spent a lot of time looking for just the right user.The right user turned out to be Sierra Nevada Corporation, a mission-focused aerospace, security and defense company. As one of the largest private defense contractors in the U.S., it has developed a reputation for being innovative and responsive to rapidly changing military needs. Growing out of the global war on terror, Sierra Nevada specializes in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems for military aircraft.Jeff Bonecutter, PE : VP - DirectorMark Williams, senior vice president ofjbonecutter@passero.comStrategy for the company, played a key roleChristopher Nardone, AIA : Sr. Architectin the recent investment at DAY. Essentially,cndardone@passero.com[Sierra Nevada Corporation] strives to operateEoghan Gregory, PE : PM - Construction with the same speed and tactical efficiency asegregory@passero.comAmericas Special Operations Forces, saysSuzanne Beck : Land Development Spec.Williams. We modify other peoples aircraftsbeck@passero.comin response to changing military needs. ToMARK WILLIAMSaccess the entire aviation market and go after the biggest aviation projects in the world, we needed very largePassero Associates | www.passero.com LEARNhangars. DAY turned out to have the ideal site for such a facility. 434 East First Street | Dayton, OH 45402 MORE(937) 262-7287| Service.Solutions.Results. HEREAirportImprovement.comMay | June 2023'