70 FUELING May | June 2026 AirportImprovement.com RDG Thorough Deliberations The seeds for the acquisitions were planted in early 2023 when both FBOs—which had considered merging and also had sought purchase offers from other entities—asked the airport authority if it wanted to buy out their leases. That sparked about six months of due diligence to determine if this made sense, Tempesco recalls. For guidance, the authority hired BBP Solutions, a business management consulting firm that had helped RDG develop a new strategic plan in 2022. Many factors were considered during the evaluation process, including what services to provide, pricing for those services to ensure profitability, staffing requirements and revenue projections. Another consideration was how to consolidate operations/infrastructure for maximum efficiency—and how everything would mesh with the airport’s strategic plan, says David Heath, a principal at BBP. “We focused on the capacity needed to properly service customers,” Heath says. “We determined that there was a significant strategic advantage to having a single, airport-operated FBO at an airport the size of Reading.” An FAA policy generally prohibits exclusive FBO rights. However, if an airport elects to provide services itself as the sponsor, it may do so under what is commonly referred to as a proprietary exclusive right, rather than relying on multiple private operators, he explains. PFAS regulations are changing how airports protect fueling infrastructure. Argus delivers end-to-end support for converting to fluorine-free foam (F3) with solutions that minimize disruption and ensure compliance. We provide fire protection and other specialized engineering services for complex fuel systems. ARGUSCO.COM Replace AFFF With Confidence Is your site ready for F3 foam? DAVID HEATH A box hangar was transformed into the new airport-owned FBO.
View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.