ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Delta County Airport is one step closer to selecting its next manager.
The Airport Advisory Board’s search began on May 31, when former manager Andrea Nummilien submitted her resignation, effective June 3. Nummilien cited disagreements with recent decisions made by the County Board of Commissioners as one of her reasons for stepping down.
“This is a time of turmoil, if you will, for the airport, with airlines and our central air service contract coming up,” said Airport Advisory Board Chair Brian Herioux. “We’re looking for someone to lead and execute the vision of the county with regards to the airport over the next few years.”
Herioux says despite the challenges, operations have continued to go smoothly since Nummilien’s departure.
“We’ve been really lucky because we have five guys on the air side of this airport that just get it done,” he said. “We’ve always had a team that just takes care of it. They know what they need to do; they work amongst themselves to get it done.”
The Advisory Board has narrowed its search to the top seven candidates, which includes people from the Upper Peninsula and around the world.
Board member and County Commissioner Steven Viau says they are looking for the right combination of education, experience, and dedication.
“We’re looking for somebody that is not looking to have a stepping-stone but wants to help us mold our airport for our community, wants to be here, wants to stay here, and has a lot of ideas to help us,” Viau said.
In the last approximately 15 years, Herioux says he has been involved in hiring four other airport managers. He says he and the other board members will review each candidate thoroughly to ensure the person they choose is the best fit for the Delta County Airport.
“We need someone that is going to–I’m going to say almost–hit the ground running, because the truth is no two airports are the same. No one’s going to come in and just run with it right out of the gate, but we need someone who is going to be driven to propel our airport into the future.”
The Airport Advisory Board is set to begin interviews next week. They hope to have a new airport manager in place by September.
