Airport Experience® News - Conference Issue 2024

of concessions. “She is probably the most honest and ethical person I’ve ever met in this environment. She’s bold. And, I would say, Penny’s gift is her ability to strategize.” While she can be quiet, Dechant says May is always thinking, and she’s a master of coming up with ideas that might initially seem off the beaten path but end up being correct. For example, when May arrived at the airport in late 2018, DEN had just begun implanting a new commercial master plan. Just over a year later, COVID decimated the travel industry. The airport had minimal traffic and counterparts across the industry were putting major projects on hold. May argued to keep moving forward. “That’s what really stands out the most was her courage to keep moving forward in the time where no one else in the industry

was doing the same thing,” Dechant says. “That really positioned us to be as ready for this crazy [post-pandemic] growth as we could have been.” That’s why May has banked a lot of trust in a short period with her colleagues. “One hundred percent of the time her strategy has worked out in everybody’s best interests,” Dechant says. “Even if at the beginning we didn’t quite understand everything, she has led us on the path that has been in the best interest for the traveling public, our business partners and our employees.” May says she ultimately wants to build an innovative, consumer-focused program that represents the city, state and region, and that offers a great customer experience, convenience for the traveler and offers high quality products and services at value. “That would be my aspirational sense of utopia,” she says. “I dream big. It’s a journey and a process but as long as we have something to work toward, we can make steps toward achieving it. That goes way beyond me and the team, but it’s something we should aim toward.” Respect From Operatorsr Business partners gravitate to her, as well. They noted early on that her experience in aviation was limited, but that she listened a lot, asked questions, didn’t pretend or assume knowledge and quickly got her arms around the complexities of the industry. “She stepped into this industry and quickly has made her mark in advancing

Fast Learner While she was put in place to help work through some staffing changes, May didn’t have a lot of background in aviation when she arrived. What she did have was a commanding presence, a willingness and eagerness to listen and a straightforward approach that resonated with people. Hancock says he knew early on that May was the right person for the job. “She is an extremely loyal soldier who is able to adapt to whatever assignment she’s called on to do,” he says. “This is not easy stuff. I was really impressed with how quickly she picked it up, adapted and really became a leader.” One colleague testified to that. “She is the strongest quiet person I have ever met,” says Pam Dechant, senior vice president

Above, Right: Both new and existing operators and Denver International Airport have revitalized the concessions program in conjunction with the major redevelopment and expansion currently underway. (High Flying Foods’ New Belgium Brewing and Santos pictured; WH Smith’s Larimer pictured)

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AX NEWS MARCH 2024