Airport Experience® News - Leadership & Culture Issue 2023

2023 DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR SMALL AIRPORTS

their own right. If you build a good team around you that have the same leadership characteristics, the soft skills, which they do, it’s viral. And it spreads itself across the whole organization.” That helps, Small says, as travelers are exposed to the terminal and facility changes underway. Richardson says he is intently focused on getting the right people in the right jobs. “Whether it’s the marketing team doing something, the finance team doing something, the ops team doing something, they’re all doing it with the lens of ‘Let’s make this an exceptional experience,’” he says. “I like the ability to interact with people and to set that culture.” Active In The Industry In addition to Experience Grand Rapids, Richardson serves on the board of Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA). He is a member of the American Association of Airport Executives’ (AAAE)

Policy Review Council and a past chair of the organization and former president of its Great Lakes Chapter. He says having a good team around him allows him to participate in those organizations. Also, 30 years into his career, he sees it as important to give back and help groom others for the future. “What are we doing to ready the pipeline for the folks that are going to replace me and the rest of my team?” he asks. “It’s a time to step back and help the next one in line.” While a lot of it is giving back, one prominent director gives Richardson credit for stabilizing AAAE during the difficulties associated with the pandemic. Mark Gale CEO and director at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) was just beginning a stint on that board when Covid-19 hit. Richardson was chair and he spent a significant amount of time working directly with Todd Hauptli, AAAE’s president and CEO, figuring out how to reorganize finances and staffing to ensure the group’s survival. “We had to make a lot of tough decisions with the association that we were entrusted to safeguard, along with staff,” Gale says. “We really needed to tighten the belt. Nobody knew at that point in time how long the pandemic was going to last, how much

damage it was going to wreak, and Tory was at the forefront of trying to make sure we prepared ourselves accordingly. … Tory did us all a favor, working closely with Hauptli and the full board, to get us set up as best we could be set up in those circumstances.” Though difficult, Richardson called that period one of the most challenging and rewarding periods of his career. “We went from having the best year ever to one of the most challenging periods, all within a couple months,” he says. Gale, who presented Richardson with AAAE’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, also respects Richardson’s wide depth of knowledge and his personable nature. “He is a very calm and collected individual,” Gale says. “He’s the guy you want in the trenches with you. He’s unflappable. He’s rock solid.” A Team Effort Richardson, who grew up outside Rockford in northern Illinois, attributes his success to working with a great team at GLL and to having mentors, including Roberts at Columbus and Robert O’Brien, then director at DBQ, who let him gain skills in different areas as he was getting started, but also encouraged him to settle down and focus. “I was going in 100 different directions all at once,”” he says. “[O’Brien] sat me down and said, ‘Tory, you can do any of these things. You don’t need to prove that you can do them. You just need to figure out what of those things you really want do and just start going after it.’” It has gone well. He credits having good teams around him for the things he has accomplished. “Building new air traffic control towers, runways and terminal expansions have [taken] tremendous teamwork but have been very rewarding,” he says. “Serving as AAAE Chair during the pandemic was one of the most rewarding and challenging times.” As Elevate takes shape at GRR, Richardson says there are plenty more opportunities for improvement at the airport. “For me, my next opportunity has always been about what I can do and who might need and want my skills and experiences,” he says. “I have a great board, team and community in West Michigan. We have endless opportunities in front of us right here and we are exploring each one.”

Below: With each aspect of the $500 million “Elevate” improvement program, Richardson says he and his team are seeing to provide the best possible experience for travelers.

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AX NEWS LEADERSHIP ISSUE 2023