Airport Experience® News - Leadership & Culture Issue 2023

2023 SMALL AIRPORTS DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

TODD HAUPTLI President and CEO, American Association of Airport Executives

“Tory Richardson has an encyclopedic knowledge of aviation. He’s a gifted communicator and he has a great strategic mind. He’s a pilot and he has worked on the airline side and the airport side over his career, so he’s got just a super well-rounded aviation background that serves him well as director.”

DR. I RICHMOND NETTEY Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Engineering, Kent State University

DOUG SMALL President and CEO,

Experience Grand Rapids, and Member, Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority Board “Since he came to Grand Rapids, Tory has developed a new team, in most cases, that embodies the same thing he

“When we had travel restrictions he came in electronically via Zoom. When the travel restrictions were lifted, he flew all the way here to Kent, Ohio from Grand Rapids, Mich. to deliver a presentation as a guest speaker to the Kent State student chapter of AAAE. He delivered it in person even though he could have delivered it remotely. It speaks volumes of his dedication and commitment to education that he flew here at his own expense to speak to our students about his work.”

does. It has brought about positive change - you can feel it. You can tell staff is on the same page. His leadership has made that happen and it has made a world of difference above and beyond all the great infrastructure changes.”

CANDACE McGRAW CEO, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

“Tory is very well-spoken and he loves this industry. He goes deep on policy issues, which I’m very appreciative of because he is thoughtful about the ramifications of issues. Everybody loves him. He has such a great likability factor, I think, because he’s a focused leader and able to bring people along with him.”

AL VANDERBERG Kent County Administrator

“Some people come to work, and they just want to get the day over, they just want to get to the weekend, they just want to get to retirement. That’s not Tory. Tory comes to work and he is ready to tackle the next skill so he can tackle the next mountain so he can help make the change that is going to make the organization he serves successful and, as a result, he boosts his profession as well.”

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AX NEWS LEADERSHIP ISSUE 2023