Airport Experience® News - Leadership Issue 2024

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DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR LARGE-HUB AIRPORTS

Doug Kre BETH COURTNEY, Managing Partner, Southeast, Finn Partners Doug is a visionary, and the high level of precision that he brings to executing that vision is unlike anything I have ever seen. You’ve got someone who is really doing transformational work, following a mission and also setting a vision, and doing it in an incredibly precise way. When I say precise, I mean Doug brings everything in as it is supposed to be, on time and under budget. His attention to detail is just masterful. He is willing to share his expertise and his knowledge with our community. He always takes the time to single out people who are in the trenches with him. He’s always finding humor in good and bad situations. He’s accessible. If you call Doug or text Doug, he’ll text you right back, and then if you’re going to meet Doug, he’s going to be there before you. He’s incredibly organized, and he is at the office before dawn many days because he is that motivated to get things done. And yet you just sense this innate happiness with him, and he’s so enthusiastic about whatever the project is at hand. TOM MORALES, Founder of Nashville’s TomKats Hospitality I got to know Doug really well during the concessions planning process. They really wanted a local field in terms of food service in the airport. There were three or four people that were at the forefront of the local food scene in Nashville, and I happened to be one of them. The thing that really solidified my relationship with Doug was that I had a real community bond. I really wanted the airport to be special. I think Doug really, really, really takes the community aspect of the airport personally – he really wanted it to reflect the local community and it shows in the airport The transformation of Nashville International Airport (BNA) over the past handful of years has been extraordinary, and the man leading the effort has won praise throughout the airport industry and in the city of Nashville for the renewal, especially during a time of rapid demand growth. Doug Kreulen’s leadership will continue as another BNA expansion is already underway. Leading through change is challenging – doing so with humility and humor even more so, but colleagues agree that Kreulen hits the mark. Here’s what a few of them have to say. A HUMBLE VISIONARY Colleagues Praise Doug Kreulen’s Community-Focused Approach, Team Mentality And Engaging Sense Of Humor BY CAROL WARD

DEANA IVEY, President & CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp

Doug Kreulen is an exceptional leader. He has done a tremendous job in developing and expanding our airport. He’s been fantastic to work with on recruiting new international nonstop flights to Nashville. He understands tourism and what it means to this city, that it’s an economic engine and that the airport plays a huge role in that.

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AX NEWS DECEMBER 2024 / JANUARY 2025