Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 3, 1991 TAG: 9102010784
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Shuck, executive director at Roanoke Regional Airport, said the job is as challenging as the one she left 16 months ago at Cleveland's Hopkins International Airport, one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation.
"There are just as many problems, but fewer people and less money to take care of them," said Shuck, 41, who came to Roanoke after five years as director of Hopkins.
Hopkins International boards 3.5 million passengers a year, has 230 flights a day and a $22 million budget. The airport has 300 employees, with specialists in air service, marketing and other fields.
Roanoke Regional, in contrast, boarded 345,000 passengers in 1990, currently has 49 daily flights and a $4 million budget.
The airport has 41 employees - and that includes everyone from management supervisors to janitors. It hires consultants to help with marketing and other jobs because its staff is so small.
But Shuck says there is plenty of work to keep her busy in her $60,000-a-year job.
For example: breaking in a new terminal, part of $25 million's worth of work at the airport, trying to attract another major airline, improve service, planning a major expansion of general aviation facilities and seeking federal funds for a new control tower.
Another difference in Roanoke is the average person's attitude and interest in the airport.
"Here, the general population seems to feel an ownership in the airport. They have more of a sense that it belongs to them, and they want it to put the best foot forward," Shuck said.
"I am not saying Cleveland was unfriendly, but I have found the warmth and friendliness down here goes way beyond what you find at most places," she said.
Her husband, a surveyor, also liked Western Virginia because he is an avid hunter and fisher.
The size of the airport wasn't the only adjustment for Shuck in Roanoke. She had to learn to work within a different governmental framework.
In Cleveland, the airport is operated as part of the city's Department of Port Control, which includes Hopkins International and a smaller air field, as well as the city's river harbors division.
The Roanoke Regional Airport is owned and operated by a five-member commission composed of representatives from Roanoke and Roanoke County.
In Cleveland, she had only one boss: the mayor. The administrative structure was clear, but there was a lack of job security because she was a mayoral appointee.
"Here it is little more difficult from the standpoint of having to report to five people instead of one," she said. "But I think it's also helpful to have the perspective of five people rather than just one."
The commission, made up of three members from the city and two from the county, was established before Shuck was hired.
The executive director's position was created by the commission after it took over the airport. The city had operated the airport as a municipal department with a manager.
Robert Poole, who was airport manager under the city operation, retained his title in the new setup and continues to help oversee daily operations. He reports to Shuck.
The commission said an executive director was needed to provide better long-range planning, oversee air service improvements and work more closely with federal, state and local agencies. The commission said the new position would also free city and county officials from having to provide staff support for the airport.
"I think the city and county have worked well together on the commission. I realize there is an inequality in the votes for the city and county, but I just don't find that split," she said.
Diplomatically, Shuck declined to say if she thinks the governmental officials should be replaced. But she added "it's not an unusual evolution" because such bodies usually are composed of governmental officials at the start.
Herbert said the commission is pleased with the Shuck's performance. "She is a good business person who has taken the airport from an operating city department into a professionally managed business operation," he said.
Shuck said she has not accomplished as much as she had hoped during her first 16 months in Roanoke, but she spent a lot of time learning about new technology and quirks in the new terminal. There were problems with escalators, roof leaks and broken glass panels.
"It's a nice facility. I think it surprises a lot of people, especially from larger cities, who don't expect this type of building in a place like this," Shuck said.
With the new terminal, Shuck said, the airport's facilities are adequate to meet the region's air-service needs for the next 10-15 years. But it's is not likely to become a major hub because of its location and runway length, she said.
"We are not going to have a non-stop flight to London out of here because we don't have sufficient people to fill it. So we don't need the longer runway that kind of plane would need," she said.
Since she took over, Shuck has given a lot of attention to general aviation - corporate and private aircraft and related businesses at the airport.
A plan to improve general aviation facilities has been proposed to provide more space for businesses and storage for private planes. The development would occur on 65 acres near the old terminal, its parking lot and general aviation hangars.
Some general-aviation enthusiasts have complained about the slow progress on the plan. But Shuck and the commission say they have a timetable to put the plan into effect and are proceeding as quickly as possible.
About 125 private and corporate planes are based at the airport. Many of the aircraft have multiple owners. More than 300 general-aviation passes have been issued, giving those people access to the airport.
And "sometimes it is difficult to know if the general aviation community agrees with the individuals you hear from or if they have different ideas and think everything is fine," Shuck said.
Shuck received a bachelor's degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a law degree from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University.
She served as assistant director of law for the city of Cleveland before going into airport work. After three years in the city's law department, she took a job as assistant director of the airport to negotiate leases because of her legal background.
She said her law background is helpful in her airport work, but she's never considered going back into law.
"When you are having a bad day, sometimes you think, `What am I doing in this job?' ' she said. "But I've never regretted choosing the airport over law."
by CNB