Client Spotlight

Client Name: Indianapolis Airport Authority

Location: Indianapolis, IN (IND)

Deputy Senior Director, Planning & Development: Drew Genneken

Mike DeVoy recently had the pleasure of speaking with Drew Genneken, Deputy Senior Director, Planning & Development, at Indianapolis International Airport.

Q: Please tell us about yourself - personally and professionally to the degree that you are comfortable.

A: After graduating from high school in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, I worked in construction with my father. Realizing construction was not my passion, I joined the Army and became an air traffic controller, but I really wanted to be a pilot. After the Army I enrolled in college at FIT and graduated with a degree in Aviation Management with a minor in Flight, where I stopped my training just shy of my Commercial – Instrument Rating. Unfortunately, becoming a pilot really was not an option at that time, so I had to find another career. After completing an internship at Melbourne International Airport, I was offered my first job in aviation as a consultant. Over the course of the next decade, I worked for a few consulting firms, including PBSJ, Birk Hillman, HNTB, and RW Armstrong, before starting my own consulting business. I enjoyed the flexibility of owning my own business, but missed interacting and collaborating with colleagues. So, even though I was not looking for a new position, when the opportunity to become a member of the IAA family presented itself I couldn’t say no. And that was over 7 and half years ago.

Q: How has being a consultant prepared you for your current role as Deputy Senior Director of Planning and Development for the IAA? What are some of the biggest differences in being a consultant as compared to being a client?

A: Having been a pilot, air traffic controller, airport planner, and aviation consultant allows me to see the airport from many different perspectives. This has served me well in my current role. As a consultant, you’re often trying to find the next job. As a client, you’re typically trying to find ways to get work done, including having the right people to do the work. Relationships in the industry are key to finding the people you trust and want to work with.

Q: What do you think are some of the biggest challenges and opportunities we are facing as an industry?

A: Manpower and construction logistics are our biggest issues currently. Contractor capacity and material supplies also remain an issue. A good example was the cement rationing that occurred last year. Compounding the issue is the size of our program at the IAA, as well as infrastructure funding in general, has reached all-time highs. One of our major concerns is will we have the resources to get those projects completed or take advantage of the funding being made available. The IAA does not have the ability to implement the program on our own; we rely on our partners in the consulting community to support our efforts. In fact, while our staff size has remained constant the Capital Program has essentially tripled. And we are cognizant of the fact our consulting partners are facing the same staffing issues.

Q: We have had the pleasure of working on many past and on-going projects for IAA and are one of your current oncall consultants. From your perspective, what are the most important things you and your staff need from your airport consultant?

A: At its core, we need our consultants to be an extension of staff. We use the SOQ process to, as objectively as we can, identify the firms qualified to perform the work. When necessary or prudent, we also use interviews to help determine the firm or team best qualified to perform the requisite services. The interviews allow us to observe the interaction between our project manager and the consulting team; to see how they relate to each other. In the end, this is a relationship business. We need to be confident that we can trust our consultants and they will be accountable for their work, and the best way of doing that is by establishing a true relationship – a partnership – between the IAA and consultant.

Q: What are some of the practices you have seen from your consultants that you really appreciated? What are some you wish had not happened?

A: The most important thing is open and honest dialogue on a regular basis, but especially when problems arise. Bad news doesn’t get better with age – we need to know about things that are not going well right away. Allow us be part of the solution. Reporting on things that didn’t go well adds very little value. Establishing a partnership and two-way trust is key.

Q: A big reason we are doing this is to give insight to our staff into the aviation industry, particularly our young professionals. What advice do you have to people coming into our industry?

A: Never stop learning. Never stop accepting new challenges –get outside your comfort zone. Look for opportunities to work with different people and in new environments. You just might find your new passion.

Upcoming Conferences

SEC/AAAE Annual (Richmond, VA)

SAME JETC (San Antonio, TX)

Ohio Aviation (Columbus, OH)

May

May

ACI-NA Airport Construction Strategy summit (San Francisco, CA) May 16-17

AAAE Annual (Denver, CO) June 2-5

Scale, Jeremy Martelle

Tyler Bicknell, Mark Heckroth

Paul Puckli, Mike DeVoy, Nathan Lienhart

Professional Development Upcoming Aviation CoPs

Plan Production Series

• Cross Sections - March 31

• Spot Elevations and Jointing - April 13

ACC Webinars:

• Limited to 75 seats for 2023.

• Stay tuned for more details!

• Pavement Markings/Lighting and Signage - April 27

• Navaids - May 11

• Erosion Control - May 25

• Fencing and Security - June 8

• Utility Plans - June 22

WE NEED PRESENTERS! Please reach out to Todd Schultheis (Engineering) or Paul McDonnell (Planning) with your ideas.