Hupp to the Task

GETTING IT DONE

BOI’s Hupp Grows Airport Through Partnerships With Community, Industry

BY ANDREW TELLIJOHN

Rebecca Hupp prefers being behind the scenes over being in the spotlight. But, by virtue of being airport director at Boise Airport (BOI), Hupp spends a certain amount of time in the public eye. And civic and industry leaders say she does it well, immersing herself in the needs of both her city and the airport industry, all while expanding flight and passenger counts. Here’s what her friends and colleagues had to say:

LAUREN McLEAN

Boise Mayor “Our residents must be able to connect to opportunities when and where they exist. Those opportunities are not only in and around Boise, but around the region, country and the world. Director Hupp has done incredible work making those connections for Boiseans, and in helping others connect to our beautiful city. I’m committed to creating a thriving local economy. The Boise Airport, and its growing number of nonstop flights and destinations, is critical to our economy, because it connects our small, medium, and large businesses to the world.”

BILL CONNORS

President and CEO Boise Metro Chamber

“What’s great about Rebecca is she’s really engaged in the community, particularly in the business community, because she knows the economic development importance of the airport as an asset. And she’s actively engaged with the chamber, she’s on our executive committee. She’s also been on the board of the Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau because she knows the importance of bringing conventions into town. She’s also great at operations. Everybody who goes to the Boise airport says it’s a great facility and [remarks on] how easy it is to use, how quickly in and out you can get. She’s a great ops person and has built a great staff, and she is highly regarded by her staff and highly regarded by the community.”

DIANE NORTON

Tourism Manager Idaho Tourism

“Rebecca Hupp has done an outstanding job as director of Boise Airport by securing nonstop flights into key emerging markets for business and leisure travelers to Idaho. Tourism is Idaho’s third-largest industry. Connecting domestic and international travelers to the Gem State is paramount to Idaho’s growth.”

LARRY KRAUTER

CEO Spokane International Airport (GEG) “I have much respect and admiration for Rebecca. First, one thing readers might enjoy knowing is that she is a veteran. We both served in the U.S. Army at different times so we enjoy having military service in common. Rebecca’s husband Joe is currently serving in the military and Rebecca and her two sons have endured long deployments. When you think about the demands of being an airport director and add on to that the responsibilities of being a parent and dealing with long absences of a spouse, I am just in awe of what that takes. And you would never know it, because Rebecca never, never complains. She has a positive outlook on life and she brings that to her work and to her service to the industry through the many leadership positions she has held.”

CATHRYN STEPHENS

Director Eugene Airport (EUG):

“This is my second career. My first was in journalism. At one of the very first conferences I attended, I was in a room full of people I didn’t know, in the lunch buffet line looking for a place to sit. Rebecca came up to me, introduced herself and asked if I would have lunch with her. That is how we got to know each other, over that very first lunch where she reached out to a total stranger. We’ve been allies ever since. We support each other, we bounce ideas off each other. She’s been incredible to me as I’ve learned about aviation industry as my second career. She’s a huge resource and I know she’s done that for a lot of people. That’s probably the number one reason she’s been successful – relationship building and maintaining those relationships over time.”

PATRICK WALLACE

Vice President of Business Development Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail

“Whenever I’m coming to town and I want to get together to do a business review or whatever, she always makes the time to do it. A lot of leaders, they’re like ‘I’ve got a million things going on, I’m trying to run an airport.’ She’s always been very approachable, and she comes into all the meetings with an open mind. She’s not there to tell you ‘I’m in charge and this is what it’s going to be.’ Instead, it’s ‘Let’s talk about the issues out there and then let’s partner to figure out the best way forward for everybody.’ So, you feel like part of the team.”

TODD HAUPTLI

President and CEO American Association of Airport Executives:

“She’s been on a rocket ship ride at Boise. She’s brought a ton of new air service to the airport, to the community. Their passenger enplanement counts have had explosive growth. The number of domestic destinations Boise serves has grown significantly. She’s killing it. The Northwest Chapter of AAAE just gave her the honor of airport director of the year and I know that last year she got a statewide award, one of the Idaho Business Review’s 2020 Women of the Year. She’s really creating a lot of great opportunities in the community. She’s just a really true professional.”

FACT BOOK VOL. 24

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