James Coburn
EDMOND — Ron Groves, manager of the Guthrie-Edmond Regional Airport, has announced his retirement. Groves has served as airport manager for two years.
“We want to keep him. He’s a great guy but he’s ready to, I think, spend some time with his grandkids,” said Janet Yowell, executive director of the Edmond Economic Development Authority.
This is the fourth year that Edmond and Guthrie have worked together on the joint airport board that includes three board members from Edmond, three members from Guthrie and the Guthrie city manager.
The Guthrie-Edmond Regional Airport Web site lists qualifications for the airport manager to include “a bachelor’s degree with major course work in professional aviation, business administration or a related field, six years experience in airport operations including four years of administrative and supervisory responsibility.”
A salary range of $45,000-50,000 for airport manager is included in a full benefits package.
“We’re definitely going to miss the guy. He’s been the best,” said Richard Geib, an Edmond board member.
Groves’ retirement from the airport comes at a time of growth for the airport as many small- and medium-sized businesses and companies have their own aircraft stationed there. Less than 120 acres of the 440-acre airport has been developed. Improvements in runways now accommodate the use of corporate jets flying into south Guthrie.
“He came in and started at the starting line and has just done a wonderful job building up the airport,” Geib said.
The major concrete runway of the airport has been lengthened to 5,000 feet within the past two years. An additional 200 feet will be added once the Federal Aviation Administration provides money for a 10 percent match.
The past five years have brought nearly $11 million of investment from federal, state and city money going to the airport, Yowell said.
“Mainly Guthrie’s money, we’ve (city of Edmond) participated to the tune of a couple of hundred thousand dollars over the past four years,” Yowell said.
TO LEARN MORE about the Guthrie-Edmond Regional Airport, visit www.cityofguthrie.com/Geoport/Geoport.htm. or call 282-2312.
