november-december 2021 - 32

Francisco Partida, CM
Age: 37
Hometown: Zacatecas,
México
Alma Mater: Universidad
Cuauhtémoc Guadalajara
Fun fact about yourself: I
tell a lot of dad jokes. I'm also
a terrible singer and dancer
but I'll still try and do it for the
fun of it.
Someone I look up to in the
industry: Sir Richard Branson,
founder, Virgin Group.
My favorite thing about
aviation is: Flying airplanes.
Being a pilot is my #1 favorite
thing about aviation.
Francisco Partida grew up among airplanes and airports. His
father was a regional airports manager for Mexicana Airlines
during the 1980s and introduced him to the industry. Before
his 18th birthday, Partida was already pursuing a pilot's license
and ratings in a flight school in San Antonio.
" That only further solidified my desire to make a career in
aviation, " Partida said. " After 15 years of flying corporate
planes, an opportunity opened and I transitioned to become
part of the airport management team, where I can continue
to grow and try to leave a mark in the industry. "
Partida is the special projects manager for Brownsville South
Padre Island International Airport, city of Brownsville, Texas. He
manages airport marketing, air service development, business
and industrial development, as well as airport AP/AR staff.
Partida prepares air service presentations, attends conferences
and airline headquarter meetings. He presents to both airlines
and to local organizations to generate tangible support for
airline incentives and continued patronage of the airport.
Marketing under Partida has shown growth in the double digits
for revenues generated while showing savings for promotional
marketing the airport purchases.
He monitors all of the airport's social media accounts on what
is an exhausting 24/7 schedule and responds to comments
and questions from the public, maintaining a professional
impression for this critical branch of exposure.
Partida works closely with both of the city's incentive corporations
to aid business and industrial development. He provides
both leads for business development to them and supports
any potential developer or tenant that comes through the
corporations' contacts. This support might be rate setting,
preparation of benefits lists, generating prospectus for available
land and other support documentation for local, airport or
even state benefits. He jointly responds to RFI's for economic
development for both open-calls and targeted RFIs.
Someone Franciso looks up
to in the industry: Sir Richard
Branson, founder, Virgin Group
Partida manages up to five staff that process accounts payable
and receivable invoices, generate budget and financial
reports, assist in preparing budget documents, track POs
and requisitions and handle virtually all office disciplinary
and staff development tasks.
www.AviationPros.com/21238063
Keaghon W. Stark ACE
Keaghon Stark was working as a line man when he moved to
Wilmington, North Carolina with his family. He couldn't find
any job openings in the local market and ended up taking a
position at Wilmington International Airport (ILM) as a maintenance
technician.
He was intrigued by all the sides of aviation he never knew
existed, and the complexity of airport operations were intriguing
as he learned how they worked behind the scenes.
Age: 35
Hometown: Riverhead,
New York
Alma Mater: Riverhead
High School
My favorite thing about
aviation is: Seeing the
people travel and knowing
you can go anywhere in the
world.
Favorite Hobbies: Beach
Volleyball
" I love having the building in tip-top shape, " Stark said.
" Everything is working and is easily accessible to customers
and knowing the grounds we have here are presentable and
people see a beautiful airport property and beautiful terminal
and they come in and everything is comfortable. It makes
part of the flying experience that much better when they're
relaxed and everything is working prior to getting on a plane. "
Stark was promoted to operation supervisor and was the onsite
leader and decision maker for all activities on the airport
between midnight and 8 a.m. As the supervisor after normal
business hours, Stark was responsible for routine preventive
maintenance and security, any special incident, such as delayed
aircraft, emergency aircraft events and preparing for
morning fleet launch by the airlines.
Stark is currently the facility manager at ILM. He's responsible
for all the airfield, airport facilities and management of the
maintenance employees. It is a fast-paced role that requires
sound judgement as well as resource allocation to keep the
airport in compliance with FAR Part 139 operating standards,
TSAR 1542, OSHA and many other local ordinances.
During ILM's $60 million terminal expansion project, Stark
monitored critical equipment installation and power cut overs
scheduled while the facility was vacant. He ensured all problems
were resolved before morning fleet launch.
" I like having a rewarding career, " Stark said. " I like to be able
to look back and see what I've done and what I've accomplished.
It was instilled on me by my grandfather at a young
age that if you work hard, you stay dedicated to a company
or an organization and they'll take care of you because hard
work and dedication is always seen as long as you're doing
the right thing. "
Stark led his shift through the uncertainty and risks of COVID-19.
His steadfast leadership ensured ILM was sanitized, secure
and ready for passengers who required air transportation.
www.AviationPros.com/21238192
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november-december 2021

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