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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 30, 2005 This rendering depicts what the Million Air Medford executive air terminal will look like on the airport�s north side. ‘Million Air Medford’ coming to airport New executive terminal and corporate headquarters will reshape airfield’s skyline By GREG STILES Mail Tribune Superior Air Center is preparing to alter the Medford airport skyline and change its identity in coming months. The 14-year-old air charter service and fixed-base operator breaks ground next week on a $2 million-plus, 14,000- square-foot executive terminal and corporate headquarters. A planned $2 million-plus 26,000-square-foot hangar is awaiting architectural review by the city of Medford. Both projects are due for completion by June. "These will be the two most prominent buildings people will see when they drive past the airport," Superior Air General Manager Joe Keith said Thursday. Superior Air also has aligned itself with Million Air Interlink, of Houston. As a result, Superior will change its name to Million Air Medford. Superior Air Charter will remain its charter arm and the service division will be called Superior Aircraft Maintenance. Million Air has locations from Vancouver, British Columbia, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, with Monterey, Calif., the closest stop 400 air miles away. Advertisement Sandy Nelson, Million Air’s marketing and customer relations vice president, likened the affiliation to hotel branding. "One of our biggest risks is to hand over our brand name to a company or owner and hope they carry the torch," Nelson said. "Our customers look at us as a chain — as if we had complete control of hiring, firing and standards — all things that make a brand. (Superior Air) was an easy fit in that their attitudes, beliefs system and values are equal to what we believe." Nelson points out that virtually every Fortune 100 company owns a jet or a fleet of jets, some used for corporate operations and others acting as a taxi service. "If you are a pilot going to an airport where you don’t traditionally fly and have a choice to deal with (fixed base operator) company A, B or C, you’re most likely choose the corporate brand you are used to," Nelson said. "It’s like going on the Internet to find a hotel. You may not be sure what it looks like, but you know if you go to a Hilton, there are certain standards to which they are accountable." Superior Air recently completed a two-year process to become Oregon’s first Raytheon Aircraft Company-authorized maintenance center for Beechcraft planes and the only one between Seattle and Sacramento. "It’s huge for us," said Keith, whose staff has grown to 32 from five in three years. "Two years from now, we’ll probably have 100 employees and be a nationally recognized name in aviation maintenance. Potentially, we’ll have 100 family-wage jobs — people making $50,000 or more as airplane mechanics and skilled laborers." The construction site is on Milligan Way, between Mercy Flights and the sheriff’s airport office. R.A. Murphy Construction of Eagle Point is building the terminal and office structure, while Adroit Construction of Ashland is handling the hangar project. Keith says the new hangar can house two corporate jets of the Gulfstream 5s or Global Express class planes — very large private aircraft. In addition to operating its own planes, Superior began managing corporate planes two years ago and would like to add a half-dozen to the pair it now manages. "We maintain them and put our charter certificate on them so when the owner doesn’t use the plane, we can produce revenue," Keith said. "When the owner writes that check at the end of the year, it’s smaller than if they didn’t use it for other things." He said the charter business has grown substantially, taking advantage of Medford’s location between San Francisco and Seattle. "Only about 20 percent of our flying is generated by local traffic," Keith said. "We’re doing a lot of over-flow flying for other charter companies and we end up flying to the East Coast several times a month." Builder to erect 30 hangars Superior Air Center’s changes, a recent expansion announced by Medford Air and a likely Jet Center project underscore the strength of the local aviation business. But the fixed-base operators’ activities aren’t the only blips on the radar screen. Airport Director Bern Case said John Holmes of Johnny Cat Construction will soon begin building 30 small hangars, known as Rogue Valley Hangars near the Civil Air Patrol station. "We’ve had a waiting list for hangar space," Case said. "He saw the opportunity and had the time and money to do it. We make a little money leasing the ground and I’m not opposed to private enterprise making some dollars." Case estimated there are 130 hangars on the airport property housing close to 200 hangared aircraft. "Aviation fuel costs are up and that might affect the recreation fellows," Case said. "But for the guys who fly for business, it’s just the cost of doing business and they do it." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail �Million Air Medford� coming to airport ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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