New airport board chair touts business strategy

Bob Watkins has reached new heights with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. On July 27, Mayor Jerry Sanders appointed the local businessman chair of the Airport Authority’s board of directors.

“I’ve always brought to the table the thought process of how does this impact business and how can business impact the future of San Diego,” Watkins said. “So economic development is a major suit of mine.”

Watkins replaces Alan Bersin, who left the position in April to become border czar for the Obama administration. Watkins has been acting chair since May and a member of the board since 2006.

Watkins has been doing business in San Diego since 1980. He is founder, president and chairman of R.J. Watkins & Company and also owns a venture-capital firm that invests in local businesses. Watkins currently serves on the board of directors and executive committee of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation.

“I think that a rising tide helps all boats,” Watkins said. “If we can keep our economic business engine moving forward, then San Diego’s continued growth will have a balanced economy.”

Watkins said he approaches Lindbergh Field issues from a business perspective. He said the airport is catalyst for San Diego, providing nearly $10 billion per year in economic development.

“I see it as another part of this linkage of business, economic development and activity in the region,” Watkins said. “It facilitates business activity on many fronts.”

The vision Watkins has for Lindbergh Field is to continue to make it more efficient and accessible to both passengers and airlines. In the short-term, he said this means completing “The Green Build” - an $865 million terminal development project scheduled to be completed in 2013. “The Green Build” will add 10 gates to the airport and will free up more land for airplane parking.

“Moving those planes over to the other side of the airport during traffic times becomes a little tricky,” Watkins said. “By building out the parking area on the airport for airplanes to be on the same side of the terminals, it will help ease the congestion and add to the efficiency of the airport.”

Watkins’ long-term plans involve “Destination Lindbergh,” the airport authority’s plan to optimize the airport, improve access to the airport and improve the regional transportation network. Watkins said the completion of “Destination Lindbergh” is 15 to 20 years away and he wants it to be the best return on the investment.

Another plan Watkins said he has is to increase the amount of international traffic that comes through Lindbergh Field. Watkins said San Diego is a destination community, attractive to tourists and business passengers alike.

“You need a functioning airport to encourage business to participate here,” Watkins said. “I look forward to being able to see if we can’t expand our long-distance carrying of passengers. International business is something that I would like to see us have a little bit more of.”

As for the idea of a new airport, Watkins doesn’t expect that anytime soon.

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“That has been talked about since the time they started flying out of Lindbergh Field,” Watkins said. “Until planes begin to take off vertically, Lindbergh is always going to be the airport we have. There will always be this question about, ‘Is it better to do it somewhere else?’”

Watkins also hopes that the airport will continue to be a good neighbor to surrounding areas. He said the airport has spent about $67 million on the Quieter Home program, which is intended to ease the noise made by planes flying in and out of Lindbergh Field by replacing windows and doors on affected homes.

“We respect the needs of the residents of Point Loma and we’re doing everything we can to be able to assist the community,” Watkins said.

“We’re very sensitive to the fact that the airport is in the neighborhood and we have to be good neighbors,” he said.

Anthony Gentile writes for the Peninsula Beacon where this story originally appeared.

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