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40 under forty AGE 30 ABE WEBER ❘ AIRPORT DIRECTOR OUTAGAMIE COUNTY AIRPORT A TOUR of John Deere's flight department and its aircraft marks the day Abe Weber's love of aviation took root. But the newly appointed director of Outagamie County Regional Airport (ATA) in Appleton, Wis., says his commitment to the industry truly blossomed in high school when he pursued his pilot's license. Weber went on to earn degrees in aviation flight and management from Southern Illinois University while working an externship with the Boeing Company. He moved to Appleton after college to take an airport management internship, during which the airport hired him on as custodial and maintenance supervisor. Later he was promoted to landside operations supervisor and airport secu- rity coordinator, where he effectively managed an 180,000-square-foot terminal building and 1,700 acres of property with nine staff members. Weber then served as acting interim airport director before being promoted to airport director in September; in both roles he oversaw all airport operations including Platinum Flight Center, an airport-owned FBO. Weber, a certified member of A.A.A.E., says he loves working in such a dynamic industry, where every day is packed with motivating projects and learning opportunities. During his career Weber managed a $7.5 million parking lot expansion, a $3 million security system upgrade, runway construction and rehabilitation, and taxiway additions. Weber was integral in the purchase and operation of the airport's FBO and is current- ly in the midst of opening the nation's first NetZero general aviation terminal. He has also completed an FAA-sponsored sustainability master plan, as ATA was one of 10 airports awarded a spot in the pilot program. Weber's drive and commitment to learning is tireless. While working full-time as the landside operations supervisor he earned his Master's degree in business management along with his LEAN enterprise certification. He sits on the board of the Wisconsin Aviation Management Association and volunteers with Old Glory Honor Flight and Aviation Explorers. YEARS IN AVIATION 8 "Abe has streamlined and improved the security program at ATW, totaling over $5 million in FAA funded improvements including Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), which covers the entire terminal and parking lot and replacement of our entire perimeter fence." KIM SIPPOLA, MARKETING MANAGER, OUTAGAMIE COUNTY AIRPORT AGE 34 MATT JOHNSON ❘ THE IDEA of how crowds move through a facility has always intrigued Matt Johnson, AIA, LEED AP, one of Gensler's rising aviation designers. He got his start in this field studying mass movement of people in sports stadiums, but once he got a taste of how people moved within an airport, he was hooked for real. "A stadium is only used once a day, 60 days a year for sporting events, but a terminal is used 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so it's a living building," he explains. "When when you're pushing 20 million passengers through a building, how can you make the passenger experience better?" At 34, Johnson has worked on airport projects to better passenger experiences across the globe. He's been an instrumental team member for key 24 airportbusiness October 2013 SENIOR ASSOCIATE, DESIGN ARCHITECT GENSLER global airport design projects including Portland International Jetport in Portland, Maine; JetBlue Terminal at JFK International Airport; and Chennai International Airport, in Chennai, India. When Johnson joined Gensler in 2004 he immediately started working on the JetBlue Terminal at JFK. Nine years later, he has worked with JetBlue at six different airports helping the airline improve the traveler experience and maintain brand standards. "JetBlue to me was a great achievement … it was a great moment for my career from a learning standpoint as well as well as an operational moment," he says. "But all of the projects I've worked on have their own unique story to them and all are great achievements." Johnson's focus on the passenger experience has extended into a research effort for Gensler, where he developed a diagnostic tool to gauge the passenger experience. With his interest in the passenger experience, his airline and airport clients see Johnson as someone "who gets things done." This drive for execution and excellence has made him a trusted advisor to many of the most well-known airline companies. His advice to others in the industry is to be "nimble and flexible." He explains often the design side comes into a project with a vision and some preconceived notions, but a decade later when the project is finished, it might not be exactly as originally envisioned. "Being nimble helps you through the changes," he says. YEARS IN AVIATION 9