NORTH BY COLORADO MEDIA GROUP - JUN/JUL 2022 EDITION

NORTH COVER FEATURE

COS POSITIONED TO MEET NEW DEMAND - GREG PHILLIPS BALANCING OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH GROWTH

BY PAM BALES

Greg Phillips really was born to fly. “My father was an Army aviator with two tours of Vietnam, a silver star and is recognized as a member of the Arkansas Military Hall of Fame,” says Phillips proudly. “I always knew I wanted to be in the military, and it just seemed natural I would fly.”

After graduating from West Point, Phillips chose his first assignment in the Army at Fort Carson in the 122nd Infantry. “After a couple of years, I was chosen for flight school at Fort Rucker in Alabama. The military was an amazing adventure, and it was incredibly good to me,” he comments. Phillips is an instrument-rated commercial pilot and recently completed his MBA from the University of Denver.

Greg Phillips, Director of Aviation, Colorado Springs Airport (FLYCOS)

Gary Caskey, Photographer

“I’d been in the military for quite a while and decided it was time to do something different,” explains Phillips. He was living in Seattle and went to work for Boeing, putting his West Point engineering degree to effective use. He eventually moved into the airport division of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and began overseeing construction projects, starting in Oregon.

“After my move into the civilian realm, the opportunity to work on Denver International Airport (DIA) popped up,” says Phillips. He served as deputy program manager during the construction of DIA. “People don’t know that the runways, the taxiways, and the control tower were all funded by the FAA. It was fascinating to watch DIA rise from the dirt on 53 miles of land. And I can honestly say there are no aliens underneath the airport!”

Phillips served in executive positions for four more airports before landing at the Colorado Springs Airport (COS) in January 2017, as director of aviation.

FLYCOS.COM

“I didn’t go to school thinking I would be an airport manager someday,” says Phillips, “but, it seems like, when you get to where you’re going, every step you took contributes to where you end up.”

Phillips acknowledges the challenges he’s encountered in only five years. “I immediately inherited the 2016 hail damage and then we had a damaging fire in 2018,” he notes. “We were planning a remodel anyway, so we moved ahead and stayed on budget. And then, of course, there was COVID.”

The opportunities far outweigh the challenges, according to Phillips. “Our biggest opportunity right now is growth. Growth is a double-edged sword but we’re excited about our growth, on the commercial side and in our business park.”

“IF YOU FLY OUT OF COS, WHEN YOU ARE HOME–YOU ARE HOME!”

“Finally landing Southwest Airlines has probably been the highlight of my tenure here so far,” comments Phillips. “This was a 20-year effort that highlighted the true collaborative nature of this community, businesses and the city. The Southwest folks were so impressed with how all the different entities could come together that they started right out of the gate with 13 daily flights to five different destinations.” Southwest Airlines added 18 new cities during the pandemic and only three of those started with more traffic than COS, he adds.

The future of COS is bright, says Phillips, but consumers need to contribute to its growth. “You may have seen our ads touting the ease of our airport–easy check-in, less-expensive parking, local food and beverage options in our terminals and no Denver traffic. We have a brand new Marriott hotel in the works on property as well.” The average difference in airfares for COS compared to DIA are only about $40 to $50, Phillips notes. Other airlines at the airport include American, United, Delta and Frontier.

Supporting that bright future, he explains, are the COS statistics from March 2021 to 2022, recording an increase in airplane seat capacity of 21.5%. There’s also been a 225% increase in total enplanements— meaning traffic has more than doubled over the 12-month period.

Running this growing airport takes 117 full-time employees. As the team leader, Phillips explains his leadership philosophy: “I get out of the way!” he laughs. “I do try and share my enthusiasm for what we do with all our employees. It’s easy to get focused on the day-to-day details of what they are doing. It is part of my job to remind team members about the big picture–what we do matters. We reunite families, help businesses grow, assist in tourism, and embrace our support of our military.”

In addition to flying the public, COS is also growing in three other business lines, explains Phillips. “Other areas that people may not know about include: general and corporate aviation; support for Peterson Space Force Base, Fort Carson, the US Forest Service; and our 900-acre business park–Peak Innovation Park.” Among other current and new businesses, Amazon has three facilities within the business park–including their biggest building in the state, with 3.7 million square feet.

Phillips attributes his leadership style and team mentality to the experience he gained while managing his own leadership training business. “Running my own business for a number of years gave me invaluable insight into teams, customer service, and running successful businesses.”

“At the end of the day, my goal is to run an efficient airfield every single day, keep it healthy for our customers and employees, and grow our destinations. If you haven’t flown out of COS in a while, check us out,” ends Phillips. “Remember, if you fly out of COS, when you are home–you are home!”

Greg Phillips is the past president of the Board of Directors of the Northwest Chapter for the American Association of Airport Executives and currently serves on several national aviation committees. He serves the community as a member of the VisitCOS Board of Directors, the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, the city’s Economic Development Advisory Council, the Colorado Springs Police Foundation Board and is an honorary commander at the United States Air Force Academy. Greg is an Accredited Airport Executive, a member of the Order of Daedalians, a senior fellow in the Council for Excellence in Government, and an active member of the Colorado Airport Operators’ Association. In 2020, Phillips was recognized as the Airport Executive of the Year by the Northwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives.

COS AWARDS

• 2021 The Gazette’s Best Workplaces

• 2021 Best in Colorado Asphalt Pavement Award from Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association (CAPA) for COS runway rehabilitation

• 2021 and 2019 Projects of the Year by Colorado/Wyoming Chapter, American Concrete Paving Association

• Accredited as a Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR Facility; GBAC STAR is a performance-based accreditation program that demonstrates airport facilities have put in place the work practices, procedures and protocols to prepare, respond, and recover from outbreaks and pandemics.

• 2021 Balchen/Post Award for Excellence in Airport Snow Removal from the Northeast Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives

• 2020 Airport Council International–North America (ACI-NA) national Brand Identity Marketing & Communications Award

• 2021 ACI-NA national finalist in two categories

• 2020 Economic Partnerships Award by the Economic Development Council of Colorado

• 2019 Airport of the Year by Colorado Department of Transportation

• Troy Stover, assistant director for business and administration for COS, was selected as the recipient of the 2021 Aviation Excellence Award, presented by the Northwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives.