Sunday, June 9, 2013 COLUMBIA DAILY TRIBUNE www.columbiatribune.com 21
ECONOMY TOP EMPLOYERS All employee numbers represent full-time equivalent positions in the Columbia area. All numbers are self-reported, except where noted. University of Missouri
105 Jesse Hall, 882-2121 8,608 employees, which include UM System administration and Extension employees but not temporary appointments. Tim Wolfe, UM System president; Brady Deaton, MU chancellor; Karen Touzeau, MU assistant vice chancellor of human resource services; Betsy Rodriguez, UM System vice president of human resources University Hospital and Clinics
1 Hospital Drive, 8824141 4,468 employees Mitch Wasden, chief executive officer and chief operating officer; Anita Larsen, chief nurse executive; Sue Kope, chief human resources officer Columbia Public Schools
1818 W. Worley St., 2143400 2,117 employees Chris Belcher, superintendent; Dana Clippard, assistant superintendent for human resources Boone Hospital Center
1600 E. Broadway, 8158000 1,655 employees Randy Morrow, interim president; Mary Beck, vice president of patient care services City of Columbia
701 E. Broadway, 8747111 1,332 employees Mike Matthes, city manager; Margrace Buckler, human resources director Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital
800 Hospital Drive, 8146000 1,278 employees Sallie Houser-Hanfelder, director; Mary Wideman, associate director of patient services MBS Textbook Exchange
2711 W. Ash St., 4452243 1,239 employees Bob Pugh, chief executive officer; Dan Schuppan, president; Jerome Rader, vice president of human resources Shelter Insurance Cos.
1817 W. Broadway, 4458441 1,078 employees Rick Means, president and chief executive officer State Farm Insurance Cos.
4700 S. Providence Road, 499-2282 1,063 employees Virginia Gonzales, director of regional claims operations; Jean Baird, vice president of operations; Curt Dreier, vice president of agency for Missouri Joe Machens Dealerships
1911 W. Worley St., 4454411 630 employees Gary and Rusty Drewing, co-owners — Source: REDI employment survey, March 2012
New airline adds popular destinations BY ANDREW DENNEY akdenney@columbiatribune.com | 815-1719 As in the larger airline industry, the city of Columbia has gone through ups and downs in the past few years as it has worked to expand air service. About two years ago, Columbia business and government leaders put a focus on the airport as a possible driver of economic development after Regional Economic Development Inc. reported that firms that were considering setting up shop in Columbia changed their minds because access to international air travel was inadequate. With the help of a two-year, $3 million revenue guarantee with contributions from the city, the University of Missouri, Boone County, Jefferson City, Cole County and private investors, the city was able to attract American Airlines to Columbia Regional Airport, where it offers two daily flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The success didn’t come without complications, though: Previous provider Delta Air Lines withdrew from the market in February when American came in, stopping its service to Atlanta and Memphis, Tenn. In addition, Frontier Airlines, which began providing flights to Orlando, Fla., in November, pulled out of the Columbia market in May. For now, city leaders are focusing on maintaining the relationship with American, which both parties have considered successful thus far. American flights to and from Columbia are reporting load factors north of 80 percent, and the city hopes to eventually cash in on that success to gain an addi-
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tional flight to Chicago or access to the West Coast. City Manager Mike Matthes said he hopes Columbia can fill a niche forming in the airline industry as it consolidates and airlines scale back service to mid-sized airports such as those in Kansas City and St. Louis. According to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology International Center for Air Transportation, from 2007 to 2012, departures from Kansas City and St. Louis dropped 30 percent and 27 percent, respectively. Columbia had a 26 percent decrease in departures in that time frame, but the number of seats scheduled increased from 23,788 in 2007 to 46,200 in 2012, a 94 percent increase. In the latter category, Kansas City saw a 24 percent decline and St. Louis saw a 20 percent decline. “They’re fighting to keep up their numbers, and we’re trying to grow,� Matthes told the Columbia City Council at a meeting in which proposed capital improvements for the airport were discussed. Matthes said Columbia could establish itself as a feeder airport to big hubs such as Chicago and Dallas, where fliers would be able to find direct flights.
Meanwhile, the city is also looking at ways to expand the terminal at Columbia Regional Airport, which was built in 1969 and is out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. City leaders added a terminal construction project to the city’s Capital Improvement Project list and estimated the project would cost about $20 million. Matthes said city leaders added a new terminal to the list in hopes of starting conversations with the Federal Aviation Administration to draw federal grants to cover 90 percent of the cost. He said the FAA typically does not fund terminals, opting mostly to pay for projects that would enhance passenger safety, but he said it is not out of the realm of possibility. An airport in Saginaw, Mich., he said, was built with the help of federal funds. At a recent meeting to discuss the city’s capital improvements list, Mayor Bob McDavid said government agencies tend to allocate funding evenly across a geographic area, and he suspects FAA funding for airport improvements is no different. In that scenario, he said, Columbia could be competing with Kansas City and St. Louis yet again, but this time for funding rather than passengers.
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Passengers disembark Feb. 14 after the arrival of the ďŹ rst American Airlines ight from Chicago at Columbia Regional Airport.
American travels to Chicago, Dallas.
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