Greenville
airport takes off with Frank Cooper at the helm
by
Julie Whitehead
DBJContributing Writer
Frank
Cooper wasn’t actually looking for a new job when
he picked up a free paper in a convenience store in Horn
Lake in December, 2003. “I came home for Christmas
this past year.
It was just luck,” said the Greenville native, who
read about the executive director opening at the Mid-Delta
Regional Airport three days before the application deadline.
“I brought my laptop with me, so I updated my resume
and other information,” Cooper said. On the job since
March 1, Cooper brings fourteen years of aviation experience
to the Greenville facility after serving in the Air Force
from 1989 to 2000 and working for the past three years at
the Pentagon as a defense contractor for Scitor Corporation,
based in Stafford, Virginia.
During his time in the Air Force, Cooper worked in a variety
of fields related to aerospace matters, including satellites
and other “space ops” programs. In his work
at the Pentagon, Cooper was charged with ensuring that various
classified space-based programs continued development as
planned. “I went from doing operations out in the
field to supporting the Department of Defense in following
programs cradle-to-grave,” said Cooper.
Greenville mayor Heather McTeer Hudson said that Cooper’s
management experience impressed her and the airport commissioners
the most, citing his background in both aviation and administration.
And his local ties didn’t hurt, either, according
to Hudson. “He’s hometown Greenville. We want
people to return back to the Delta and bring their talent
back to the area,” said Hudson. Built in 1942, Mid-Delta
Regional Airport started out as an Army Air Corps training
field, closing after World War II. The base was reopened
during the Korean War as Greenville Air Force Base, only
to be closed again in 1965 with a difference-the base was
given to the city of Greenville. Now with over 700 acres
fronting runways, taxiways or ramp area, Mid-Delta Regional
Airport provides commercial air service with regular Northwest
Airlink flights to Memphis with a goal of 10,000 emplanements
per year, said Cooper. “We’re a regional airport,
so we have connecting flights with Memphis which allows
people to have access to pretty much anywhere they want
to go,” said Cooper.
The number of passengers in past years ensures that the
Greenville facility will continue to make improvements with
its share of federal money from the Airport Improvement
Program. Various terminal improvements funded by the program
have made the airport more user-friendly to travelers, according
to Hudson, citing the new waiting area and boarding ramps.
“We’re very excited about the new look of the
airport,” said Hudson. “He’s done a good
job of hitting the ground running.” More improvement
projects are anticipated this summer, with plans including
a new roof on the terminal building, a new airport faade,
and plans to add lighting, curb features, and drainage to
the airport parking lot, said Cooper. In addition to ensuring
a smooth commercial flight operation, Cooper also counts
14 airport tenants among his responsibilities, including
the City of Greenville Municipal Golf Course and the Delta
Conservation and Demonstration Center. “You kind of
have to do a little bit of everything,” said Cooper.
Cooper hopes to soon announce more additions to the tenant
list, including an additional car rental company. Not only
has Cooper welcomed the changes in his professional life,
he’s enjoyed some of the changes in his family life
as well after moving his wife of 13 years, Mary Jane, and
their children to Greenville. “It’s the pace
of life here-for those of us who have lived in the big city,
it’s a nice change,” said Cooper. Seven-year-old
daughter Madison and three-year-old son Hayden are particularly
happy after an initial settling-in-”Their grandparents
are here, and they’re having the time of their lives,”
said Cooper. DBJ
