Aviation View | April 2021

36 AVIATION VIEW APRIL 2021 The other aspect of the airport being a catalyst for economic development is the ability to have a quick turnaround in terms of commercial development – site locators, tenant reps – people who might be considering a site for a national chain grocery store or a series of restaurants, and other sundry type stores. According to Bennington, “It’s another means of convenience. Time saving is very important in marketing of economic development sites. There are times when a tenant rep or a leasing agent are looking at five or six cities in the course of a day or two. Using our airport means they don’t have to fly into Atlanta or Birmingham and then drive in a rental car or be chauffer driven to Anniston to look at sites. It’s about time saving and that’s critical. It’s a strong facet in the marketing of properties and the region, when you have people coming from all parts of the country looking at sites.” Having a runway length of 7002 feet allows access to converted 727s and other large aircraft that are utilized to haul freight. And the location right off the interstate provides a convenience factor, if there’s going to be a fly-in for a manufacturing plant or another industry along the interstate corridor. Just the regional geographic location is an extremely valuable tool that Anniston Regional offers to marketing for economic development. The entire region is steadily growing, which is another reason the airport has so much potential. “Calhoun County is a destination for eco-tourism,” says Arnett, “and we have some of the best bike trails in the world. When COVID hit and people stopped coming, it was noticeable. Before the pandemic, we had people flying in to experience our trails. We are also right next to the Talladega International Raceway, so we get race traffic. Jacksonville State University football team flies in and out of our airport, and then there is the military traffic out of Anniston Army Depot. The Regional Medical Centre also flies medical flights from the airport, as it is the medical hub of the county but