In Nevada, NBAA’s Doubrava Highlights Importance of Local Activists’ Voices in Washington

July 26, 2013

With Congress out of Washington for summer “recess” periods to hear from constituents back home, NBAA staff often look for opportunities to get out of the nation’s capital, hear from people in the business aviation community and reiterate the need for individuals to continue echoing the association’s message about the industry’s importance to citizens, companies and communities.

That’s why NBAA’s Dick Doubrava could recently be found at a meeting of the newly formed Nevada Business Aviation Association (NVBAA), held in Las Vegas on July 18. The meeting was NVBAA’s first public outreach to community leaders.

Doubrava reiterated the central messages of the No Plan No Gain advocacy campaign – a program jointly sponsored by NBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association – about the role of business aviation in supporting jobs, helping companies succeed, connecting communities and providing much-needed lift for a host of humanitarian initiatives.

“The first public outreach meeting of NVBAA was an excellent opportunity to remind local industry activists in the group that business aviation has a great story to tell in Nevada and across the country,” said Doubrava.

“We create thousands of jobs in Nevada, help companies of all sizes compete and stay nimble in the global marketplace and connect rural areas of Nevada to towns in the state and across the country,” Doubrava continued. “That kind of value is what NBAA highlights through the No Plane No Gain program, and through the association’s other work in Washington – we need the people in Nevada’s business aviation community to continue doing the same.”

Doubrava cited data people in the industry could use to underscore with elected officials the industry’s value in the Silver State: According to the Alliance for Aviation Across America, general aviation, of which business aviation is a crucial part, contributes $721 million annually to Nevada’s economy, and provides 3,384 jobs and is home to 49 public-use airports.

“We were delighted that Dick joined us at NVBAA’s first meeting,” said Stacy Howard, NBAA’s regional representative in the Western region. “Having traveled from Washington to be with us, Dick provides a reminder that policymakers in the nation’s capital pay just as much attention to their constituents back home as they do to the NBAA staff they meet with on a routine basis.”

Doubrava’s trip to Nevada came after a similar trip to Chicago on July 9 for another aviation-industry event, the General Aviation Issues and Security Conference. Similar to his remarks in Nevada, Doubrava’s comments at the Chicago event addressed the value of business aviation and the need for industry professionals to convey the No Plan No Gain advocacy campaign message to elected officials.