Feb. 26, 2015
Since the launch of the No Plane No Gain advocacy campaign in 2009, NBAA and campaign co-sponsor, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, have worked to spread the program’s message not only in Washington, but also to policymakers and opinion leaders outside the nation’s capital.
NBAA’s six regional representatives have been central to this effort, often working with dozens of local business aviation groups to get the campaign’s advocacy resources in the hands of industry activists.
One such resource has been the Business Leaders on Business Aviation booklet, which has become one of the most popular No Plane No Gain publications produced to date. The booklet, which NBAA provides free of charge upon request, features testimonials from 25 CEOs, each detailing how the use of business aircraft makes their companies more efficient, competitive and successful.
As an example of the booklet’s effectiveness in highlighting the central role of business aviation for companies of all sizes, all across the U.S., consider the experience of Steve Hadley, NBAA’s director of regional programs and the Association’s Southwest regional representative, who has distributed the booklet to “each and every state legislator in Texas – more than 180 people” during meetings with government officials.
“Many of them are freshmen legislators who weren’t aware of what business aviation was,” said Hadley. “As I went through the booklet with them, their eyes were opened as they recognized businesses within their districts and saw how business aviation is essential to the success of their constituents’ companies.”
Hadley also has distributed the booklet at state aviation events in Kansas and Colorado, and plans to share it with lawmakers at upcoming events in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
NBAA Western Regional Representative Stacy Howard frequently utilizes Business Leaders on Business Aviation when meeting with lawmakers in her area, too. Howard has distributed the booklets to lawmakers in New Mexico and California, and it played a key role in her recent discussions with Nevada officials.
“The assistant manager at Reno-Tahoe Airport was particularly impressed with the quality of the publication,” said Howard following a joint presentation last week with the Nevada Airports Association to the Nevada Senate Transportation Committee. “She felt the images and statements contained in Business Leaders on Business Aviation would be an effective tool as they chart the course for their airport.”
The booklet has also proven to be an effective resource for NBAA’s Central Regional Representative Bob Quinn, who so far this year has distributed copies of Business Leaders on Business Aviation to lawmakers and other policymakers during events in Minnesota, Ohio and Illinois. That includes a recent meeting with airport officials at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) in Palwaukee, IL.
“The booklet’s messages really resonated with members of the airport board as they look toward expanding the facility,” Quinn noted. “Board members know they must be proactive in highlighting the value of the airport as an important business asset in order to grow. Business Leaders on Business Aviation offers a simple and direct method to convey those messages.”
The booklet is also a key asset for NBAA Southeast Regional Representative Greg Voos; Kristi Ivey, NBAA’s Northwest regional representative and Dean Saucier, NBAA’s Northeast regional representative.
“Business Leaders on Business Aviation has opened the door for future conversations with legislators who want to know more about business aviation and how it has a positive impact on their communities,” Hadley said.
Download a copy of Business Leaders on Business Aviation. (PDF)
Order complimentary copies of Business Leaders on Business Aviation.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.