![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Phillip-Savkoedit.jpg\")
Prior to his death, Savko served 21 years as the city\u2019s\naviation director. One of his proudest accomplishments was the construction of\na new 20,000 square foot terminal that set a new standard in the corporate\naviation industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPhil wanted to make sure every person walking in the\nbuilding knew they were in Texas and received a warm welcome,\u201d said Director of\nAviation Elizabeth Rosenbaum. \u201cAs a\nresult, many airports look to Sugar Land Regional Airport to try and emulate\nour accomplishments, which is one reason our airport sets the standard today\nfor corporate aviation travelers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Savko led an unprecedented expansion of the facility that\nresulted in the airport\u2019s frequent recognition by aviation professionals as one\nof the top corporate facilities in the world. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His visionary leadership included the first-ever airport\nbusiness plan in 1999 that outlined plans for the airport\u2019s role as a corporate\nbusiness executive airport supporting the local community\u2019s needs for general\naviation. Savko\u2019s airport business plan resulted in $112.6 million of airport\nimprovements, including a state-of-the-art air traffic control tower and SLRA\u2019s\ninclusion in the Contract Tower Program in 2001. Sugar Land Regional Airport was the first in\nTexas to be included in this program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the course of the next two decades, Savko executed a\nplan that transformed the airport from a grassy field to an economic powerhouse\nthat now attracts international travelers and businesses by offering\nstate-of-the-art amenities and concierge services. The plan outlined capital\nimprovements largely funded through federal and state grants,\nrevenue-generating facilities, corporate lease site development and other\nairport services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was also responsible for a new U.S. Customs and Border\nProtection facility that opened up international traffic to the community. In a recent Texas Aviation Economic Impact\nStudy, it was reported that Sugar Land Regional Airport supports the local\neconomy through 692 jobs and $32.5 million in wages and benefits with an\neconomic output of $93 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through professional relationships, Savko completed several\nprojects with cooperative efforts of multiple agencies, including the state of\nTexas, the Federal government, engineers, architects and private-sector\nprofessionals. One of his greatest\naccomplishments was securing more than $100 million in grant funding for\nairport improvement projects. This could\nonly be accomplished through his continuous efforts with the Texas Department\nof Transportation Aviation Division; the Federal Aviation Administration; city\nmanagement; and elected leaders at the local, state and national levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Savko led the construction of a corporate hangar, a new\nGeneral Aviation complex with 99-T-hangars which is the only GA airport in\nTexas with taxiway bridges over water, and he was responsible for the\ndevelopment of two new taxi lanes for Corporate Aviation Development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other accomplishments included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 renaming \u201cSugar\nLand Municipal Airport\u201d to \u201cSugar Land Regional Airport\u201d in 2002;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 establishment of\nthe GlobalSelect Fixed Based Operator brand in 2010;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 new corporate\nlease sites;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 operation of the\nairport as a self-sustaining enterprise with no subsidy from ad-valorem taxes;\nand<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 ongoing\nrelocation of a parallel taxiway — the most recent phase finished in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPhil had a long history of exceptional leadership, vision\nand service that will benefit our community long into the future,\u201d said\nRosenbaum. \u201cHis passion for aviation and our community was infectious and\ncontinues to provide a standard for all of us. Phil\u2019s legacy speaks for itself\nand goes far beyond what a list of accomplishments can capture.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sugar Land City Council recently named the terminal at Sugar Land Regional Airport after former Director of Aviation Phillip W. Savko. Prior to his death, Savko served 21 years as the city\u2019s aviation director. One of his proudest accomplishments was the construction of a new 20,000 square foot terminal that set a new standard in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-texas"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19161"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19163,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19161\/revisions\/19163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}