84R18866 JGH-D
By: Metcalf H.R. No. 1777
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Scott Smith, the director of Lone Star Executive
Airport in Conroe, has been named the 2015 Reliever Airport Manager
of the Year by the aviation division of the Texas Department of
Transportation; and
WHEREAS, Lone Star Executive Airport has been designated by
the Federal Aviation Administration as a reliever airport for
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and it is responsible for
more than 360 jobs and 21,000 visitors each year, contributing an
estimated $33 million to the local economy; and
WHEREAS, Since taking over as the airport's director in 2007,
Mr. Smith has overseen the expansion of its infrastructure and
services, including a new $2.4 million customs facility that will
allow international flights to use the airport, a runway extension
and a new taxiway, a significant increase in hangar space and fuel
sales, and a new traffic control tower; in addition, he played a
vital role in the opening of the airport's third fixed-base
operation, a corporate and general aviation facility that includes
two 40,000-square-foot hangars, a three-story, 45,000-square-foot
building, and a new fuel service; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Smith earned his bachelor's degree in airport
management from Metropolitan State University and his master's
degree in public administration from California State University,
Northridge; from 1991 to 1999, he was the director of the
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport in Colorado, and from 1999 to 2005, he
served as director of airports for Ventura County, California;
after moving to Houston in 2005, he worked for George Bush
Intercontinental Airport before becoming the director at Lone Star;
and
WHEREAS, A leader in the aviation community, Mr. Smith is an
accredited airport executive and a member of the American
Association of Airport Executives and the National Business
Aviation Association, and he has been a member of the National
Airports Council board; in addition, he has taught meteorology for
the department of aviation at Lone Star College, and he regularly
hosts school groups for tours of the airport; and
WHEREAS, Scott Smith's receipt of this prestigious
recognition is a testament to his outstanding record of service,
and he may indeed take justifiable pride in his achievements as
director of Lone Star Executive Airport; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Scott Smith for being named the
2015 Reliever Airport Manager of the Year by the aviation division
of the Texas Department of Transportation and extend to him sincere
best wishes for continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Smith as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.