Got a question for Richard B. McQueen about Akron-Canton Airport? Your first thought might be that it would be tough to get an answer. He’s the president and CEO of the airport, after all. So he’s probably got all kinds of board meetings to attend and bigwigs to meet with before he’d have to time to answer your question.
But you’d be wrong. Each month, McQueen hosts a live chat called, “The Prez Says,” in which he directly answers questions from anyone who wants to ask one. It’s just one of the ways Akron-Canton Airport stays in touch with its customers’ needs and positions itself to constantly get better at what it does.
McQueen wants every one of his 575 employees to feel comfortable approaching him with ideas to make the airport a better place for customers. He seeks to instill pride in those employees every day wherever he is by making it clear that he wants to resolve problems and not just sweep them under the rug or make excuses for why nothing can be done.
The open lines of communication have been further emphasized through the growth of social media. Akron-Canton was the first U.S. airport to launch a corporate blog and to use Facebook. The airport is also on Twitter and has more than 50 videos on YouTube, giving customers an opportunity to see what’s happening at the airport.
The bottom line is that McQueen wants everyone who walks through the airport doors, whether it be an employee or a customer, to feel at home. In his mind, the only way to run a business is to treat everyone like VIPs and give them all the best experience they could ever imagine.
How to reach: Akron-Canton Airport, (330) 499-4059 or www.akroncantonairport.com
