Good evening.

Are you Patrick?

And is it de Grode?

DeGrood.

Okay, come on up and welcome.

Are you okay?

Yes, that would be great.

We have a personnel interview, and this one's going to be for the airport authority tonight.

So welcome.

We'll start with a few questions.

Please give us a brief outline of your education and experiences as it relates to this appointment.

And how would your background be a benefit in relation to this specific body?

Yeah, I went to college at uh South Dakota South Dakota State University for construction management and business.

I've actually been up here for about 17 years, did an internship at Jamar Company, and now I oversee the commercial aspect of Jamar, so all commercial construction and service.

But honestly, since I got out of college, uh learning really has not stopped.

I work for Jamar, which is part of API group, and uh one of their central tenants is building great leaders.

And so uh spent a lot of my time uh focusing on my own leadership and uh leadership of the team around me, and so you know, I think having a background and service and a focus on leadership, and uh I think having that perspective, I guess would be helpful for the airport authority.

All right.

Uh tell us more about why you're interested in serving in this role.

Um I I guess I look at the airport as being kind of a gateway to our community, um a gateway out and a gateway in.

Um and I just think that there's an awful lot of potential around the airport and the aviation cluster, and so um having somebody with kind of a construction and service background, I think could be a benefit to the airport authority.

Thank you.

What do you consider to be the personal strengths or unique perspectives you would bring to this role?

I uh I struggle with strengths.

Uh I'm probably like a lot of other people, but I focus a lot on the deltas.

But um I do approach uh things from a listen first perspective.

Um, you know, understanding where other people are coming from to better address the issues or the challenges that we're trying to uh discuss.

Um so that I also just one of the my favorite parts of the role that I'm in now.

Um get to focus on some difficult problems and uh you know, brainstorming, trying to think outside the box, being solutions focused.

Um I think is is one of the things that I really enjoy.

Um, if I can help add another perspective or just be another set of years to try to understand some of the challenges that uh that the airport has be happy to take that on and lend the hands however I can.

All right.

Is there anything else you would like to add in relation to your qualifications or your interest in this appointment?

Um, you know, I I've I'm not from Duluth, uh, but I've been up here for 17 years.

Uh my family's here.

Um the success of our community is incredibly important to me.

Um the success of the airport and the key resources within our community are incredibly important to me.

And so um, you know, I just I care a lot about uh you know our region, and I think that the airport is kind of one of the central um you know central uh sorry um it's really central to our success, but it's one of the things that uh differentiates us uh from some of the other communities around here, you know.

It is it is a a relatively large airport, and and I think that the opportunity that's around the airport is is something that they're gonna have to probably navigate here in the next few years, and so I think it'd be fun to be part of those discussions, and you know, if I have a perspective that's helpful to them, um I'd be happy to partake.

All right, I'm gonna open up to counselor questions.

Um counselor Timonik.

Thank you, President Nephew.

Um, can you give me on mute?

No.

Can you give me oh no?

Okay.

Can you tell us your top three priorities for the airport?

And I know that's tough when you're not, but just as someone coming in, what three things would you like to work on?

Yeah, I mean, one of the challenges I see with the airport is that they are in a kind of a difficult geographic location.

We're close enough to the cities that going down to the cities to fly out of is easy.

Um but we're also a central hub as well.

And so I think expanding some of the services that they offer I think is is I think it would be a huge benefit to the community.

Um and then also you know, just the aviation cluster.

Um, some of the opportunities that might exist up there, I think would be there it like every development in uh our region.

Um there's gonna be challenges, there's gonna be opposition, but uh I think that you know, thoughtful um analysis of the opportunities, I think uh would be a good um problem to be a part of uh those are two.

Uh the third I don't know, I I think just kind of re-envisioning what that space could be used for.

I mean, it kind of goes back to like the aviation cluster, but I I just really do think that there's a lot of opportunity up there that we can kind of rethink some of the land around it.

Um I did see that uh the Duluth Airport was ranked one of the highest uh for potential of an aviation cluster or just like development around it due to the land that we have.

Um and so you know, I think harnessing some of that I think would be uh good for the community.

Thank you.