Consider the airport a piece of the economic development puzzle in Cullman County, says Cullman Airport Manager Ben Harrison. As a puzzle piece, it’s a pretty crucial one: according to an economic impact study done by the state, the airport has an annual $13.7 million impact on the economy.

The results of the study surprised even Harrison, who said the thing that stood out to him was the number of jobs, 141, related in some way to the airport. Those can include employees of the airport as well as commercial pilots. Wallace State College flight instructors or AirEvac helicopter pilots.

The other result that surprised him was the actual amount of the impact the airport has on the community. “I knew our impact would be interesting, I didn’t know it was going to be $13 million,” he said.

According to the state’s economic impact report, the airport had more than 8,500 visitors in one year and generated $770,200 in state and local tax revenue.

Planes come in from as far away as Colorado and New York, and the airport is also a takeoff point for vacation travel, particularly to Gulf Shores, the report shows. Other top destinations are Birmingham, Montgomery, Auburn and Troy.

“A lot of our business is existing industry and industry looking to locate here,” said Harrison.

Beyond just the numbers, Harrison said what the airport offers is an introduction to Cullman for visitors and is a piece of the economic development puzzle.

“We have everything every other airport has,” he said. “What we have to offer is service.”

He said all the airport employees are committed to presenting the Cullman community in its best light. While corporate leaders may spend just a few minutes at the airport before going to local plants or meeting with economic development officials, the pilots of those planes can spend several hours in Cullman waiting to fly out again.

“We want to focus on the pilot once they hit the ground,” he said. “We love to show our airport to the pilots.”

Harrison said they provide the pilots with information on area attractions, hotels and restaurants. “You want to make sure they have a good experience because they’re going to talk to those CEOs about what they did in Cullman,” he said. 

Even if the pilots opt to hang out at the airport, Harrison said, they try to make them as comfortable as possible. It helps, too, that the airport has invested in its infrastructure and equipment.

That investment is continuing with the airport recently receiving a federal grant to re-do its mile-long runway. 

“By the end of August or perhaps the first of September, we’ll be digging the runway out and starting over,” he said. “It’s going to be a complete rebuild job — It’s not an overlay; it’s not patching. It’s a new runway that will last us for 50 years. It will cover the same footprint as the current runway, though it’s configured for future expansion.”

During the construction, which is estimated to take about four months, fixed wing aircrafts will be unable to land at the airport. While it will be an inconvenience, he said, “Nothing is more important at this moment than a good, strong runway.”

He said the new runway and future extension – which will allow larger planes to use the airport – will only continue to add to the economic impact the airport provides to Cullman County.

Editor Amy Henderson can be reached at 256-734-2131 ext. 216.