In 2013, R. Shane Brooks accepted a job with the city of El Paso as a place holder between projects. Her career plan at the time was to work as a traveling construction manager for an engineering firm with her next project slated to be in Perth, Australia.
Her first project for the city was the El Paso International Airport (ELP) Consolidated Rental Agency Complex at the 30 percent design phase kick off meeting.
“It was the process of working through that project and the incredible people I was surrounded by that convinced me this is where I’m supposed to be," she said. “I eventually turned down the project in Perth and I’ve been happily employed by the airport ever since.”
Brooks has contributed a great deal to the ELP in her seven years. Her construction management skills have delivered some of the largest, most ambitious projects at the airport in decades.
A new consolidated rental car facility delivered in 2016 at a cost of $42 million ushered in one of the most modern, passenger friendly facilities in the nation that continues to be a cornerstone of our airport improvement program.
Also, a $32 million Checked Baggage Inspection System (CBIS) went online in 2018, which brough El Paso into the company of some of the most modern airports in the nation.
Brooks has a gift for handling complex projects and issues, gathering resources quickly to overcome obstacles and has great skills in seeing solutions where others see problems.
“I’m lucky enough to be involved in the development/construction side of the house and all of my projects are different,” Brooks said. “A typical day has me switching between a paving project in the airfield, to a remodel project inside the Terminal, to planning a food truck event in our short term parking lot. Variety is the spice of life.”
Her latest task involves moving ELP into a touchless passenger experience for a COVID and Post-COVID reality, all the while improving the passenger journey and partnering with tenant airlines and concessionaires to improve service to our customer and help all parties regain profitability in these troubled times.
Her willingness to step into leadership roles shows that Brooks is well equipped to deliver a great vision for ELP.
