San Antonio International Airport (SAT) has been named Airport of the Year by the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC). At the 38th Annual AMAC Airport Business Diversity Conference’s Catalyst Awards in San Antonio, SAT was recognized for its contributions to furthering the goals of AMAC – which include advancing the full participation of minorities and women in employment and contracting opportunities throughout the aviation and aerospace industries.
“We are honored to earn this prestigious award. Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are an integral part of the workforce culture throughout the San Antonio Airport System (SAAS),” said Jesus Saenz, Director of Airports, SAAS. “AMAC’s mission is in line with our mission to deliver the San Antonio experience through transformation and talent by focusing on our people – both those we hire and the 10 million travelers we serve each year at SAT. We are so proud of every team member at both SAT and Stinson Municipal Airport.”
Cultural diversity education is at the heart of the Aviation Equity Initiative program at SAAS, which began in 2020. It led to:
- 65 community engagements in seven school districts
- Numerous airport tours for predominately minority and historically disadvantaged students
- Collaboration with the Dee Howard Foundation to advocate for youth aviation education
- Helping teens to earn their FAA part 107 certification to become peer mentors/instructors
- Inviting students and 12 community organizations to build a mobile flight simulator, which has provided lessons to more than 2,000 students
Additionally, in 2021, inclusionary hiring efforts resulted in the hiring/promotion of 114 employees (more than half being minorities).
The award was announced today at the Catalyst Awards Luncheon during the conference, which started at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa on Saturday. The conference wraps up June 14.
SAT’s Business Opportunity & Diversity Development (BODD) team was highlighted for its significant contributions in line with AMAC’s mission.
“Although many airports struggle with meeting Rental Car goals – and even during the challenging times of the pandemic – SAT exceeded its overall Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) goals,” said Barbara Patton, BODD Manager at SAAS. “Our most significant achievement can be seen in our Rental Car goals.”
During FY21 and FY22, SAT’s average Rental Car goal of 16% was achieved based on gross receipts with more than $9 million going to Car Rental ACDBEs. The average non-Car Rental goal achieved in that same period was 32% based on gross receipts with more than $28 million going to Non-Car Rental ACDBEs. SAT’s total cumulative ACDBE participation included 58 ACDBEs from 2021-2022 and 8 Joint Ventures (JV) for FY22.
“One ACDBE success story is Chelsea’s Sandwiches of Texas. The business was ACDBE decertified – and then recertified with BODD’s assistance,” Patton said. “We’re proud to say, currently, Chelsea’s has a contract with Host JV Partner, Rosario’s Cantina.”
Some other highlights of SAT’s efforts to support diversity inclusion include:
- The average DBE Overall Goal Participation for FY21-22 was 25%.
- FAA grant awards totaled $33.1 million, with more than $12.5 million going to DBEs.
For more information about AMAC and the conference, click here.
