Top 40 Under 40: Anthony Banome

Oct. 7, 2013

Anthony Banome

FBO fuel sales & Customer Service

Meridian

Date of Birth: 7/9/1984

Years in Aviation: 6.5

Anthony Banome, who FBO fuel sales and customer service at Meridian, has always had a strong drive to compete. At just 29, it didn’t take the aviation industry long to figure this out.

After graduating from St. John’s University Tobin College of Business, Banome joined the Meridian Teterboro family in 2007. He instantly became an integral part of the FBO operation. Learning from some of the best in the FBO industry, such as Meridian owner Ken Forester Jr. and Vice President Betsy Wines, as well as strong outside influences Russ Boy Jr. and Gene Condreras, Banome has been able to forge his own image in the heart and soul of the business--fuel sales.

Banome’s character combined with his pioneer mentality led to the creation of a new department in 2011 where he infused his innovative ways of assessing and increasing market share. Results did not take long to follow.

At Teterboro Airport, a market that sees more than 40 million gallons pumped annually, Banome steered Meridian’s Fuel Division to increases in volume, market share, and margin. In addition to driving incremental domestic business, Banome tackled expanding the company’s international market as well. With Meridian’s newfound capability to service international arrivals on a U.S. Customs ramp, he has taken his tactics to a larger stage.

By spawning relationships across the globe, Banome continues to personify all that Meridian has to offer. As a Staten Island resident whose community was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, he led a group of volunteers laden with tools and supplies personally flown in via Meridian clientele. Resiliency, combined with friendships generated throughout the industry, has translated into changing lives in devastated communities. This was by far his greatest achievement of the year.

With Meridian continuing to expand, and Banome as part of its pulse--the best is yet to come. And it is for certain that Banome will be a part of it. “Certain industries tend to trap you in a bubble--and for me aviation rivals that every notion,” he says.