GUILFORD COUNTY — Steve Showfety, longtime chairman of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority and an executive with the Koury Corp., has died after a battle with brain cancer.

Showfety was 72 years old when he died Wednesday night.

Showfety was serving his 10th year on the governing board of Piedmont Triad International Airport and his sixth year as board’s chairman. He was first appointed to the authority by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners in 2009.

During his tenure as chairman, Showfety oversaw a major expansion of the airport’s footprint and was instrumental in promoting the airport as a key player in the state’s aerospace industry.

The construction of a taxiway bridge over the new I-73 connector, which has opened up hundreds of acres of airport property to new industry, was completed while Showfety was chairman.

Showfety was also instrumental in the growth of the annual PTI Run on the Runway, a 5K and 10K run that now raises more than $100,000 each year for the region’s food banks.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete as of Thursday afternoon.

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