2019 Airport Business Top 40 Under 40: Anthony DeFrenza, PE
It’s the process of engineering that fascinates Anthony DeFrenza, and after beginning his career working in water and wastewater projects, he’s found a home at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) where he can put his love of engineering to work.
“Hollywood Burbank is a great medium hub airport that offers a small, convenient airport feel in a huge urban area, I love my role at this size of airport because it allows me to get involved in a lot of different aspects of the airport," he said.
DeFrenza first got the aviation bug when working at LAX as a consultant. He found it a natural fit for his love of engineering.
“I really like engineering as a discipline because it provides a very organized method to solve problems and going through an engineering process allows seemingly difficult problems to be considered in a different light,” he said.
Currently, DeFrenza is working on several significant development activities underway at the airport. Most notably, working to advance towards the implementation of a new replacement passenger terminal (RPT). With his leadership the solicitation, selection and contract award of a program manager and the soon to be solicited progressive design builder, BUR will be able to advance the RPT Program into design and construction.
In addition, Defrenza oversees the rehabilitation of airfield pavement, landside pavement, facility improvement projects and maintenance activities.
Anthony DeFrenza, PE
Director of Engineering and Maintenance
Hollywood Burbank Airport
- Alma Mater: UCLA
- Fun fact about yourself: After graduating with an engineering degree and being an engineer for awhile, I decided I wanted to go in a completely different direction, that was short-lived, but I was a butcher for a little while and I was also in a band at the same time.
- Favorite aircraft: The one that I am sitting in on my way off to vacation.
- Are you a pilot?: No
- Someone I look up to in the industry: Because I am relatively new to the aviation industry, a lot of my examples are within the realm of this airport, but I have gotten very good mentorship from three people here: consultant to the airport, Mark Conway; Senior Deputy Executive Director, John Hatanaka; Deputy Executive Director Planning and Development Patrick Lammerding.
- My favorite thing about aviation is: The sheer scale of it and magnitude of the aircraft.
- If I could change one thing about the aviation industry: I'd like to see more funding available for airports, that would be great and I think would pay visible dividends to the traveling public.
“I like the bigness of aviation. Aircraft are big. Runways are big. Facilities that need maintaining are big. Construction projects are typically big. And then there’s something fascinating about a system that works as well as it does that relies on so many different skill sets and technical expertise.”
About the Author
Walker Jaroch
Editor
Contact: Walker Jaroch
Editor | AMT
+1-920-568-8399
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