Leader of Oakland Airport Tapped for Cleveland Hopkins Top Job, Will Oversee Massive Terminal Rebuild
CLEVELAND, Ohio — When Bryant Francis was a child, he traveled extensively with his grandparents, using the flight benefits accrued by his uncle, a Delta Airlines employee.
“That’s where it began – when I was 4 or 5 years old,” said Francis, 49, the director of aviation at Oakland International Airport in California. “I caught the fever for flying.”
On Monday, Francis was named the next director at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, where he is expected to oversee a $2 billion plan to rebuild the aging facility. He starts May 24.
Despite his early love of flying, Francis opted against training as a pilot and instead became fascinated by the intricacies of running an airport. In his 25-plus year career, he has worked at airports in Detroit, Atlanta, Louisiana, Idaho and most recently, California.
“I want to help Cleveland Hopkins be better than it’s ever been,” he said, in a phone interview from California. “Being an integral part of a place that is making continual improvements – that appeals to me.”
Francis will be paid $365,000, making him the highest-paid employee in the city.
Bonnie Teeuwen, chief operating officer for Mayor Justin Bibb, called Francis the top candidate for the job and said the position attracted lots of interest from experienced aviation executives, who wanted the opportunity to manage the implementation of the airport master plan.
“We have never done anything of this magnitude at the airport before,” she said. “It’s a challenge that most of the candidates were interested in conquering.”
Francis replaces Robert Kennedy, director of the airport from 2017 through last summer. Kennedy oversaw the development of the airport’s new master plan, completed in 2021, which outlines a series of $2 billion in capital improvements to the terminal, parking, roadways and other infrastructure.
The $800 million first phase is expected to begin in 2025, although airport officials are already negotiating with the airlines on financing options. Dennis Kramer, the airport’s chief of planning and engineering, has served as interim director since last summer.
Teeuwen said Francis had experience in all of the key areas the city was seeking. “He’s been through all of the things that we’re going to be going through – lease negotiations with the airlines, capital improvements, good experience on the business development side,” she said. “Also, he’s a nice, likable guy.”
Francis has been in charge of the Oakland airport since 2016, where he most recently oversaw a plan to improve food and retail options throughout the terminal with more local vendors.
Oakland, with 11 million passengers in 2022, is the nation’s 41st largest airport – larger than Cleveland, which welcomed just under 9 million travelers last year. Oakland airport, which competes for service and passengers with nearby airports in San Francisco and San Jose, is owned and operated by the Port of Oakland, an independent department of the city. Cleveland Hopkins, meanwhile, is owned by the city, with oversight from Cleveland City Council.
Oakland is an operating base for Southwest Airlines, which makes up more than 80% of the airport’s flights. It’s also a cargo base for FedEx Express.
Francis said he is familiar with the history of Hopkins, a former hub for Continental and United Airlines that has attracted new airlines in recent years, offering a more competitive mix of carriers and fares, although with fewer destinations.
He said he’s looking forward to working with the business community to add new destinations from Cleveland. “I’ve built a great relationship with many airlines, not only in the U.S. but internationally, as well. I understand the things that matter to them.”
As director of airports for the city, Francis will also oversee Burke Lakefront Airport, the small, downtown airport that is currently the subject of two separate city studies, both of which are looking at the possibility of closing the facility.
Francis deferred comment on the future of Burke, saying, “I expect to be engaged in that process once I’m on site.”
Teeuwen also said Francis was the right person to deal with some persistent employee morale issues. In recent months, airport employees have reached out to leaders at City Hall as well as Cleveland City Council to complain about the work atmosphere at the airport, alleging that outspoken employees are singled out for retaliation, overlooked for promotion and other issues.
“The general consensus is they don’t feel like they’re being heard,” Teeuwen said of the employee concerns. “Bryant is easy to talk to, he’s quick to laugh and you can tell he’s a leader, too. He has the technical side, but I think he has the emotional intelligence side as well.”
Francis, a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said he has been to Cleveland several times prior to his most recent visit to interview for the job.
He took a closer look this time at the aging airport, which dates to the 1950s. He arrived late at night when the terminal was mostly empty.
“I saw an airport that has grown over time,” he said. “Concourses were built at different times, designed for those times. The ticketing and baggage areas were modernized more than the concourses.”
He added, “I thought it was clean – which is really important. And that includes the restrooms.”
Francis said he hasn’t found a place to live in Cleveland yet, but it will likely be in or near downtown. “I like being close to the heart of things,” he said. “I’m a lover of architecture and was really impressed by some of the buildings downtown.”
Francis also said he was looking forward to being close to family in central Pennsylvania, an easy five-hour drive east. “I’ve never been this close to home,” he said.
Francis has a bachelor’s degree in aviation management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. He said he learned about the school from brochures he picked up at the Pennsylvania International Air Show when he was a teen. He initially intended to train to be a commercial pilot but changed his mind during his first semester.
As a senior in high school, he had worked briefly at Harrisburg International Airport. “I got a better idea of what it takes to operate an airport,” he said. “I caught a glimpse behind the curtain. And that was fascinating to me.”
Bryant Francis, career history
Oakland International Airport, director of aviation, 2016-present
Long Beach Airport ( California), airport director, 2015-2016
Shreveport Airport Authority ( Louisiana), director of airports, 2012-2015
Boise Airport ( Idaho), deputy director, properties and business development, 2008-2012
Detroit Metropolitan Airport, director, aviation real estate, 2006-2008
Palm Springs International Airport ( California), deputy director of aviation, 1997-2006
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, airport operations representative, 1996
©2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.