The Tampa Aviation Authority last year essentially ran off a veteran airport director considered by his peers as one of the best administrators in the nation. The board replaced him with someone who had never been a CEO and whose focus was marketing.

Some people thought it was a gamble, but it appears to be paying off. Joe Lopano has made an impressive start since taking over at TIA at the beginning of the year. His marketing background and can-do attitude are helping the operation confront difficult economic times.

Lopano, to be sure, had a hard act to follow in Louis Miller, a detailed-minded administrator who for nearly 14 years oversaw what was routinely rated as the best airport in the nation.

Yet in recent times Miller regularly butted heads with new board members. He bristled at their demands to do more to attract additional flights, particularly international flights. They also questioned a number of Miller's decisions, some of which were done without much board or public oversight. Miller -- who said flights largely depend on passenger numbers that are beyond the airport's control -- resigned. He was soon hired as the director of the much larger Atlanta International, an indication of the industry's regard for his abilities.

But for all of Miller's success here, Lopano's new approach looks to be generating energy and innovative. The former executive vice president for marketing and terminal management at Dallas/Fort Worth isn't waiting passively for TIA to weather the economic lull. The airport dropped from 19 million riders to 16 million last year.

"We got a double hit -- the bad economy and tourists were scared by the oil spill," he says. "But we can't just wait for traffic to recover," he told us recently.

So Lopano, a former airline executive who once helped decide where to locate flights, is campaigning hard for new flights. He points to the success of flights to Puerto Rico (now averaging 500 passengers a day) that were added last year. Tampa was just awarded direct charter flights to Cuba. Because of the embargo, the number of eligible passengers will be limited, but it adds another Caribbean flight, which Lopano sees as a key area for expansion.

He sees opportunity in Europe -- "they love our beaches" -- as well as Central and South America. And the rest of the United States should recognize that Tampa is the "the Gateway to the Gulf Coast."

Lopano recalls a conversation with an airline official who said, "If you don't let us know you are interested, you won't be on our radar." He plans to put Tampa on as many radar screens as possible. It can take years to land flights, but the ultimate payoff will come in more passengers for the airport, tourists for the region and commerce for local businesses.

Lopano also has sought to be transparent and inclusive in decision-making. He challenged his staff to find new ways to raise revenue and is initiating a number of efforts based on their recommendations. These include tapping more advertising opportunities in the terminal -- without, he stresses, cluttering its peaceful atmosphere -- and increasing retail sales, particularly with restaurants and Tampa-centric businesses.

The airport is undertaking a $20 million renovation of the terminal that will update, but retain, the orderly appeal of what the late George Bean, the airport's first director, called "Tampa's living room."

Though Lopano has aggressive goals, his recently presented budget is conservative, slightly reducing operating expenses while projecting nearly a 3 percent increase in operating revenues. It looks realistic.

Thanks in large part to Bean and Miller, TIA already is considered a great airport. Lopano aims to safeguard the airport's reputation but isn't afraid to shake up the status quo to ensure that many more passengers experience TIA's singular appeal.

It's way too early to judge Lopano's tenure, but the authority's decision doesn't seem like much of a gamble at this point.

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