AXiNsider by Airport Experience® News

...and the expansion of a global brand in an emerging category here in North America.

...and a discussion over various trends and issues in the industry. This episode is sponsored by Briggo Coffee Haus, the robotic, fully automated barista brewing specialty coffee experience. Learn more at Briggo.com .

...and standing out in a crowded market and expanding into airports.

...and the creation and need for personal workspaces in airports.  Have a question that you'd like for me to answer about the industry, about the pod...even about me? Email me at ramon@airportxnews.com  and put PODCAST QUESTION in the subject line.

When news of Paula Kucharz retiring from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was texted to me, I had to take a step back. She's been someone who has been a large part of the airport concession industry, using her skills and experience from street side retail leasing to help elevate the program at PHX and to help influence the industry as a whole. This episode allows Paula to look back at her...

Georgia native Kate Webb began her aviation career with Chattanooga Airport before moving northward to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. In no time, she made her way back south to Tampa International Airport as the director of concessions. In this episode of Ones To Watch, you don't just learn about what brought Kate to the industry and how she's developed her passion for the airport ind...

In this episode, Candace McGraw talks about her beginnings as a lawyer and her eventual journey to airports. Candace shares her many loves for the industry as well as a few hidden gems that reveal much more about her as a leader and as a person. This episode is sponsored by Airport Dimensions. For details on how they can bring their solutions to your airport to increase your lounge revenue, enhanc...

...and the improvements to Orlando International Airport that have elevated the traveler experience.

...and the multiple shifts of a brand in an ever evolving industry. Villa Restaurant Group has grown in its more than five decades of existence, beginning with Villa Pizza to Villa Italian Kitchen and then to a portfolio of quick and full service brands operated in a variety of environments. After years of seeing its brands expand into airports, VRG has now taken the next step and become a restaur...

Deven Judd's career has steadily risen, beginning in Jacksonville International Airport before heading to aviation consulting firm Jacobsen|Daniels. Several years later he joined Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which began nearly five years of learning under the tutelage of the world's busiest airport. He is currently the director of concessions development for the Metropolitan W...

In this episode, Lew Bleiweis discusses the many points of his journey that would ultimately lead him to his position as executive director of the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority. Lew shares the many moments and people who impacted him as a person, his love for the industry, several of his favorite pastimes, and more. This episode is sponsored by Airport Dimensions. For details on how...

...and the many rapidly evolving and expanding responsibilities that Human Resources undertakes in a company and in an industry that is also rapidly evolving and expanding.

...and the psychological and sociological impact that technology is having or could have on us.  

Kylies Fung has been with McCarran International Airport for four years, one of which was as an intern as she attended school at UNLV. Like many, she never thought about a career in airports nor did she ever think that her schooling in Hospitality Management would be applicable to this environment. But years later, she sees the connection between her learnings and the evolution of the industry. Ai...

...and how the years of experience are so vital to personally evolving and staying relevant while also enabling one to give back and mentor.

...and the well-traveled path that brings fresh and engaging concepts to airports.

...and setting the course for growth and evolution of a long-standing food operator. 

...and the passion of authenticity, old world and scratch cooking guiding food trends.

It's been a memorable five years for Isabella Rhawie at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.  In a relatively short time, she has been involved in the planning and tendering of a new program and is now watching that same program come to life.  In our conversation, Isabella details how she came to the airport, the nearly overwhelming amount of info she had to learn and what she compared it t...

...and how the impact of robotics on the street could perhaps soon be felt in airports.