A high flyer manages Green growth

TAKING FLIGHT: Brian Schattle, R.I. Airport Corporation chief financial officer, has overseen the quasi-governmental agency through several large projects. Most recently, the corporation opened the $267 million InterLink Facility in 2010. / PBN PHOTO/NATALJA KENT
TAKING FLIGHT: Brian Schattle, R.I. Airport Corporation chief financial officer, has overseen the quasi-governmental agency through several large projects. Most recently, the corporation opened the $267 million InterLink Facility in 2010. / PBN PHOTO/NATALJA KENT

T.F. Green Airport ushers more than 100,000 passengers into Rhode Island each month.
It is a serious economic engine for the state, and recent improvements have only made the airport one of the most hassle-free travel experiences in the Northeast.
Senior Vice President Finance & Administration and Chief Financial Officer Brian Schattle is among those responsible for T.F. Green and the state’s other five airports, collectively known as The Rhode Island Airport Corporation, or RIAC. He manages the agency’s finances, procurement, commercial programs and information technology.
Recent deals overseen by him have enabled the organization to enhance revenue streams, while increasing profitability.
The $267 million InterLink facility, which opened in October 2010 at T.F. Green, was one such transaction.
Connecting Mass. Bay Transportation Authority commuter trains, intercity bus service, a consolidated rental car facility and a 1,200-foot enclosed skywalk to the airport terminal, the InterLink was designed to make travel easy. The project was praised for its forward-thinking approaches to transportation connections, receiving the America’s Transportation Award in the Innovative Management category.
Schattle explained one of the reasons for the initiative was to consolidate rental-car offerings. With three rental-car operators within airport garages and the rest scattered along Post Road, the need to offer a more streamlined “quick-turnaround” facility was the driving force behind the InterLink development.
His implementation of a solid agreement with the rental-car companies was critical to InterLink’s success. Now, the financial terms and safeguards of the arrangement will allow the airport to “flourish in hard economic times as well as profitable times,” said Schattle.
He also led the issuance of two separate General Airport Revenue Bonds in 2005 and 2008. This financed more than $166 million in capital improvements at T.F. Green and the five other state airports. These funds were utilized, in part, to complete a major terminal improvement project at T.F Green, as well as construct a new terminal building on Block Island and a new hangar facility at Quonset Airport. As part of the recently completed project, new concepts in retail and food concessions were introduced at T.F. Green. This opened up yet another channel for revenue. “It was time to update the offerings” and determine a plan to maximize opportunity, Schattle said.
Additions like local restaurant Providence Oyster Bar complemented the food court with Rhode Island specialties. The newly renovated and expanded TGI Friday’s enhanced selection. Retailers like sunglass seller Shades also added to the charm of an airport known for its easy highway access and minimal wait times.
Concessions have remained strong due to this revamped way of doing business. Like the car-rental contracts, concessions have built-in “minimum annual guarantees,” explained Schattle, which allow RIAC to share revenue during periods of growth and financially protect the airport in turbulent economic times.
He was also a key member of the team that negotiated the five-year lease and operating agreement with the air carriers that serve T.F. Green. The pact strives to strike a balance between the financial needs of the airport with the needs of the airlines. Maintaining this balance is a recurring challenge that Schattle has faced head on.
“This agreement allows RIAC to maintain its financial health while providing the framework for RIAC to manage its cost structure for the airlines, and implement action plans to entice additional airline activity,” said Kevin A. Dillon, RIAC’s president and CEO.
Schattle’s leadership drove these ramped-up offerings, said Dillon, who said his “strong sense of integrity and his incredible work ethic” is demonstrated throughout his daily activities.
During his first four years as CFO, RIAC operating revenue increased by more than $12 million, or approximately 28 percent. Schattle played a major role in this growth, Dillon said. Schattle said he is never afraid to get involved in a new venture, due in part to the strong team behind him. “I will get in the trenches and work through a large project,” he said, but “these amazing accomplishments are due to the hard work and dedication of many RIAC employees.”
His peers in the airport industry recognize his abilities as well. Schattle was a presenter at the 2010 American Association of Airport Executives Conference on airline rates and charges in Washington, D.C. He was a member of a panel that discussed issues and strategies for airports as they negotiate lease and operating agreements with airlines.
Schattle has also maintained a strong sense of community. “He tirelessly volunteers for many organizations throughout Rhode Island,” said Dillon.
After 13 years of dedicated service as a board member of the Rhode Island Chapter of the March of Dimes, the chapter honored Schattle with a “Volunteer Extraordinaire” award in 2009.
He is also past treasurer and current vice president of the board of directors of the Ronald McDonald House of Providence. He continues to share his passion for this organization as well as a number of others, including his alma mater the University of Rhode Island. As a member of the URI College of Business Accounting Advisory Board, he provides insight into curriculum for the department.
Schattle attributes his work principles to his leadership at RIAC, as well as his past influences. His parents’ work ethic and morals gave him a solid foundation, he said. And local busing icon George Sage, president of Bonanza, where Schattle formerly worked, built upon it from there.
“[Sage] was the biggest influence on my professional life,” said Schattle.
He goes on to say that Sage, now deceased, “was a very qualified, civic-minded person who gave back to the community. His core values were passed on to me.” •

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