What We Do

Today’s airports must operate at peak

performance to be competitive within the constraints of a highly regulated industry. SBA brings an airport operator’s perspective to each assignment offering the assessments of seasoned airport professionals.

As nationally recognized airport management consultants, SBA team members have an unparalleled background in hands‐on airport management, including day‐to‐day operational responsibility, in addition to more than 90 years of combined experience consulting at more than 100 airports throughout North America.

Our management and organizational reviews and analyses help airports conform to industry standards and increase efficiencies in staffing resources, reporting lines, and overall operations. 

SBA prepares both strategic management plans as well as strategic business plans for airports. SBA principals have served as Project Director or Principal-in-Charge in the development of many strategic business plans nationally. The scope of each plan is developed in consultation with the client and is created to include the participation of key policymakers and stakeholders. 

Plans are then prepared in concert with the airport’s unique strengths and attributes while setting challenging, achievable, and measurable goals in several key areas of management, operations, and airport development.

Given our successful working relationships with dozens of airports throughout North America, as well as our superior knowledge of the aviation industry, our firm is in a unique position to provide Human Resource Services for your airport. Our talented consulting team will bring strategic solutions to help solve your most pressing HR challenges including: organizational assessment & design; performance management; compensation & salary studies; succession planning; leadership & staff coaching; and aviation executive recruitment. For more information about our HR services,  please visit our Human Resources services page here.

Performance benchmarking is a management tool that helps assess organizational performance as well as competitiveness in the marketplace. When a benchmarking process is undertaken, proper consideration must be given to the selection of “comparable” airports as well as the industry metrics used for comparison purposes.

Benchmarking, organizational analysis, governance review and recommendations, and strategic planning are all services that complement each other and are provided by SBA. The fundamental objective is for the airport to be “Best in Class” in all areas of management and operations.

Airport administrators periodically need to make significant decisions affecting the public at large. Oftentimes administrators have limited time in formulating policies and addressing public problems, but may have a certain degree of discretion in planning, revising, and implementing public policy as decision-making occurs.

The principals at Steven Baldwin Associates are seasoned professionals adept in policy and public administration. Throughout their careers, they have facilitated the development and implementation of policies that affect the public and day-to-day management and operation of the airport.

In support of the needs of decision-makers, SBA can help examine program rationale, goals, and objectives; develop salient facts; assess values; and quantify means and resources necessary for success.

SBA employs the latest decision-making techniques in public administration (including benefit/cost and risk analysis) to assist decision-makers in understanding the full magnitude of proposed policy decisions and the results they will achieve.

Not all airports are the same when it comes to optimizing their governance model in a manner that achieves the most desirable results. Issues of cost control, capital financing, reporting, and accountability must be balanced with the investment of resources necessary to address the region’s air transportation and economic development needs.

SBA can help you address governance issues, allowing you to operate your airport more efficiently and effectively, as you strive to achieve and balance your strategic goals and objectives.

An airport’s potential to bolster regional economic development is vital to the community it serves. Developing new business and creating jobs helps bring demand for the movement of people and goods by air, which further complements airport activity and accompanying economic benefits.

The principals at Steven Baldwin Associates have a proven track record for constructing economic development plans for airports. SBA specializes in engaging the full suite of regional economic development expertise during plan development, identifying and prioritizing program initiatives in the regional context, and identifying the level and source of resources necessary for plan success.

Likewise, our revenue optimization studies take a comprehensive review of airport revenue sources and discover ways to enhance performance and results. With financial experts on staff, we have the depth to help your organization uncover all the options to enhance your non-aeronautical revenue and decrease operational costs. 

As an integral part of a comprehensive revenue management program, SBA has a special skill set in analyzing current operations for revenue optimization, particularly regarding concessions programs and tenant leases. Our revenue optimization studies can result in increases in gross revenues from 3% to 20% of existing programs.

Most often it is beneficial for an airport to engage outside assistance when reviewing rates and charges or when there are urgent policy issues. Using an expert who has experience with multiple airports helps to depoliticize the process and may assist airport management in implementing the necessary changes in the best interest of the airport.

SBA offers proficiency with the latest industry trends and standard rate methodologies as well as expert data analysis backed by experience from developing rates and charges over a broad spectrum of airport clientele. 

SBA assists airport operators with tenant lease and license negotiation support. We help ensure that our clients are well supplied with necessary airport comparable data, appraisal information, rates and charges data, activity forecast, and the pro forma data necessary for sound decision-making.

We help develop a host of pro forma alternatives when capital improvement or new development is involved. These alternatives include the assessment of primary and secondary economic impact, which allows for a fair and reasonable business arrangement to be made between the airport and the proposed tenant, consistent with the financial and economic development goals of the airport.

SBA offers quick turnaround service on Independent Fee Estimates (IFEs), as well as providing ancillary services including RFP development, project scope review, consultant screening and selection support, fee negotiation, and owner’s representative services as the project is underway.

We maintain a large database of comparable project and fee information that helps to develop IFEs quickly and accurately. Once the proposed consultant’s scope and associated project information is received, we can typically prepare the IFEs in accordance with FAA Advisory Circular 150/5100-14D within days, allowing you to maintain momentum towards meeting FAA requirements and securing your project grant.

SBA provides Owner’s Representative Services including:

• Development of FAA 5-year Capital Improvement Plans.
• Large and small-scale program definition services.
• Developing Terms of Reference and RFPs.
• Procurement assistance.
• Direct or indirect contract negotiation support.
• Providing the full suite of project management services including contractor oversight and performance monitoring.

SBA professionals are also available to provide on-site staff augmentation, as necessary.