A new JFK Airport will be a gateway of opportunity for local businesses - March 2024
 

By Thomas J. Grech and Justin K. Rodgers

The $19 billion transformation of JFK International into a world-class global gateway is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring economic investment to communities across Queens. But it will take more than just good intentions to convert this historic investment into opportunities for the local businesses that form the bedrock of our borough’s economy. Many of our borough’s most thriving local businesses are family-owned and built from the ground up. These are businesses built on the dream of a better life, a commitment to hard work and, often, a unique concept drawn from the multitude of cultures that make up the international mosaic of Queens. In our experience, and under conventional circumstances, that’s been a formula for success. But airports are not conventional places to run a business. Operating a business at an airport presents unique challenges that business owners do not normally experience streetside. As members of the JFK Redevelopment Community Advisory Council, we have worked with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the JFK terminal developers and operators to level the playing field for local businesses interested in setting up shop at JFK. That is the reason for the Institute of Concessions (IOC). It launched last year to provide local business owners with the necessary skills to competitively bid for concession opportunities, win contracts, and effectively operate within the airport. The IOC program is coordinated by a local Southeast Queens firm, Dianna Rose & Associates, which is also designated as an airport concessions disadvantaged business enterprise. With Dianna’s facilitation, the IOC provides in-depth knowledge, understanding, and practice of key competencies that are necessary to successfully operate an airport concession. The training is led by experts on topics such as customer experience, financial investment and return, design and construction, operations and management, security requirements and more. Opportunities for networking with terminal operators and mentoring by successful concessionaires are also available. The first cohort of 15 businesses graduated last winter, and several of those are already moving forward in the rigorous process of either operating a concession at JFK or entering into a joint venture with another prime concessionaire. Another cohort of business owners is expected to begin the three-month-long IOC training program this spring. Additionally, there will be concession units in the new JFK terminals dedicated to some of the businesses whose owners or officers have completed the IOC training program. The goal of the IOC is to create a pipeline of local and diverse businesses that can successfully operate a concession space and contribute to the overall success of the airport. By the time that all of JFK’s new terminals are open in 2026, our goal is to have many local businesses in place, operating alongside the national brands that travelers find in airports across the county. This is an initiative that doesn’t just benefit the businesses – it’s also a key Port Authority strategy to create airport terminals that present a uniquely New York experience and sense of place for travelers. The IOC is just one of several initiatives developed by the JFK Redevelopment Community Advisory Council, which was established by the Port Authority in 2018 to ensure that benefits from the historic investment at JFK are shared more equitably with the neighboring communities. As champions of local businesses in Queens, we have always believed that the transformation of JFK could be a boon for our borough and catalyze economic activity that supports small businesses. And we firmly believe that the Institute of Concessions provides a unique opportunity for local and minority-owned businesses to share in the potential benefits of this historic investment through concessions opportunities that have the potential to create generational wealth.

Thomas J. Grech is president and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce and Justin K. Rodgers is president and CEO of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation.