Pen Air – Herald and News Editorial

This was an editorial presented by KCEDA President, Lauren Jespersen in the Business Section of the Herald and News on Sunday, August 9th, 2015. 

What does it really mean for business, commerce and Klamath County to have air services?  Sometimes we would like to think that emails, text messages and webinars have taken the place of an eye-to-eye business meeting that is sealed with a handshake, but even the most virtual companies must see, feel and experience the product firsthand before they commit. Business travel is an industry all of its own generating $2 trillion in economic output and supporting 14.6 million American jobs.  According to a national survey productivity gains take various forms including new sales, customer retention, collaboration, employee satisfaction, networking, industry knowledge and idea sharing. Making business travel and access to air services is fundamental to retaining and expanding our business and economic base.

With last week’s announcements of Pen Air touching down in Klamath Falls we started to reimagine the possibilities. Can we get the governor and the Business Oregon Team to fly in and see what we have to offer to businesses? Or which of the companies that we are working with are ready to “kick dirt” and have a “meet and greet” with Team Klamath?   You see in the economic development process or any sales process it is essential that the client feel and experience the product firsthand.

Essentially air service acts as a resource, bringing new inward investment from outside our area. It helps retain local businesses, also giving these existing companies expansion opportunities as the logistical range of where they can provide their products and/or services grows exponentially. Having dependable air services  also helps Klamath influence company location decisions, making our county more attractive to prospective businesses, as well more competitive to other areas in our region. With the opportunity of having an airport, we are also presented a platform for our community to grow as an entrepreneurial habitat for “start-up” businesses, helping us capitalize on our industrial strengths while simultaneously letting us address the desire to further diversify. In addition, having an operational airport increases accessibility to our community, giving us the chance to further develop our tourism sector, for as more airport visitors come in, more money flows into our local economy.

Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA) knows just how vital having an airline like Pen Air is to facilitating economic growth. We want to recognize the efforts of several KCEDA partners, such as the City of Klamath Falls, SkyLakes, Air Guard, the Chamber of Commerce, Discover Klamath, OIT, and more, for helping us and our community enter a position where we may capitalize on the economic benefits of having air travel accessible locally. Without the help of these organizations and local leaders, this would not be possible. In the past few months KCEDA has pushed to be a catalyst in helping our community move forward, and with opportunities such as this, we are provided even more tools to push Klamath County’s economy in a positive direction.

KCEDA is very excited for Pen Air to be involved with our area, and is once again thankful for all the effort that has been put in by our proud organizational partners and local leaders to make this exciting new community relationship a reality.