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Devils Lake Regional Airport Manager, John Nord, is the January Unsung Hero. His recent aggressive actions enabled the Lake Region to maintain convenient daily air service to the Twin Cities.
Thanks to the efforts of Nord, and what he calls the team in the trenches, Regional Elite and the DVL Airport Staff, Devils Lake air service can transport passengers to Minneapolis faster than one can drive to any other airport in the state. Nord says, “They can board the plane here and be in the Twin Cities in little more than an hour later. You can’t beat that!”
When complimented on how quickly and efficiently the task of bringing Great Lakes Airline to Devils Lake was accomplished, Nord says, “I was just doing my job. There are many people who made valiant efforts on behalf of this community.” He was a catalyst.
Nord has high praise all those who rallied and worked together, both on the local and national level. He says, “The teamwork was fantastic. It was wonderful to see how our Mayor Richard Johnson, the Devils Lake Regional Airport Authority, Governor Dalrymple, Senators Hoeven and Conrad and Congressman Berg all came together to make this happen. Kudos also go to the Nation’s Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.”
Nord relates that it was a bleak day for the Lake Region when it became apparent that Delta Airlines would not honor their contractual obligations to the community. Nord says, “We realized we were in dire straights when Delta provided only four round trips to Minneapolis from the first to the sixteenth of December, 2011. This was totally unacceptable.”
Nord says that the Airport Authority began their search immediately. They went through a list of airlines. It was stressful. But Nord says, “Once Great Lake Airlines took the initiative, things started to fall into place.” Nord is impressed with the high standards Great Lakes Airlines has regarding customer service and airline protocol. Devils Lake is the first of ten Airports Great Lakes will be serving in the Minneapolis area.
Great Lakes has staff members working at Devils Lake Regional Airport to insure that their standards will be met. They plan to attend Rotary and Kiwanis and meet with staff at Camp Grafton to be certain that local needs are being met.
Nord would like to have this article concentrate completely on the convenient, hassle free service the Devils Lake Regional Airport offers, but I would be remiss if didn’t mention some of his community involvement.
Nord grew up in the Lake Region. He is a native of Churchs Ferry. After receiving a degree in Civil Engineering from Lake Region State College, he was Marketing Director at Sioux Manufacturing for eighteen years. He then owned and operated a local business before he became Airport Manager three and a half years ago. He also has numerous community volunteer accomplishments to his credit but there isn’t space here to list them all.
Nord is pleased to report that even with the difficult December, the Airport ended the year up by ten percent. He emphasizes, “Isn’t it wonderful that you can get on the plane in Devils Lake and be in Minneapolis in less time than it would take you to drive to any other airport in the state?” Of course it is! And it also is nice to have local people giving you a welcome, or a send-off, with home town warmth and charm.
Thanks to Nord for his leadership and to all who make this fine air service possible!
Devils Lake Regional Airport Manager, John Nord, is the January Unsung Hero. His recent aggressive actions enabled the Lake Region to maintain convenient daily air service to the Twin Cities.
Thanks to the efforts of Nord, and what he calls the team in the trenches, Regional Elite and the DVL Airport Staff, Devils Lake air service can transport passengers to Minneapolis faster than one can drive to any other airport in the state. Nord says, “They can board the plane here and be in the Twin Cities in little more than an hour later. You can’t beat that!”
When complimented on how quickly and efficiently the task of bringing Great Lakes Airline to Devils Lake was accomplished, Nord says, “I was just doing my job. There are many people who made valiant efforts on behalf of this community.” He was a catalyst.
Nord has high praise all those who rallied and worked together, both on the local and national level. He says, “The teamwork was fantastic. It was wonderful to see how our Mayor Richard Johnson, the Devils Lake Regional Airport Authority, Governor Dalrymple, Senators Hoeven and Conrad and Congressman Berg all came together to make this happen. Kudos also go to the Nation’s Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.”
Nord relates that it was a bleak day for the Lake Region when it became apparent that Delta Airlines would not honor their contractual obligations to the community. Nord says, “We realized we were in dire straights when Delta provided only four round trips to Minneapolis from the first to the sixteenth of December, 2011. This was totally unacceptable.”
Nord says that the Airport Authority began their search immediately. They went through a list of airlines. It was stressful. But Nord says, “Once Great Lake Airlines took the initiative, things started to fall into place.” Nord is impressed with the high standards Great Lakes Airlines has regarding customer service and airline protocol. Devils Lake is the first of ten Airports Great Lakes will be serving in the Minneapolis area.
Great Lakes has staff members working at Devils Lake Regional Airport to insure that their standards will be met. They plan to attend Rotary and Kiwanis and meet with staff at Camp Grafton to be certain that local needs are being met.
Nord would like to have this article concentrate completely on the convenient, hassle free service the Devils Lake Regional Airport offers, but I would be remiss if didn’t mention some of his community involvement.
Nord grew up in the Lake Region. He is a native of Churchs Ferry. After receiving a degree in Civil Engineering from Lake Region State College, he was Marketing Director at Sioux Manufacturing for eighteen years. He then owned and operated a local business before he became Airport Manager three and a half years ago. He also has numerous community volunteer accomplishments to his credit but there isn’t space here to list them all.
Nord is pleased to report that even with the difficult December, the Airport ended the year up by ten percent. He emphasizes, “Isn’t it wonderful that you can get on the plane in Devils Lake and be in Minneapolis in less time than it would take you to drive to any other airport in the state?” Of course it is! And it also is nice to have local people giving you a welcome, or a send-off, with home town warmth and charm.
Thanks to Nord for his leadership and to all who make this fine air service possible!
