TEXARKANA, Ark. — The Texarkana Regional Airport may possibly be considered as a future destination and launching point for air freight.
Texarkana Chamber Chamber of Commerce President Mike Malone spoke to Texarkana Regional Airport Authority Board members Thursday regarding possible plans for the Red River Air Cargo Association to help the airport attract air freight business.
RRACA is a 501c(6) nonprofit organization, “with a mission to attract, increase and expand air cargo throughout the region” in order to play a key role in regional economic development.
Malone, who is a RRACA Board member, also introduced Rob Sitterly, president and chief executive officer of the AR-TX Regional Economic Development Incorporation. Sitterly is also an RRACA member as is Dr. Brian Matthews, an associate professor of management at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, and Jamie Daigle, instructor of supply chain management at A&M-Texarkana.
The groups stressed that RRACA’s central mission is to provide educational opportunities and supply chain management scholarships to help prepare college students for jobs in the transportation and logistics industries.
“The air cargo industry is one area that Texarkana has room for growth,” Daigle said. “RRACA supports, informs and connects companies and organizations of all sizes in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas in order to play a role in developing an efficient, modern and unified air cargo industry in the area.”
For his part, Sitterly thanked airport board members for following through on building a new and larger passenger terminal — something that airport officials hope to finish before 2025.
In other business, Board members agreed to hire the Nabholz project management firm, pending some final contract negotiations with the board.
