Louisiana native Steven Picou was selected Wednesday from a field of more than 30 candidates to be the new director of Lafayette Regional Airport.
Picou told The Daily Advertiser Wednesday night that he wants the job “professionally to move up to the next level as director, and personally, it gets me closer to my family” in Labadieville and Franklinton.
Picou, 43, has been deputy director of Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport in Texas since 2007. He was born in New Orleans, grew up in Cut Off in Lafourche Parish and graduated in professional aviation from Louisiana Tech University.
Picou said he worked at New Orleans International Airport from 1996 to 2000 in airport operations and noise control. From 2001 to 2007, he worked at Albuquerque (New Mexico) International Airport as noise program manager and environmental manager, where he oversaw several construction projects.
In his current position at Amarillo, Picou said he was involved in construction of a new terminal building and, in December, supervised completion of a consolidated rental car facility that came in under budget and four months ahead of schedule.
“He was definitely the most enthusiastic and well-suited for what this airport is getting ready to go through,” Airport Commission Chairman Matt Cruse said Wednesday.
The new director will be charged with overseeing construction of a new airport terminal and parking facility after voters in December agreed to pay an extra 1 percent sales tax from April 1 until Nov. 30 to help pay for the project.
The tax is expected to generate about $37 million toward the estimated $90 million cost of the project. Airport officials are counting on funds from the Federal Aviation Administration and the state to pay for part of the cost, and can issue more than $20 million in bonds for the rest.
Commissioner Carroll Robichaux Jr. also was impressed with how Picou presented himself and “how much he wanted to come to Lafayette and help us improve this airport.”
The Amarillo airport has a Bell Helicopter Osprey V22 tilt-rotor assembly facility similar to one being constructed at Lafayette Regional Airport, so that was another plus for Picou, Robichaux said.
Bell Helicopter is building a $37 million facility to assemble 505 Air Ranger X helicopters. The Fort Worth, Texas-based company expects to open the center in 2016.
The commission voted unanimously Wednesday to offer the job to Picou, one of three finalists for the position.
Other finalists for the job included Ralph Hennessy, assistant aviation director of Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, and Robert Kennedy, vice president of consulting services for Aviation Strategy International in Atlanta.
If Picou accepts the offer, the airport commission’s executive committee and legal counsel will negotiate an offer and bring the matter before the full commission for a vote.
The Lafayette airport position became open in June when Greg Roberts, who was aviation director for 21 years, retired suddenly after allegedly pointing a fake gun at an engineer during a meeting. He was placed on administrative leave and retired. The district attorney declined to prosecute Roberts.
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