Roy Fuhrmann, chief operating officer for the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), recently joined six other Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) employees to become an Accredited Airport Executive through the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE).
The accreditation process includes a series of rigorous requirements including:
- Passing a 180-item multiple-choice examination
- Fulfilling a writing requirement
- Demonstrating, in the final interview by a panel of AAEs, knowledge of airport management, business administration, and general transportation
The MAC operates Minneapolis-St. International Airport (MSP) and six Reliever airports in the Twin Cities metro area. Fuhrmann joins a select group of people who have earned the designation in the six-plus decades of the accreditation program’s existence. At present, fewer than 10 percent of AAAE’s members throughout the U.S. are active accredited airport executives.
The six other MAC employees who have been accredited include:
- Brian D. Ryks, executive director and CEO
- Atif Saeed, A.A.E., chief financial officer
- Sara A. Freese, assistant director of MSP Operations and Field Maintenance
- Kelly A. Gerads, assistant director of Reliever Airports
- Mark D. Bents, manager of Commercial Management & Airline Affairs
- Neil Ralston, manager of Airport Operations Analysis and Planning
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 Glenn Haram in front of one of Field Maintenance's Multi-Function vehicles.
This is one in an occasional series of stories that will profile MAC employees who help keep the MAC’s airports running smoothly.
Working in the Field Maintenance Department at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) can be demanding.
On any day of the week, at any hour, Field Maintenance workers can be called in to work to start up the airport’s fleet of vehicles and get ahead of the weather – especially during snow and ice events.
Once there, workers take shifts and work and sleep at the airport until the storm passes, which can sometimes be days.
That work suits Glenn Haram just fine.
“It’s been a dream job for 35 years,” said Haram, 60. “My wife says I have it so good, compared to some people, because I like to go to work.”
Haram is one of 100 Field Maintenance employees responsible for keeping the airport operating 365 days a year for passengers and the businesses that rely on MSP.
A native of Bloomington, Minn., Haram still lives there. When he was young, a neighbor worked for the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) and his father was a carpenter at MSP for about 10 years.
Haram was in his mid-20s when he was hired to work in Field Maintenance. Over his three decades on the job, the work has become more technical and focused on safety.
In 1985, the year he was hired, “to cross a runway, we would look both ways,” Haram said. Now, all crossings are coordinated via radio with the FAA Control Tower, and anyone who drives on the airfield must complete an annual training course.
Many of the changes Glenn experienced during his tenure were ones that followed the 9/11 attacks in 2001. After that, airfield security tightened considerably, including improved fencing – which the maintenance crews inspect every day and maintain.
While he and his fellow crew members are best known for their industry-leading winter-time work plowing snow, they also are responsible for cutting grass, maintaining service areas around the terminal buildings, handling garbage collection, repairing roads, and maintaining hundreds of signs on the airport’s roadways, among other duties.
Today’s machinery is quite a step ahead of what was available 30 years ago, Haram said. Snowplows used to require two operators – one to drive and one to control the plow blade. With today’s advanced equipment only one person is needed in the cab.
“We’ve come a long way in terms of technology,” he said.
Glenn says working at the airport and on the airfield during the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging. Typically, members of the field maintenance team would work together to plan for each storm, gathering in the breakroom and other indoor maintenance areas to receive briefings and encourage each other before heading out in the storm.
“When a large snowstorm is forecast, everyone else is heading home, and our folks are coming in,” said Mark Rudolph, the department’s manager of planning. “Over time, everyone in our department becomes like family,” he added. “We’re a team in every sense.”
In the past year, workers have created many new safety protocols allowing their work to continue without interruption. And because they are essential to the airport’s operation, Field Maintenance employees also continue to be tested weekly for COVID-19 to stay ahead of any outbreaks.
Haram says he is getting closer to retirement and knows that, when the day comes, he will miss his co-workers. But he looks forward to more free time and family time.
He recalled that Renee, his wife, said that she "can’t wait until we can sit down and watch it snow together. That will be nice.”
 The Aurora © 2021 Jen Lewin
If you haven’t been to MSP Airport in a while, you’re in for a visual treat next time you visit Terminal 1.
The Aurora, an iconic artwork, is now on display and hard to miss -- whether you’re in the ticketing lobby or the baggage claim level. The Aurora occupies space in an oval opening between the two levels.
The interactive piece is the work of international artist Jen Lewin, who is also known in Minnesota for her piece near Target Field in Minneapolis titled Sidewalk Harp.
Learn here how The Aurora works and be sure to plan some time to "play" with it next time you visit.
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A few weeks ago, Jerry Connolly coached a military recruit to "hold the handrail" as he rode an escalator for the first time in his life. A week later, after another recruit left his billfold and ID on the bus ride to MSP Airport, he arranged to have it returned within a half hour so he could proceed to basic training.
For more than a decade, Connolly (pictured, on right, with Lt. Col. Cheman) has been welcoming military recruits – most fresh out of high school and away from home for the first time – at MSP Airport to escort them through the many steps it takes to board a plane.
Connolly is among the more than 100 volunteers who staff MSP’s Armed Forces Service Center, and he’s quick to point out he’s just “a little cog” in that operation.
Connolly is part problem solver, part tour guide and part father figure. "It's just a genuine privilege to be around these kids who give so much for our country," said Connolly, a U.S. Army veteran himself who is 79.
Earlier this month, Connolly was honored for his devotion to helping recruits make the transition to life in the military. Connolly was awarded a "certificate of appreciation" by Army Lt. Col. Martin J. Cheman, commander of the Minneapolis Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), and Senior Master Sgt. Ivon L. Johnson of the U.S. Air Force.
But he was singled out for going above and beyond during the recent February cold snap that disrupted air service in Texas and many other regions of the U.S. that left a couple of Navy recruits stranded in Minneapolis for two days.
Connolly stuck by the recruits, made sure they got safely to their hotel, gave them his personal cell phone number and a little spending money, and greeted them again when they later returned to MSP to continue their journey to basic training.
"Your dedication, professionalism and generosity while serving our U.S. Navy shippers during extreme weather delays are greatly appreciated by a grateful U.S. Navy Recruiting team and the Minneapolis MEPS staff," read his commendation.
Connolly, a retired mechanic who worked at a Dodge dealership in Inver Grove Heights for many years, currently volunteers about four hours a day, four times a week at the AFSC.
"We want them to feel like we are their family when they are away from their families," said Debra Cain, the AFSC's executive director.
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A new, wide-body cargo plane is now showing up at MSP Airport on a regular basis.
The Boeing 767, operated by Air Transport International for Amazon, started flying into MSP earlier this month. The plane, as shown in the photo, is branded with the "Prime Air" logo.
The new cargo carrier is in addition to Sun Country Airlines, which operates a fleet of Boeing 737 cargo freighters for Amazon. Those "Prime Air" branded jets are also a common sight at MSP.
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Whether you're a spring break traveler or you're weighing the idea of a trip a few months out, we want to know what you're thinking.
In recent weeks, traveler numbers have increased at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), leading to one of the busiest periods since the pandemic began.
MSP also continues to conduct a survey of travelers, which started in the summer of 2020 and guides the airport on modifications to the MSP travel experience in the COVID-19 era.
Even if you’ve taken the survey before, feel free to respond again, as we’re tracking sentiment over time.
To date, survey results show that travelers continue to be most interested in MSP's safety initiatives, such as the increased presence of hand sanitizer dispensers, the face mask requirement and the airport’s efforts to increase physical distancing. All of those efforts are part of the airport's Travel Confidently program.
Thank you for your continued interest in helping us make air travel as safe and comfortable as possible.
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