AKRON, Ohio - Akron Fulton International Airport factors prominently into the city's push to boost economic development.

Mayor Dan Horrigan and the newly formed Akron Fulton Airport Advisory Board are expected to reveal short-term and future initiatives at the airport during a Friday briefing for members of Akron's business community.

Chairing the airport advisory board is Philip Maynard, chairman of ASW Properties, which has operated a warehouse and logistics facility at the airport for many years. Board members also include pilots, business people, city representatives and others.

The board is working to re-energize the airport by steering new development to airport land and boosting the facility's public profile, Maynard said in an interview with cleveland.com. The airport's branding also is being updated to more effectively market the facility.

"It's a well-kept secret and we don't want it to be a secret anymore," Maynard said.

The facility is capable of accommodating smaller Piper aircraft as well as large corporate jets, making it ideal for business executives and celebrities such as pro golfers, Maynard said.

Many golfers competing in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this week at Firestone Country Club flew into Akron Fulton Airport, said aircraft mechanic John Hogarth, who has owned North Coast Air Care, a concierge service for aircraft maintenance at the airport, since 1989.

"It's kicking into gear," Hogarth said. "I've seen all sorts of changes. This administration is definitely pro-airport."

The airport's potential was evaluated by a task force that Horrigan established when he took office in 2016 to analyze the city' strengths and weaknesses.

The airport includes two runways -- one that's 6,337 feet and one that's 2,300 feet - and is home to 15 hangars for corporate aircraft and 75 planes housed in condo hangars. The airport can support 70 aircraft per day, but has run out of room, according to the task force's report.

In addition to pursuing development and improving airport marketing, the task force recommended getting Federal Aviation Administration approval of an airport master plan that was developed a few years ago.

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