March 28, 2024

Partners in success

Newton Airport helps Iowa Speedway, local businesses achieve

Editor’s Note: This is part two of a two-part series. Part one published in Monday’s Newton Daily News.

A first impression of Newton — that is what the Newton Municipal Airport is for many companies traveling to the city to potentially bring their business into the local economy.

Midland Aircraft President Ethan Nasalroad sees the airport as Newton’s third exit, and cannot think of a better place to open the door to the town.

“The airport, right now, gives a first impression to everybody. The past history of really being Maytag based helped a lot in getting the current facilities, which now we use as the first impression of Newton,” Nasalroad said.

Never was that more important then when Maytag closed its doors in Newton, leaving an opening for new corporations to come into town.

“The timing worked out really well. In 2005, there were rumblings of Maytag being sold. Sure enough in 2006, they were sold, but about that same time we had the speedway coming in. It changed us because we moved an awful lot of fuel to Maytag as a company but the timing couldn’t have been better for both us, and the town in that the speedway comes into play and also the town is trying to attract business and they are bringing people in,” Nasalroad said. “So between 2006 and 2008, we’re losing Maytag, we’re gaining the speedway and the town is doing an awful lot of trying to promote and bring people in.”

Iowa Speedway President Jimmy Small said the airport’s location was a benefit for the track from the beginning. NASCAR had seen success with having a close, regional airport at both Daytona and Talladega speedways and that success has only continued in Iowa.

“The first benefits I experienced were when I was coming out here in 2013 as a part of the NASCAR group. We landed right behind the speedway, so it was very convenient for myself and some of my bosses,” Small said. “It has been successful at other airports, it has been successful for ours. Teams are able to fly in or fly out whether they are testing during the year or during the race weekends, making it very easy for transportation and accommodating them.”

The Iowa Speedway has brought a new kind of business to the airport, propelling them to learn how to manage a large influx of traffic in a short period of time.

“Three hundred and fifty five days a year we are a town of 15,000. Then we have to gear up to be one of the busiest airports in Iowa to handle the race traffic the other 10 days a year,” Nasalroad said.

Newton has become one of the favorite locations for the teams to visit, Nasalroad said. The work the staff puts into making the experience as smooth and seamless as possible has made it a stand out airport and one that has not gone unnoticed.

“It’s probably taken for granted by the teams now because they come and it is so easy, but what isn’t taken for granted is the overall hospitality. A lot of that has to do with coming into a nice airport that is well staffed, right in our backyard,” Small said.

Nasalroad said the busy race weekends keep him on his toes.

“It’s fun, we enjoy it. It is kind of crazy ... but we really enjoy seeing the race teams. This is one of their favorite places to come. I’ve heard that four times this year. It makes us feel good, makes us want to do it better,” Nasalroad said. “We try to live up to those expectations. When somebody gives you a compliment like that you want to do that good every time.”

The speedway is not the only new business that now calls Newton home. Local economic development leaders have been working hard to fill the jobs that were vacated by Maytag and the airport has been a vital part of that redevelopment.

“Having the airport really is a business tool and that is how a lot of these people look a their airplanes, as business tools,” Nasalroad said.

It is not an uncommon occurrence for a plane to land in Newton for a morning meeting and be in the air again in time to reach their next destination that afternoon.

“These are economic development tools, it’s business. These companies can’t do what they do without a private aircraft. They can be in Newton, checking out a plant today, home that night in Dallas so the day they can check out a plant in Indiana,” Nasalroad said.

Newton Development Corporation Executive Director Frank Liebl has seen the airport be a part of bringing businesses in to look at the town first hand. With the ability to land corporate jets so close, it brings a level of convenience that not every town can offer.

“Having the type of airport we have in Newton is a great asset, on several occasions over the years we’ve had prospects we are trying to recruit land their corporate jet at the Newton Airport. It’s convenient for them and speaks to the quality of services we have available in Newton,” Liebl said. “The terminal is top notch and Ethan and his staff do a great job in making visitors feel welcome.”

Not being subject to the timing of airlines is a huge benefit for high-level decision makers at corporations through out the country and the world.

“You can’t have your top guys who are very, very busy people spending eight hours a day in travel through the airlines,” Nasalroad said.

Layovers and missed flights could cost the companies money and that is where a private airplane or pilot can be extremely beneficial.

“We go all over. It’s a lot around the Midwest but every once it a while there is a trip to Wyoming or Colorado. The companies I fly for, we go to Colorado quite a bit, but a lot of the stuff I fly is North Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas and even a little bit in Iowa,” Pilot Andy Lundgren said.

Business has only been picking up at the airport. With the city continuing to attract companies to make a home in Newton and new business opportunities coming to the airport, Nasalroad sees the runways staying busy well into the future. There is one event that could come to the town and although there has been no official word, the challenge of managing flight traffic for a NASCAR cup race at the speedway is something Nasalroad hopes is in his future.

“I can remember when we first survived Indy. We were just shocked we survived Indy. That first Indy race was packed and crazy. We survived it, we did a good job and it was just such a relief,” Nasalroad said. “I look forward to the day that we go, we survived a cup race, that’s going to be an awesome feeling and I welcome that.”

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com