July-August 2022 - 26

[
COVER STORY
AUTHOR Joe Petrie
[CONCESSIONS PERSON OF THE YEAR ]
The Right Keys
for Success
SEA's Director of Aviation Commercial
Management Dawn Hunter explains how the
airport is building a successful concessions program
to meet the traveler experience for years to come.
Dawn Hunter,
director of Aviation
Commercial
Management,
Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport
PORT OF SEATTLE
SINCE JOINING the Port of Seattle in 2017, Dawn Hunter
has played a crucial role in the redevelopment of dining
and retail at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
Hunter's leadership has built the
largest number of minority and
women-owned businesses (WMBE)
operating at SEA in the history of the
airport and is a noted collaborator
with dining and retail tenants to build
a successful and inclusive program at
one of the nation's largest airports.
Hunter was named the 2022
Airport Concessions Person of
the Year by Airports Counci l
International-North America (ACINA)
due to her success. She recently
shared with Airport Business her vision
and keys to the airport's success and
how airports can enhance their retail
and concessions programs.
What makes a high-quality concessions
program for an airport?
A high-quality concessions program is
multi-faceted with a good mix of concepts,
both local and national brands.
Local brands bring in the flavor of
the community and give travelers
a taste of the city and region. The
mix does not end with the concepts,
there should also be a mix of small
businesses and primes. This increases
options for travelers, expands access
for small and local businesses, and
gives the airport a personality.
What really makes a concessions
program exceptional is staff that are
more than contract administrators.
You need people who understand the
business and care about the tenants and
our passengers. When the team cares
deeply - like we do at Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport - it creates an
environment where businesses can
thrive, and travelers can enjoy options
and service that exceeds expectations.
What tactics did you take to help
SEA add 50 new retail and restaurant
locations between 2019
and 2022?
Construction for concessions during
the pandemic was incredibly tough.
During the height of the global
pandemic, 66% of airport dining
and retail tenants at SEA temporarily
closed due to the decline in air travel.
26 \ AIRPORT BUSINESS / JULY/AUGUST 2022
SEA is fortunate to have the strong
leadership of Aviation Managing
Director Lance Lyttle. With his guidance,
and the approval of the Port of
Seattle Commission, we created a
program of financial relief for our
dining and retail tenants such as lease
extensions, rent deferrals, barring
evictions, and temporary suspension
of the Minimum Annual Guarantee.
Moreover, our team partnered
with tenants on creative solutions to
move design review and construction
forward with the least amount
of impact to the tenants. This included
a process improvement where the
airport is involved with demolition
and infrastructure input prior to a
tenant entering a space. The program
also created partnerships with community
partners to assist with finding
employees to staff the units and our
internal resources helped navigate
supply chain issues.
Despite these challenges, ingenuity
and teamwork prevailed. I am
in awe of our tenants and team for
opening eight new dining and retail
concepts in 2020, nine in 2021, and
three so far in 2022 with more to
come.
July-August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July-August 2022
