The 4,700-acre campus is owned and operated by the City of Atlanta, a system that has worked well throughout the years. While ATL does not receive any city or state taxpayer funding, it runs out of a stand-alone enterprise fund comprised of user fees, bonds, airline leases, and federal grants. ATL will receive $40 million in airport funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2021. Bheodari is currently leading a 3-year, 6 billion dollar values worth of capital improvement projects so that Atlanta is prepared for future needs. This includes modernization, concourse gate extensions, addition of a fire station, and paving more runways.
Bheodari touted the airport’s $66 billion economic impact to the region and 383,242 total jobs, contributing greatly to the region’s thriving economy and active economic opportunities. However, ATL faces its share of challenges. Like most businesses throughout the country, record inflation rates, supply chain disruptions and a turbulent labor market are the top concerns. Bheodari believes that being nimble in times of uncertainly is the key to resiliency. Nonetheless, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport continues to be a powerful economic development tool for attracting businesses and global talent to meet Georgia’s jobs and workforce needs.
Bheodari graduated from Troy University with a Bachelor of Science degree in aviation management. He brings decades of experience in aviation executive management and 22 years of active military service in the aviation branch of the U.S. Army. Learn more about ATL by visiting atl.com. The monthly On Topic Luncheon, presented by Rocket IT, features high profile speakers who share relevant business and regional issues of the day. Find out what’s next for the Gwinnett Chamber by visiting our calendar of events at gwinnettchamber.org/events.
