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Kris Hallstrand’s last day as Airport Director at Lakeland Linder International Airport was Saturday, June 13 — exactly two years to the day after she led the charge when the airport began airline service.
Hallstrand says she is proud of her ten years with the airport. “It truly is a team effort out here. We have some folks out here that just put in pure heart and soul and effort into what they do, and that’s built us a reputation and built success over the years. And I was fortunate enough to be the director of the team.”
“We’re at a spot where this is a good transition point for myself, and it’s a good transition point for the airport,” she said.
Her familiarity with airport operations will provide a foundation in her new role, as both the Lakeland Linder and the ACE/Sun ‘n Fun campus enter a period of growth.
Hallstrand’s first day as executive director of operations at the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) at Sun ‘n Fun was Monday, June 15.
The move is a full-circle moment for Hallstrand, who said she first met Gene Conrad, president and CEO of ACE, when she worked for Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis., before moving to Lakeland.
“I ended up meeting Gene, and then I ended up working for Gene, and then I ended up replacing Gene, and now I’m going back to work for Gene again, now that he’s the CEO of ACE,” Hallstrand said.
After Lakeland City Manager Shawn Sherrouse announced the appointment of Adam Lunn as airport interim director as of Sunday, June 14, Hallstrand said she, Lunn, and Conrad are all “on the same sheet of music.”
“We’re ready. We’re set. We know what we’re doing. We know where we’re headed.”
Coordinated expansion
Hallstrand’s new role isn’t taking her far from her previous office. She said she will oversee year-round operations on the ACE/Sun n’ Fun campus on the south side of the airport. The organizations have coexisted for 52 years, Hallstrand said.
Hallstrand’s intimate understanding of FAA guidelines and operations at Lakeland Linder made her a good candidate for her new role. “One of the goals that they had when they were hiring this position was finding somebody with airport management experience,” she said. “This airfield I’m very familiar with so that absolutely is a positive … I’ve got a lot of really strong relationships with the community, and from the Sun ‘n Fun side and the ACE side, that’s important, too.”
In eight to ten years, the airport plans to add a second, parallel runway, and ACE/Sun n’ Fun has already started improvements on their campus. Because they are linked physically, the two organizations must coordinate their expansion. Lakeland Linder, ACE/Sun ‘n Fun, and Visit Central Florida worked for over a year to develop a 20-year Strategic Plan for the future of the area.
“Part of my role is to help guide that process on the south side of the airport, and oversee some of that construction and development, and continue working on the planning for the future of the event, and continue to grow and support more aviation education programs.”
She said several projects are already underway, including glassing in and improving the pavilion and upgrading the museum. “It’s a big exercise of working with the airport in determining timing. As things move on the airport side, Sun ‘n Fun has to kind of move at the same time to keep the event safe and operational,” she said. “So that’s really where the heavy lift will be, as far as the expansion side.”
Hallstrand said most people think of the annual aerospace expo when they think of Sun ‘n Fun — “That event is what pays for the rest of the year” she said. “That’s the fundraiser for ACE to provide all those programs.”
It helps fund summer camps, field trips, and the museum on campus. “Year round there’s aviation activity and opportunity for young folks to come out and see what’s happening in aviation,” Hallstrand said.
The campus is also home to the Central Florida Aerospace Academy and Lakeland Aero Club, the largest high school flying club in the world.
A decade at Lakeland Linder
Hallstrand spent six years as assistant director at Lakeland Linder and four years as airport director. Her experience includes over 24 total years in airport management for three different airports and 14 years of service in the U.S. Air Force as a C-130 Crew Chief that included deployment during the Afghan War.
“This is an opportunity for me, after 24 years of running airports, to kind of cross over and do something that I had a dream passion for,” Hallstrand said. “Providing these opportunities to the next generation of aviation is really what it’s all about for me.
“We’ve had great success as an airport over the past four years as well, and I’m fortunate enough to lead a team that does amazing work,” she said.
“When I took over four years ago as director, Adam Lunn and I sat down, and we had a discussion about what we were going to try to accomplish, and the number one item on the list was to try to attract some air service, and we immediately started working on that.”
Hallstrand said that negotiations with Avelo took a year and a half, but once it began, passenger service has been very successful. “Our community has really spoken that they enjoy the service, and they’re happy to have it,” she said.
Future of the airport
“The airport is in a growth mode, in a position that the future is really bright. There’s a ton of opportunity with expanding the terminal and building a parallel runway and some of these major projects that are ahead,” Hallstrand said.
“I feel the airport is positioned well to continue that growth and provide the aviation jobs that are necessary in our community. At the same time, providing that ability for all of our community here in Central Florida to be able to enjoy a different kind of pace of air service with low stress and easy maneuverability.”
The city announced Adam Lunn’s appointment as interim director on Monday, June 15. “Adam will serve as Interim Airport Director while City Management and airport leadership evaluate the strong potential for his permanent appointment to the position,” Sherrouse said in a statement.
Lunn began working at the airport as an intern more than 15 years ago. He has held multiple roles since 2011.
“I was fortunate enough to have Adam as an assistant director,” Hallstrand said. “And you know, Adam and I were opposites in a lot of ways, which is what made us better. We balanced each other out, and we made decisions based on what was best for the airport, the city, and the community, and we worked hand in hand on every deal that we made on the airport.”
She said in their last staff meeting, she asked Lunn to come to the front of the room and take off his shoes. “I set his shoes up on the table. I took a pair of heels out of a bag, and I set them up next to his shoes, and I said, ‘I hear people saying you have big shoes to fill.’ I said, ‘I don’t know, they look like normal size heels to me, … but here’s the deal, Adam, put your damn shoes back on, you better fill them shoes right there. You don’t need to worry about mine.’”
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