The Piedmont Triad Airport Authority – the seven-member board that oversees the airport’s operations – met on Tuesday, April 22 and elected Graham Bennett as the chair of that board of directors.

Bennett succeeds former Chair Paul Mengert, who’s served in that position for the past five years. A great deal of praise was deservedly given to Mengert as he stepped down from that job.

According to an announcement of the election by the Airport Authority board, “Mr. Mengert, appointed by the City of Greensboro, has been a member of the Airport Authority Board since 2012. While stepping down as chairman voluntarily, he will continue to serve on the board through the end of his term, which concludes on April 20, 2027. Mengert, CEO of Association Management Group, has led the Airport Authority through a period of transformational growth and industry recognition.”

Airport officials pointed out this week that, under Mengert, a whole heck of a lot of very good things have happened at what was not that many years ago a sleepy little airport that people flew in and out of when they didn’t want to make the extra effort of driving to Raleigh or Charlotte for cheaper fares and more direct flights.

During Mengert’s chairmanship, Piedmont Triad International Airport achieved a great deal of success and a great deal of progress on the aviation megasite, which lately has, over the last five years, become a very large driver of economic development in the region.

PTI was selected as the home for Boom Supersonic’s Overture Superfactory — the first supersonic airliner manufacturing facility in the US.

Airport officials estimate that Boom’s development is expected to deliver over 2,400 jobs and more than $32 billion in economic impact for North Carolina over the next 20 years.

When Boom first announced its plans for the ultra-fast commercial airliner at PTI, a lot of local skeptics thought it was pie-in-the-sky stuff; however, progress on the supersonic airliner seems to be going along swimmingly and the company just had a successful test flight of a prototype.

Also, Marshall Aerospace is investing $50 million into the region and is expected to create 240 specialized jobs.  So that’s some pretty good news as well.

The Tuesday statement from the Airport Authority noted, “These high-profile wins have positioned PTI as a national aerospace magnet. Many additional aviation and aerospace companies are currently evaluating and expressing strong interest in locating — or relocating — to PTI.”

Bennett, the brand-new board chair, praised his predecessor, saying, “Paul’s leadership helped catalyze this momentum, ensuring PTI remains a top-tier contender in site selection conversations industry-wide.”

Mengert also implemented plans for a comprehensive renovation of PTI’s 40-year-old terminal, a venture airport officials call “a forward-looking project aimed at modernizing infrastructure, improving passenger experience, and increasing operational efficiency.”

Mengert also oversaw community events such as PTI’s annual “Run on the Runway.” During his time as chair, the event raised more than $1 million for local hunger relief organizations, including Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, Greensboro Urban Ministry and Open Door Ministries of High Point.

“Serving as Chair has been one of the great honors of my professional life,” Mengert said in a prepared statement released when stepping down as chair. “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made in expanding the airport’s economic impact and aviation partnerships not just across North Carolina but globally. I look forward to continuing my service under Graham’s leadership.”

The Airport Authority is governed by the board of directors representing three cities, Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem, and two counties, Forsyth and Guilford. Bennett was appointed to the board by Forsyth County in 2017.

He has a lot of experience in business and civic leadership: He’s the former President of Quality Oil Company – a privately held, family-owned energy and hospitality company headquartered in Winston-Salem.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bennett will now be working alongside Lehigh University graduate Kevin Baker, the executive director of PTI who’s been the main hands-on architect of some truly remarkable things since taking that job a decade and a half ago.

Baker said of former chair Mengert, “Paul has been an exceptional leader during a period of significant expansion, and we’re grateful for his steady hand and strategic insight,” and Baker added of the new chair, “Graham’s deep business acumen, combined with his regional and statewide leadership roles, makes him the ideal person to carry our mission forward. We’re excited for what lies ahead.”

Earlier this month, Bennett was appointed by North Carolina Governor Josh Stein to represent NCDOT Division 9 on the North Carolina Board of Transportation – the prestigious governing board of the Department of Transportation.

Bennett is also a longtime board member of the Piedmont Triad Partnership – a regional economic development organization that created the “Carolina Core” branding concept.  That Core, poised for economic development, includes PTI airport as one of its anchor megasites along the future I-685 corridor between the Triad and Fayetteville.

Bennett’s work with both of these organizations is expected to be a benefit to

the airport and future economic development efforts.

“It’s an exciting time for the Airport Authority and for our region,” Bennett said this week. “PTI is poised for tremendous growth in both commercial aviation and aerospace development. I’m honored to help guide our strategy and support our outstanding executive team and community partners.”

At the April Airport Authority meeting, the board also released the latest stats for the growing airport.  Here are some of those:

  • Passengers were up 2 percent over March 2024 and up 3 percent year to date.
  • Cargo was down 15 percent over March 2024 and down 20 percent year to date.
  • Total scheduled departing seats for May 2025 are up 7 percent over May 2024.
  • “Load factor” – that is, the average percentage of airplane seats departing from PTI that were filled with passengers – was 72 percent for January 2025. The January 2025 load factor was 2 percentage points higher than January of 2024.

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