This year, GMC is proud to celebrate 20 years of aviation!

Back in 2006, the department started from humble beginnings when the firm found several of its clients seeking help with their local airports.

If you had walked into the aviation department 20 years ago, you would’ve seen just one man, Col. Al Allenback. With his industry knowledge and longstanding relationships, he came out of retirement to build the team. Soon after, engineer Natalie Hobbs joined the department, bringing her technical expertise that helped lay the foundation for what the team is today. Since then, GMC has been providing airport planning and engineering services across the Southeast.

Now, two decades later, the aviation team is nearly 40 strong and boasts airport contracts, awards and projects all throughout the Southeast. The department has built a strong reputation for excellence in client service and now serves the largest number of aviation clients in Alabama, with a 100% client re-selection rate.

Their work spans the full spectrum of aviation, from small general aviation facilities to commercial service airports, military installations, emerging heliport, vertiport projects and more.

The talented staff includes former state aviation officials, airport managers, fixed- and rotor-wing pilots, drone pilots and even collegiate aviation instructors. They remain on the front lines of the ever-evolving aspects of aviation and their impact on airports and communities.

Over the years, this team has developed a reputation as thought leaders in their field, and continues to serve clients and communities with creative solutions to complex challenges.

Hear below what some of our aviation leaders, Ryan Pearce, Natalie Hobbs and Matt Thomason had to say about this special celebration.

Ryan:

How has this team impacted communities across the Southeast? This team has helped to impact the economic development in so many communities throughout the Southeast. This kind of economic development has always followed transportation. Aviation has been the latest frontier of transportation. We connect communities throughout the Southeast to benefit the communities they serve. They serve as engines to their local economies.

What are you most proud of about this team? This team has been organically grown and established, and it has continued to make careers, expand what’s possible and positively impact communities through the opportunities provided for those on the team and those to come.

Above all, all the friends and relationships that have formed over the years have been the most impactful. For many of our clients, we have become an extension of their staff. There are so many long-term relationships that go beyond a client and consultant relationship. They know that they can call on us for anything.

Because of this team, we have been able to take so many projects from nothing to something. We have every new federally funded airport in the lower 48 states and it amazes me. I am so grateful that GMC gave me a chance.

Natalie:

What did the team look like when you first got here? When I came to GMC in 2007, we had one airport client and one other aviation employee.  We spent our time traveling around the state of Alabama, visiting existing GMC clients and asking for the opportunity to expand our services to include aviation.  Most airports choose consultants for a 5-year contract, so building clients was slow moving at first and only through existing GMC relationships.  Nineteen years later, we are the consultant of record for 20 airports in Alabama, 70 in total across 10 states with 40 aviation employees. 

Matt:

What are you most proud of about this team? I’m most proud of this team in their commitment to the GMC Aviation “airport first” philosophy. They always prioritize what best serves the airport, its users, and its long-term success. That mindset, combined with a willingness to think creatively, allows the team to develop innovative, practical solutions to complex challenges. It truly reflects “building communities”, where every project contributes not just to infrastructure, but to the growth and connectivity of the communities we serve.

What are a few recent projects that have stood out to you? GMC has been at the forefront of innovation in aviation in recent years. New airport development is rare in this industry, and new public-use airports are even more uncommon. Yet GMC has successfully completed 11 greenfield airports, with three additional projects currently under contract. Of the five greenfield airports planned within the FAA’s federal system, GMC serves as the consultant for all of them in the contiguous United States.

One particularly notable project is at Montgomery Regional Airport, where we installed the first Prefabricated Airfield Lighting Field Electrical Center (ALFEC) in the United States. Previously used in the Bahamas and Canada, the ALFEC is a series of custom and semi-standard, pre-engineered, factory-assembled airfield lighting electrical buildings. These self-contained units house all the equipment necessary to operate an airfield lighting system, improving efficiency, reliability, and installation time.

Beyond these milestones, GMC continues to deliver innovative, practical solutions that benefit our clients and enhance aviation safety. Our work has included correcting critical safety issues, recycling existing taxiway concrete as base material to reduce costs, installing military arresting systems to protect pilots during emergencies, developing new Fixed Base Operators (FBOs), and supporting economic growth through the construction of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities.

Here’s to 20 more years of the “airport first” philosophy. The sky is the limit!