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Ogden's Airport
Gateway Center
by James Bohne
Flyboys. They were the playboy adventurers and
the techno-geeks of yesteryear. They tinkered
with gliders and contraptions of just about every
conceivable design. Known for their giant egos
and soaring spirits, they were the fools and
dreamers who built the defining industry of the
twentieth century. More than anything else…they
were visionaries.
In 1903 Theodore Roosevelt was president. William
Glasmann was mayor of Ogden City, which was
thriving on railroad business. Twenty-fifth
Street was a bustling city center with some of
the finest shops in the West. Electric-powered
street lamps lit up manicured streets and avenues.
We had the best water supply in all of Utah.
Canneries, mills and granaries shipped local
products to every state in the Union. And the
internal combustion engine was still a new
invention.
In Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilber
Wright mounted one of these new engines onto a
simple glider, and for the first time in history
a man-operated machine flew under its own power.
It was no more than a puddle-jump – a mere
120 feet – but it launched the new century
into an era of aviation travel and commercial
transport.
Well, not right away. The practical application
of manned air-travel was not yet evident to
investors. The sky belonged to flamboyant
daredevils and clowns known as barnstormers until
the 1920s when mass production of light aircraft
with air-cooled engines put flying within
financial reach of many enthusiasts.
That is until young Charles Lindberg almost
single-handedly changed public opinion of
aviation by making the first transatlantic flight
from New York to Paris. The year was 1927. His
flight convinced investors that the industry had
a bright future and attracted millions in
investment dollars.
In Ogden, a group of businessmen and enthusiasts
took notice. They formed the Red Raven Flying
Club consisting of a single Lincoln Standard
plane and canvass hanger. The next year in 1928,
Ogden City had the foresight to establish the
Ogden Municipal Airport at the southern end of
the city. Robert Hinkley and Dean Brimhall jumped
on the opportunity, starting the Utah Pacific
Airways, which became a business anchor for the
airport. At the end of 1929, the Great Depression
hit the United States and slowed further
development of the fledgling airport industry.
During the Depression era, cargo and postal
service drove the air transport industry.
Passenger service was limited by the state of
airplane technology until mid-1940 when
comfortable pressurized cabins were manufactured
as standard features. With these newer passenger
planes, Western Airlines and United Airlines
began scheduling passenger and mail service to
Ogden. In 1960 those services were discontinued
locally in favor of the larger facilities at Salt
Lake Airport.
That was then.
In the new millennium, the Salt Lake Airport is
congested with activity – more so now that
homeland security measures have been added to
regular departure procedures. Industry in the
Ogden area has grown with the Information Age.
The 2002 Winter Olympics and Everwood television
series give the city visibility. A new
destination resort at nearby Snowbasin Sun Valley
adds to the area’s attractiveness. Ogden
City offers an enticing package of incentives to
draw and retain businesses. And according to a
Boyd Company study, the Ogden area is one of the
least expensive cities in the West to run a
corporate office.
Many of us have become hopeful, even
enthusiastically bullish on Ogden. This magazine
was founded to highlight the city’s
achievements and history to showcase our pride in
the community. We are not alone. Among those who
share our optimistic view of the future of Ogden
City and the surrounding areas is developer Mel
Kemp. He, along with Dan Kemp and Project Manager
Bryce Gibby envision a thriving new commercial
center for aerospace and allied support
industries at Ogden-Hinkley Airport.
Currently under construction, the Ogden Airport
Gateway Center is a privately owned thirty-acre
business air park. Their plans call for over
forty-five structures ranging from a balanced mix
of premier hangars, class A office space,
warehouses, a hotel, restaurants, and upscale
retail centers. This commercial center is for
tenant businesses offering jet maintenance,
repair, overhaul and support for local corporate
jets, business and traveling visitors.
An independent study by Thomas Consultants
estimates the center will produce 1,000 on-site
jobs in 2006 increasing to a total 1,221 jobs by
the end of 2010, and paying out $55 million of
annual gross employment income. Those salaries
are expected to result in $32 million in local
retail sales. In addition the study estimates
that by 2010 the center will be serving up to 488,000
customers yearly, resulting in $9.6 million in
direct retail sales.
Like flying and life, all business ventures are a
calculated risk. Even then, in the end it comes
down to a healthy dose of judgement, faith, and
an instinct for knowing which way the wind blows.
James
E. Bohne, Jr., REALTOR®
Mobile: (801) 791-9579
Office: (801) 476-9500
Fax: (801) 476-9581
E-mail: j.e.bohne@att.net |
Crest
Realty Inc.
Equal Housing Opportunity.
Equal Opportunity Employer. |
Copyright
© 2003-2005, James E. Bohne, Jr., All Rights
Reserved
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