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Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge's childhood ambition was to become an interpreter for the CIA. Compared with her new position as director of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, working for the intelligence agency would have been a cinch.
The Missouri native took over at Lambert at a time when the once-mighty TWA hub needs a thorough revamping as a result of long-term changes in the airline industry. To be successful in this cut-throat era and daunting economic climate, the airport can no longer thrive on the revenue produced by one major airline. That reality became all the more apparent last year, when American Airlines significantly cut its daily round-trip flights into and out of Lambert.
Hamm-Niebruegge and other civic leaders recently visited China, to present Lambert as a potential cargo hub for Chinese imports and exports. "Is it a done deal? Absolutely not" she says. "Did we make progress? Yes, we did." In fact, she notes that success of the cargo-hub will directly benefit Lamberts goal of enhanced passenger service by reducing overall landing fees.
The good news is that Hamm-Niebruegge, one of the growing cadres of women at the helm of major American airports, seem uniquely qualified for her role in St. Louis Mayor Francis Stay appointed her late last year and she took the controls on Jan. 3.
In addition to the crafty mindset implied by Hamm-Niebruegge's original professional goal, she's had three decades of airline experience. She's done everything from working as a customer service agent and ramp supervisor--overseeing cargo, baggage loading and refueling, to serving as TWA's vice president of North American operations, with responsibility for 8,000 employees and 100 airports. She remained at the airline when it was taken over by American Airlines and, after working on the integration of the two entities, was named American's managing director in St. Louis in 2003.
What is the most creative aspect of your work?
"Putting together this strategy about how we make Lambert competitive.
"It's fascinating. You can't just say 'This is what were going to do and it's going to start tomorrow.' We have to expand...we have to market ourselves.
"We have to understand how we market Lambert; getting the community to understand this business; why we don't have what we had in the...