TPA talks about business opportunities during public information session
Airport officials share overview of Airside D and discuss plans for how to build working relationships at 'Doing Business With TPA' outreach meeting.
Tampa International Airport officials on Tuesday evening met with a crowd of about 150 business owners and representatives to discuss how to build working relationships as construction of the forthcoming Airside D progresses.
The public outreach meeting in the Main Terminal, called “Doing Business With TPA,” included a presentation with an overview of the $1.5 billion Airside D project and discussed future Concessions opportunities. The presentation also went over how to search for Airport solicitations by registering for the Procurement process used by the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, and the process for businesses looking to be certified as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises.
Smitha Radhakrishnan, TPA's Executive Vice President for Planning & Development and Maintenance, opened the presentation by calling attention to the Airport's economic contributions to the region.
"As a primary economic engine in the Tampa Bay area, TPA helps generate $11.3 billion in economic activity each year, part of the aviation industry’s total statewide impact of $336 billion," Radhakrishnan said. “All the activity at TPA supports more than 82,000 jobs across our area, with about 10,500 people employed directly by the Airport, its tenants and partners, which include almost 350 businesses and agencies. But more than that, TPA is a source of pride in our community, which recognizes that we are the first and last impression that many of our visitors have of our region.”
After the presentation, guests were invited to meet with department representatives to discuss specific questions about Concessions, Procurement, Business Diversity and the Airside D project. Some attendees said they had traveled from as far away as Atlanta and New York to learn more about the process.
Airside D will be a state-of-the-art, 16-gate Airside terminal for international and domestic routes. The project is led by construction company Hensel Phelps, with Architecture and Engineering company HNTB Corporation, in association with Gensler. The design is currently scheduled to be finalized by the end of 2025, with Airside D scheduled to be open to the public in 2028.
Doing Business With TPA is the first in a series of public outreach meetings that will be held concerning Airside D and related business opportunities. To be notified of the next public information sessions, check AirsideD.com and sign up for our monthly Airside D newsletter.
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