Photo by Derek Redd Kevin Price, center, the new chief development officer at the Ohio County Airport, introduces himself to the crowd gathered at the announcement Monday. Beside him are, left, Ohio County Commissioner Zach Abraham and, right, Ohio County Airport Manager Russell Escue.

In the quest to boost the economic development possibilities at the Ohio County Airport, the former chief development officer at Yeager International Airport has come to Ohio County.

Kevin Price was introduced Monday afternoon as the Ohio County Airport’s chief development officer. He spent seven years in the same role at Yeager.

In the short time he has been in the Northern Panhandle, Price said he believes the sky is the limit for Ohio County Airport’s future that it would be one of the largest, if not the largest, economic drivers in the area.

The new position is a result of a partnership between the Ohio County Development Authority, the Ohio County Commission and the Regional Economic Development Partnership. All three entities have viewed Ohio County Airport as a resource on which greater focus is needed. In his opening remarks, Ohio County Commissioner Zach Abraham called the airport “the hidden gem of the Ohio Valley.”

Abraham said later that the county’s hidden gem needed to more often be put on display.

“It’s been underutilized for quite some time,” he said. “It’s been nobody’s issue or fault. It just, I think, has always operated, has been doing well and it had some things here, but it just really is an underused asset that really can benefit not only just Ohio County, but also the region.”

The first area where the airport can benefit is in education, Abraham and Price said. There have been discussions in creating a partnership in aviation education with the airport, Marshall University and West Liberty University. Price said those discussions are ongoing and an announcement could be made in the next 60 days.

Price knows what an aviation education program can do both for the airport and the region’s economic development. While at Yeager, he was on the executive team that established the Bill Noe Flight School at Marshall University.

“The higher education piece is important,” he said. “The demand on the system … you could put one of these flight training programs at every airport in the state of West Virginia and not make a dent in the demand.

“The job opportunities and the possibilities for those students as they come out of those programs are limitless, even on the mechanic side,” Price continued. “You have a lot of crossover to things like the oil and gas industry because of the turbine industries that they use and the turbine equipment. The mechanics piece, you’ve got a lot of opportunities there for them to crossover if they want to.”

That education component isn’t just limited to the college level. Abraham said that, after Monday’s press conference, he would meet with officials from the Ohio County, Marshall County and Brooke County school districts, along with other career and technical educators. The airport could be a good site for what essentially would be a “maker space” that would help high school students learn more about the different elements of the education industry.

Among Price’s other responsibilities will be connecting with the aviation community on potential development at the airport, attracting aviation-related businesses and developing emerging areas of aviation, including electric aircraft, drones and robotics.

Since taking the job, Price has been impressed with many aspects of the airport. He loves the airport’s interior, with its many aviation artifacts. He believes that atmosphere will only enhance visitors’ experiences at the airport, like they’re walking through a museum when they enter.

And he also has appreciated how much the county commission, OCDA and RED have supported him, the airport and their mission to position the airport for a brighter future.

“I can’t even begin to express what the support has been like,” he said. “They’ve given us every tool we need to move forward with this. So we’re looking forward to making great things happen.”