Hillwood, the Dallas-based company behind the sprawling AllianceTexas masterplanned community, is promoting a longtime executive to oversee operations at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport.
Christopher Ash will now be president of Alliance Aviation Cos. at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, in far north Fort Worth. He took the new role July 1, according to a recent release from the company.
Ash will oversee operations at Perot Field. That includes management of the airport, fixed-base operations, commercial fueling services and continuing to promote the airport as a top 20 cargo hub in the U.S. The airport is a public-private partnership between Hillwood, City of Fort Worth and the Federal Aviation Administration. Amazon Air (Nasdaq: AMZN), the aviation shipping arm of the online retail giant, and FedEx (NYSE: FDX) have hubs in the area.
Ash has worked for Hillwood since 1996, starting as a line operations specialist. His most recent role was as a senior vice president of aviation business development, overseeing the expansion of military, corporate, aerospace and real estate partnerships at AllianceTexas.
Recent expansions to the area include the $120 million MTU Maintenance expansion and Embraer’s $70 million aircraft repair hub. He also led aviation efforts at the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone, where many companies have tested new and emerging technology.
“Chris has made significant contributions across every aspect of our aviation operations,” Bill Burton, executive vice president at Hillwood said in a statement. “His leadership and commitment to excellence, along with his work to forge meaningful public-private partnerships with government agencies, research institutions and industry leaders, have been central to our success. His experience and vision are invaluable, and with leaders like Chris, the future of the Alliance Aviation Companies is brighter than ever.”
AllianceTexas is home to 590 companies that have created more than 66,000 direct jobs across 60 million square feet of developed commercial real estate. The development has had an estimated $130 billion impact on the region since 1989.
Hillwood opened the airport at Alliance 1989. The company’s founder, billionaire Ross Perot Jr., is a former Air Force fighter pilot who was also part of a two-man team that was the first to circumnavigate the world in a helicopter. Read More