Some FBOs have earned a reputation for certain things over the years, and for Signature Aviation’s location at St. Paul Downtown Airport/Holman Field (KSTP), that something is outstanding customer service. For years, the facility has scored at or near the top of the CSR category in AIN’s annual FBO survey.
Sandy Tachovsky—the facility’s duty manager and a 33-year veteran at the location—said the secret lies in “Minnesota nice,” a term that describes the friendly and courteous behavior for which the state’s residents are generally known. That is combined with the FBO’s consistency of service to its large based-tenant population and familiar transient customers. “It’s really getting to know all of them and going that extra mile for them,” Tachovsky told AIN.
In some cases, the staff takes that latter bit quite literally, such as driving all the way to Wisconsin on a beer run. The staff wanted to stock an aircraft departing the facility after a Sunday hometown Vikings game, but Minnesota then banned Sunday alcohol sales. The FBO is located within 20 minutes of the venues for all four of the city’s professional sports teams.
Clint Kummer, Signature’s regional vice president for the central region, also got his start at the facility 35 years ago as a third-shift line technician. While he is now responsible for 40 of the company’s locations from Canada down through Texas, he still resides in the area and maintains an office in the company’s KSTP terminal, which was built in 1988 by what was known at the time as Regent Aviation.
“To me, it just feels like a long-term culture,” Kummer told AIN during a recent visit to the facility. “We’ve always had a good group of people here. The new people that come in, they either fit into that culture or they get weeded out.”
Signature acquired the FBO in 2007 and has continually updated it, with a major overhaul due to start in the second quarter of next year. It sits on the southwest side of the field, opposite the Mississippi River, which has overflowed its banks several times over the past two decades, flooding the airport but never quite reaching the Signature complex.
The sprawling, single-story 10,000-sq-ft terminal—which is open and staffed 24/7—features a cozy passenger lobby with a large fireplace, a pair of 10-seat conference rooms, a customer event space, flight planning area, pilot lounge, refreshment area, three private business centers, catering kitchen (the FBO favors Atikis Minnesota Aviation Catering), crew cars, onsite car rental, and complimentary shuttle service.
The FBO is a gateway facility under the TSA's DCA Access Standard Security Program (DASSP) for flights into Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and U.S. Customs and Border Protection clearance is available 24/7 with advance notice from a facility on the opposite side of the field in the former airport terminal, which now also houses an upscale restaurant with runway views.
Signature occupies 27 acres at KSTP, 17 of which are milled and repaved ramp space just completed as part of a $1.6 million project. With the severe Minnesota winters, it offers more than 150,000 sq ft of hangar space, capable of sheltering the latest ultra-long-range jets. While its hangar occupancy is normally around 85%, that is pushed to more than 100% during the winter. It is home to 25 turbine-powered aircraft ranging from a Pilatus PC-12 up to a Gulfstream G550. It also houses aircraft from the Minnesota State Patrol, which flies continually and is viewed as “family” by the FBO staff.
In addition, Signature provides ground handling for an additional five private hangars on its property that were built on ground leases. The service provider has available greenfield space to accommodate the construction of another two 30,000-sq-ft hangars if and when the need arises.
One of two FBOs on the field, Signature claims the lion’s share of the business, with its underground fuel farm holding 46,500 gallons of jet fuel and 12,000 gallons of avgas. It is serviced by a pair of 5,000-gallon jet-A refuellers and a 750-gallon avgas truck. The facility has a staff of 28, trained using Signature’s in-house program. The location also offers Type I and Type IV de-icing.
The complex is home to a Signature TechnicAir service facility, which offers AOG support, line maintenance, avionics, and MRO services.