Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Bridget Rief
I am so proud of the Silver Ramp construction and the exterior façade. I was one of only a small group of folks that settled on that look, and it turned out AWESOME!
Can't forget all my Reliever work. The Ham Lake wetland site was a huge project (for SEH too), and I have always loved the immediate post construction view of the 120-acre site.
My heart and soul went into the 2008 Flying Cloud runway and building area project – all the way back to the 2002 agreement with the City, completing the environmental work after Mark Ryan passed, and finally getting all the approvals to start construction in 2008.
For sure a fav day of mine was the day the Airbus A380 visited. We toured the inside, and as you can see from the pic, we were able to get really close on the airfield. I have a whole series of takeoff shots – very cool!
In a remarkable bit of foresight, the Minnesota Legislature created the "Metropolitan Airports Commission" on July 6, 1943. The agency's mandate was to own and operate airports within 35 miles of the Minneapolis and St. Paul downtowns, thus creating a regional system of airports with a common purpose. "Wold-Chamberlain Field" became the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport and "Holman Field" the St. Paul Downtown Airport. Anoka County/Blaine, Crystal, Flying Cloud, and Lake Elmo Airports were all developed around 1950. Air Lake Airport was a private facility that MAC purchased in 1981. MAC is self-supporting and governed by a board of 15 commissioners who appoint an Executive Director.
Making the facilities better is a continuous process at MAC. MAC's capital improvement budget exceeded one billion dollars in 2024 and is the largest in history. Projects range from $200,000 for pavement rehabilitation at Flying Cloud to $320 million for concourse improvements at Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Managing that kind of program requires some special talent. It's not often the cosmos is perfectly alighted, but when their improvement budget reached its zenith, the Metropolitan Airports Commission had the right person for the job. Bridget Rief has the necessary skills and experience to lead the development business at MAC. Ms. Rief is a registered professional engineer, graduate of the University of Minnesota and the Hamline University Public Works Leadership Academy. Her official title is "Vice President of Planning and Development." Bridget Rief is at the pinnacle of her profession as an airport engineer just when MAC needed a maximum effort.
Bridget made a successful start to her career at a firm well known in aviation as HNTB so named in 1941 when the partners last names were Howard, Needles, Tammen and Bergendorff. Airport design was not on her radar, but as she says, "I fell into a passion I didn't even know I had." HNTB counted MAC as a major client making her move to the agency as an assistant airport engineer relatively easy. At first Bridget worked primarily in the reliever airport system. The people who run MAC know talent when they see it so her next step was to project manager. Less than five years after that she became Assistant, then Director of Airside Development. Bridget Rief's tenure as Vice President is now over seven years. That's a long time at the top, in her words "way too busy, but living the dream."
Getting things done on airports takes a lot of work and MAC is meticulous about doing it right by involving the public and protecting the environment while building stuff. It is not just concrete and asphalt. MAC's Planning and Development team need a working knowledge of architecture, electrical systems, environmental engineering, etc. etc. to manage successful projects.
Planning and Development at MAC includes the agency's building official. Grant management is an important function since the FAA and State of Minnesota provide a lot of money. Other large transportation organizations employ a lot of professionals, but MAC wisely depends on consultants for detailed work. Bridget supervises the staff that provide direction to the consultants, making her group extremely efficient and avoiding the problems of staff down time when (if) things get slow.
Minneapolis/St. Paul International (MSP) is where about 80% of the construction budget is spent so it takes most of Bridget Rief's time. Current projects at MSP include a new Safety and Security Center, major improvements to Concourse "G" in the Lindbergh Terminal, and expansion of the Humphrey Terminal. Of course, Bridget's attention is required for the big improvements, but she also understands the important details like restroom accommodations for nursing mothers and "relief" areas for traveling pets. And then there are the reliever airports. MAC's reliever system is unique in that the same agency operates both the primary airport and the secondary ones. Recently construction of a new runway at the Lake Elmo Airport demonstrated MAC's commitment to the relievers and General Aviation.
A dollar figure with nine zeros before the decimal is a lot of capital improvements, but the annual economic impact of the MAC system exceeds $16 Billion. Managing a program that size is no walk in the park. Bridget will correctly say it's a team effort, but a great team needs a great leader. Thankfully, Bridget Rief leads a team that is up to the challenge.
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