Runways to Growth: How XNA Transformed Bentonville and NWA with Andrew Branch

Summary On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Andrew Branch, Chief Operating Officer of XNA Northwest Arkansas National Airport. XNA began operations twenty-five years ago following an opening ceremony from then-President Bill Clinton and Air Force One. The airport's mission is to ensure that the safest and most modern aviation infrastructure is in place to satisfy the needs of the traveling public. The airport’s economic impact exceeds $500 million dollars and provides thousands of jobs annually. With nearly one million boardings, this year will be the best year in the airport’s history. Throughout the episode, James and Andrew discuss the start and growth of XNA and how the airport is connecting the region’s community to the world all while making Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas an even more desirable place for business and residents. Thanks for tuning in! Show Notes Timestamps in this blog are for the audio-only version of the podcast; video timing differs. (0:57) Introduction to Andrew Branch (3:29) Andrew’s Role as Chief Operating Officer (5:06) XNA Northwest Arkansas National Airport’s Founding Story and Its Achievements (7:52) The Challenges of Growing an Airport (9:46) New XNA Construction and Terminal Modernization (17:27) Aspects of Northwest Arkansas That Draw People Here (24:42) Andrew’s #BecauseBentonville Story (26:27) How Northwest Arkansas’s Growth Is Influencing XNA (30:25) Andrew’s Three Wishes for XNA (34:25) Utilizing Skills Learned and Developed in Previous Roles (37:37) Closing Thoughts ‍Links James Bell  Bentonville Economic Development  Andrew Branch (andrew.branch@flyxna.com) XNA Northwest Arkansas National Airport Quotes “To your question about contributing to Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas’s desirability, the figure I’ve heard is something around sixty percent of people in Benton county were not born in Arkansas. So obviously they come from somewhere and their families are other places. That, along with the businesses that do business with Walmart, Tyson and J. B. Hunt that are here, having that connectivity where you can conduct business or have family visit you, it’s easier. I think that is huge for a region to be able to attract the kind of citizens we’re trying to attract to work at these companies.” - Andrew Branch, (11:47) “I’ve lived in other places and not any place I’ve lived had so many of those things that you could do in one place and walk around. [Bentonville’s] like a perfect small town, and then five minutes away you’ve got all these other amenities that you wouldn’t see in a small town. And I think that’s what is unique about Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas.” - Andrew Branch, (25:16) “I was at an event in Fayetteville today and they were talking about how if you live in Bentonville, you want Bentonville to win. But if Bentonville isn’t going to get this new business, if Fayetteville gets it, that’s great, because there’s a feeling of it being a region, and that’s unlike other places I’ve lived. It’s not so competitive between the different cities. Obviously, there’s some healthy competition, but if we can’t get it, we want them to get it. We want the region to win regardless of whether it’s our city or the next city.” - Andrew Branch, (23:21)