The Public Works Podcast: Barry Rondinella Episode

From Piloting Planes to Airport Director: Lessons from a 30-Year Aviation Career EPISODE SUMMARY What does it take to run one of the most tightly regulated airports in America — and then walk away to build something new? In this episode, host Shane Silsby sits down with Barry Rondinella, former Director of John Wayne Airport (Orange County, CA) and former Director of Operations at LAX, now CEO of Aeroplex Aerolease Group and author of "Not Too Bad for a Skinny White Kid." Barry shares a career that started pumping gas into Cessnas and ended overseeing the fourth-busiest airport on the planet. Along the way: building high-performance teams, navigating political pressure, pitching airlines on air service, and the leadership principles that carried him through it all. ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Intro & welcome 0:03 – Meet Barry Rondinella 1:30 – From Air Force pilot to airport maintenance 3:25 – Airport classification explained (GA to large hub) 5:23 – Does a pilot's license change how you run an airport? 6:51 – What does an airport director actually do? 7:38 – Career mentor: Larry McPherson 9:02 – Air service development — what really gets airlines to your airport? 10:39 – Building teams at small airports 12:49 – Scaling leadership: LAX and large organizations 14:37 – LAX: open-heart surgery on a running patient 16:22 – John Wayne Airport: the noise, the politics, the settlement agreement 18:56 – JD Power #1: how culture change drove guest experience awards 21:09 – Public sector vs. private sector: what government does well 23:35 – Navigating elected officials and political pressure 26:02 – Private sector culture shock & consultant relationships 33:00 – Career advice: do what your operation needs, not what you like 35:01 – The book: Not Too Bad for a Skinny White Kid 36:43 – The Six P's and writing about resilience 39:15 – When the map burns: dealing with disruption 40:03 – Best career advice Barry ever received 41:23 – What passengers don't know about airports 41:56 – Advice to 22-year-old Barry 43:10 – Where to find the book & connect with Barry 45:04 – Like, share, & subscribe outro 📚 RESOURCES & LINKS 📖 Barry's book: "Not Too Bad for a Skinny White Kid" — available on Amazon (paperback & e-book): https://www.amazon.com ✉️ Contact Barry directly: barry@aeroplex.net 🏢 Aeroplex Aero Lease Group: https://www.aeroplex.net 🔔 CALL TO ACTION If this episode gave you something to think about, hit LIKE, SHARE an episode, and SUBSCRIBE — it helps us spread the word about the people keeping our communities moving. Have a guest suggestion or question? Drop it in the comments and we'll respond within a week. The Public Works Podcast — highlighting the professionals working behind the scenes to keep our communities in motion. #TPWP #localgovernments #aviation #airports #infrastructure #leadership #leadersspeak #publicsector #publicservice