Spartan Profiles: Lester Robinson

DETROIT METRO UNSUNG HERO

            Detroit Metro Airport was once considered among the country’s worst airports.  After the McNamara terminal opened in 2002, Metro ranked second in a nationwide survey of customer satisfaction.  This dramatic turnaround pleases Lester Robinson, ’73, CEO of the Wayne Country Airport Authority, which runs Detroit Metro. 

            “We were pumping 30 million passengers through a facility that was only built to handle about 10,” explains Robinson, an accountant and former banker who is leading the airport to a bright future. 

            “Aviation is an exciting industry,” says Lester.  “It’s different every day.  It has a significant impact on the region.  It’s the closest thing in government to running a real business.”  Under Lester’s guidance, the airport has become more cost efficient and is luring many new airlines, such as Air France and Air China. 

            Metro just completed its sixth runway and is in the midst of a $400 million overhaul of the north terminal, scheduled for completion in 2008.  “It will have 27 gates, including four international swing gates,” he notes.  “It will replace the Smith terminal.” 

            For customer service, Lester has made all airport food concessions offer at least some “healthy choices” in their menus.  A finance whiz with a track record for balancing budgets, Lester estimates that a competitive airport could have a billion-dollar economic impact on the area. 

            A native of Flint, Lester was his family’s first college generation.  He remembers enjoying Lash Larrowe’s course on labor economics.  “MSU prepared me well,” he says.  “The professors I had were challenging, and they enriched my understanding of the world.”  He and his wife Dora married while both were seniors.  “We’re huge MSU football and basketball fans,” says Lester.  “But she’s even more of a zealot than me.  I’m very proud of the way we turn out responsible citizens, rather than just great athletes.”