FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2022

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LAX Public Relations
(424) 646-5260

Los Angeles Airport Commissioner Karim Webb (upper left corner) leads a discussion with staff from Los Angeles World Airports, Skyview Concessions, Concord Partners and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship during the first day of seminars.

(Los Angeles, CA) On two consecutive Tuesdays, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) organization hosted two virtual sessions for more than 270 middle and high school students from three schools who are interested in entrepreneurship. The online events, which were held Feb. 22 and March 1, included Los Angeles Airport Commissioner Karim Webb and business leaders with operations at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The sessions provided a forum for students from diverse backgrounds to learn about running a successful business of varying sizes in a dynamic airport environment.

"LAWA and the Board of Airport Commissioners are proud to connect youth from our local community with inspirational minority business owners who come from neighborhoods similar to their own," said Karim Webb, Los Angeles Airport Commissioner. "Today's students will become tomorrow's leaders, and we want them to know that the sky's the limit for opportunities in the aviation industry."

LAWA hosted the annual event, which focuses on businesses associated with the aviation industry. Students were introduced to representatives from large, medium and small businesses in a virtual setting. Many of the participating businesses are minority owned and were started by entrepreneurs who come from similar backgrounds as the attending students. Minority-owned construction contractors discussed the benefits of business ownership and operating at an airport.

"A big part of becoming a successful entrepreneur is the willingness to constantly learn," said Greg Plummer, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner, Concord Collective. "As CEO of a minority disadvantaged business enterprise, the LAX NFTE event provided an excellent opportunity for the next generation of entrepreneurs to learn from the knowledge and experience of myself and other participants."

This year's participating organizations included LAWA, Concord Collective, Max Out Inc., Skyview Concessions, and CTI Environmental. Students attended from Environmental Charter High, North Hollywood High STEM Magnet and Silver Creek High School.

"Opportunities like these are important for NFTE's aspiring entrepreneurs, as they offer real world expertise and experiences," said Kim Small, Executive Director, West, NFTE. "The LAX virtual events links what NFTE students are learning in their NFTE class with the real world. It shows our students that the impossible is possible."

NFTE engages students to learn about business ownership, and to also create a business idea with the goal of opening that business. LAWA has partnered with NFTE since 2015, hosting one-day events for local middle school students.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX, the third-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States in 2019, is in the midst of a $15-billion capital improvement program that will touch on all nine passenger terminals and build new facilities, including an Automated People Mover (APM) train, Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility and the West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal.

In 2019, LAX served nearly 88.1 million passengers and offered an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 113 destinations in the U.S. and 1,200 weekly nonstop flights to 91 markets in 46 countries on 72 commercial airlines.

LAX generates 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX's ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City's general fund.

LAWA is leading the aviation industry in sustainability practices, with initiatives related to water management, energy (electricity) management, air quality, recycling and natural resources management. In 2019, LAX received Level III ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation from Airports Council International-Europe.

LAWA is also a leader in inclusivity, operating eight programs that provide opportunities for business enterprises including local, small, minority-owned, veteran-owned and disadvantaged firms, and working together with community partners to offer the HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program, which targets local workers to make them ready for rewarding careers in the construction trades, and the Build LAX Academy, designed to prepare small contracting businesses for success when working on projects at LAX.

LAX was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX in 2018, and was honored as the "Most Innovative Airport for Passenger Experience" in 2019 by the American Association of Airport Executives. LAX is the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. Other recent honors have included selection as the No. 9 Best Airport (Wall Street Journal); No. 7 Best On-Time Performance for a Mega-Hub Airport (OAG); one of "The World's Best Airports for Business Travelers" (GlobeHunters); Public-Private Partnership of the Year (P3 Bulletin); Urth Caffe, Best Airport Coffee Concession of the Year (Global FAB Awards); Innovation of the Year, Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ARTBA); Best Project, United Airlines Terminal 7 and 8 Redevelopment Program (Engineering News Record California); North American Public-Private Partnership Deal of the Year (IJ Global); and Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year, Automated People Mover (WTS LA).

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.