Press Releases

BATON ROUGE, La, December 12, 2022 – Governor John Bell Edwards, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, the Baton Rouge Metro Airport (BTR) and Burrell Aviation, a division of The Burrell Group, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, December 12th in recognition of its lease and development plans for 53 acres of runway-accessible land in the BTR Aviation Business Park. The lease has a primary term of 30 years, with two 10-year options to renew. Burrell Aviation will invest and develop the site’s facilities and secure anchor tenants interested in making Baton Rouge Airport a critical hub for air cargo and other aviation-related activities.

The event will also be attended by members of the Baton Rouge Metro City Council, and Dan Burrell, Founder and Executive Chairman of The Burrell Group, as well as leading executives from Burrell Aviation’s national partnership groups, which include:

Alliance Ground International (AGI) (https://www.allianceground.com),

Lemartec Construction (https://www.lemartec.com)

Perez and Perez Architecture and Design (https://www.perezperez.com)

Cushman and Wakefield (https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en)

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The project represents an estimated investment of $113,850,000 by Burrell Aviation into the Baton Rouge airport and its surrounding communities, which is projected to create between 893 and 1487 permanent quality jobs.

As part of its “Invest, Develop and Operate” strategy Burrell Aviation will oversee the completion of 400,000 square feet of cargo facilities at the airport in the form next-generation aviation-based infrastructure that is “built to suit” the needs and operations of the leading cargo companies in the world.

“We are excited about this opportunity to partner with Burrell Aviation to grow our Aviation Business Park. Burrell Aviation has the resources through privately sourced funding to market the property, secure tenants, and provide build-to-suit development for them. This will lead to area job growth and more economic output in the Baton Rouge area,” said Mike Edwards, BTR’s Director of Aviation

Burrell Aviation’s development strategy is founded upon E-commerce’s unprecedented growth as a means of creating an opportunity for regional airports with available facilities and logistical support to capitalize on the flow of goods with improved efficiencies compared to larger, more congested airports. This is particularly true for regional airports close to major population areas. Elements such as an air traffic control tower, ample runway length, and significant airfield capabilities also ensure that the airport is well-positioned for this type of growth.

“The Baton Rouge Metro Airport is an ideal location to add to our portfolio,” said Burrell Aviation CEO, John Carver. “The airport is accessible to other major transportation modes such as interstates, rail lines, and a deep-water port. And the shovel-ready site includes significant economic incentives.”

Burrell Aviation was formed to meet the surging demand for air cargo, freight and logistics solutions in the continental United States, Mexico, and Canada through a public-private partnership model. The company’s core business lines are air cargo, storage (cold and dry), private hangars, aircraft maintenance and repair (MRO), and distribution/transit trucking centers.

“We are deeply grateful to Governor Edwards, Mayor Broome and all of the state and local leadership, who along with the guidance and support of the Baton Rouge Airport authorities have made this project a reality. It’s an investment we are proud to be making. Our unique design and operational capabilities will ensure this project brings new levels of job creation, economic vitality and international attention to the City of Baton Rouge and its surrounding parishes”, said Dan Burrell, Founder and Chairman of The Burrell Group

About The Burrell Group

Burrell Aviation, LLC is a division of The Burrell Group. The Burrell Group was founded in 2007 by Founder and Executive Chairman, Daniel C. Burrell. It serves as the holding company for a consortium of individual business interests in a wide range of sectors.

Burrell Aviation, LLC is an equity investor focused on providing its clients with speed-to-market services that include available airside land, financing and construction. Through a public-private partnership model involving federal, state, and local government, Burrell Aviation is in the process of repositioning regional and municipal airports that have been historically underutilized and currently operate outside of North America’s core supply chain.

About BTR

The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) is served by network-carriers American, Delta, and United to four of the country’s largest hub airports – Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston Intercontinental – providing single connection service to destinations worldwide. BTR is the second largest airport in Louisiana based on commercial flights and passenger volume. The Airport has an economic impact of $1.1 billion dollars annually and approximately 4,500 direct and indirect jobs. BTR operates as a self-sufficient enterprise fund, generating its own operating revenues and using no local tax revenue.