Hudson: Airport county Ôjewel'

The Laurinburg-Maxton Airport has an important role to play in bringing jobs to Scotland County and to the region, according to U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, who toured the facility on Friday.

Hudson was in Maxton as part of a three-day tour of transportation hubs in the district, and said that few are more valuable to the local economy than the airport.

“This is a real jewel in the crown of Scotland County and something that we need to exploit,” Hudson said following an hour long tour that included the terminal, taxiway, the Golden Knights building and a drive around the airport’s perimeter.

Airport Director Jo Ann Gentry and Randy Hoffman of Scotland Aero Services, Inc. led the tour, part of which saw Hudson and airport officials ferried down the tarmac in a passenger van.

“There are few airports in this region that have everything this airport has,” said the 8th District congressman, referencing the excess water capacity, runway size and other advantages that are built-in at the location.

“This isn’t an ‘airport,’ it’s a ‘jobs-port,’” he said.

After the tour, Hudson pledged to “tell the story of this county and this airport” to the people in Washington, D.C. who are empowered to bring jobs to the area.

Scotland County, in general, is primed for an economic resurgence because of its proximity to transportation hubs like those he is visiting on his tour, Hudson noted.

“We’ve got great people here, a can-do attitude, and also plenty of facilities. We have an airport like this one and access to rail, highways, natural gas, and a nearby port.

“We have got all the pieces to put this together and bring jobs to the county. Once the economy does take off, we will ride that wave.”

Hudson also praised the airport’s strategy of recruiting military tenants, like the Golden Knights and the Gryphon Group.

“The vision of going after military contracts, that is something that we can really build on and bring other military assets out here.”

Recent state tax reforms spearheaded by the Republican-led General Assembly, Hudson added, should make the job of industrial recruitment and economic development in the county easier.

“I think the state lowering the tax on corporations will be a big help,” Hudson said. “I wish I could get the federal government on board with changes like that … but I’ve got to have the Senate to go along with me on that one.”

No stranger to the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport, Friday’s Scotland County stop was a homecoming of sorts for Hudson, who has family in the area.

“I used to come out to this airport quite a lot,” he said. “It’s like going-home week for me now that we (are out of session).”

Since taking office in January, Hudson has been a familiar face in Scotland County, making good on a campaign promise to spend plenty of time speaking to people in his district.

A meeting of the Scotland County Farm Bureau in January was Hudson’s first stop after being sworn in, and he has returned a number of times since then, including several visit’s to Richmond Community College’s Laurinburg campus.

“I’m out here going to the people I work for. If I’m not out here, I’m not doing my job,” Hudson said.

The congressman’s tour started on Wednesday with a UPS ride-along in Concord and concluded Friday afternoon with a visit to Robeson Community College in Lumberton.

Laurinburg Exchange