Director of Quincy Regional Airport leaving at end of month for job in St. Louis area

QUINCY — Sandra Shore, director at Quincy Regional Airport in Quincy, told members of the city’s aeronautics committee at its Wednesday morning meeting she is leaving to become the director at the St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia Heights starting Feb. 28.

Shore, 29, has directed the airport in Quincy since 2018.

“That’s going to be a tough one,” said Dave Bauer, a Democratic alderman in the city’s 2nd Ward who also serves as the chair of the aeronautics committee. “She will be deeply missed.”

Attempts to reach Shore for comment were unsuccessful.

During her time at Quincy Regional Airport, Shore managed more than $7 million in federal airport improvement funding, secured an additional $18 million in funding and has programmed another $17 million in airport funding during the next two years. 

St. Louis Downtown Airport third busiest in Illinois

Shore replaces Erick Dahl, who left last fall after filling the position for nearly eight years.

“We’re not totally pressed for time, but the sooner the better,” Bauer said. “(Finding Shore’s replacement) will be on the front burner.”

“We are pleased that Sandra will join our team to lead our airport operations into the future,” said Taulby Roach, president and CEO of Bi-State Development, the organization that owns and operates the airport, in a press release. “St. Louis Downtown Airport is located on 1,000 acres of prime real estate practically in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. We welcome her fresh view on generating new business and new tenants which will benefit St. Clair County and our region.”

“My passion is capital and business development,” Shore said in a press release. “I welcome the opportunity to join the Bi-State Development team and look forward to exploring new capital and business development opportunities that could bring new aviation-related jobs and new partnerships to St. Louis Downtown Airport and St. Clair County.”

The airport, which opened in 1929, claims to be the busiest general aviation airport in Illinois and the third busiest airport in the state after O’Hare and Midway in Chicago. 

Two big projects at Quincy airport 90 percent paid for with state, federal dollars

According to the most recent study conducted by the Illinois Department of Transportation, St. Louis Downtown Airport contributed more than $422 million in economic impact for the region in 2019. In comparison, the same study showed Quincy Regional Airport provided a $24.7 million economic impact on the three-state region. The study is based on visitor spending, job creation, on-airport activity, labor income and value added by business using the airport.

Aldermen recently approved two contracts for works at Quincy Regional Airport. The largest was for $310,600 for engineering services for the construction of a general aviation apron and roadway for a corporate hangar in the airport’s enterprise zone. The state of Illinois will fund ninety percent of the contract’s cost.

The second contract was for $118,600 for the second phase of the airport’s $30 million airport runway project. The U.S. Department of Transportation is funding 90 percent of the project.

“(Shore) was able to work in grants and stuff where there is a very, very little bit of money coming out of the city (to pay for the airport work),” Bauer said. “She spent a lot of work getting that lined up. Hopefully we can keep it going in the right direction.”

Shore, who is marrying fiancee Benjamin DeClue this spring, grew up in the Lake of the Ozarks area. After earning her degree in aviation management from Southern Illinois University, she was the airport manager at Floyd W. Jones Lebanon Airport in Lebanon, Mo., before coming to Quincy.