Greensboro, NC – Steve Showfety, chairman of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority, passed Wednesday night after a valiant battle with brain cancer. Showfety was 72 years old.
Showfety was serving his 10th year on the Airport Authority and his sixth year as the Board’s chairman. He was first appointed to the Authority by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners in 2009.
During his tenure as Chairman, Showfety oversaw a major expansion of the airport’s footprint and was instrumental in promoting the airport as a key player in the state’s aerospace industry.
The construction of a taxiway bridge over the new I-73 connector, which has opened up hundreds of acres of airport property to new industry, was completed while Showfety was chairman.
Showfety joined Governor Roy Cooper, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, Secretary of Transportation Jim Trogdon and North Carolina Board of Transportation Chairman Mike Fox at the ceremony that opened the new highway and signaled the completion of the taxiway bridge.
Showfety also oversaw the expansion of Honda Aircraft Company at the airport, the construction of a major new hangar at HAECO Americas, and welcomed Spirit Airlines’ new low-cost service to Greensboro in September 2018.
Showfety was also instrumental in the growth of the annual PTI Run on the Runway, a 5K and 10K run that now raises more than $100,000 each year for the region’s food banks.
Showfety considered the run the airport’s community service project, which provided the airport an opportunity to partner with community volunteers to help those in need.
Showfety gave tirelessly of himself to the community, volunteering over the years for countless organizations, but he always spoke of his service on the Authority as one of the most satisfying of all. He represented the Authority in an exemplary fashion and he will be missed greatly.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
Contact: Kevin Baker, 336-665-5600