Paslay Group Executive Program Management, Advisory Services Teams Help Deliver $1.4 Billion Program

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 25, 2023 – Nashville International Airport has officially opened its new 200,000-square-foot Grand Lobby, including 24 TSA security screening lanes, massive multimedia digital and visual art installations, and new concessions as part of its $1.4 Billion BNA Vision redevelopment program.

Paslay Group has provided Executive Program Management services supporting Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority’s capital program since 2016. The program includes a 7,000-car parking garage, a 292-room airport hotel, reconfigured landside roadways, and a new central utility plant. MNAA retained PG Advisory Services separately in 2021 to support the BNA Concessions Redevelopment Program and soon after expanded the scope to include concessions planning, analyses, and development for a separate eight-gate satellite concourse scheduled to open in Fall 2023.

MNAA President and CEO Doug Kreulen said Paslay Group’s expertise helped deliver a capital improvement program that will meet the needs of Tennessee today and into the future.

“The Paslay Group has been instrumental to our success of BNA Vision and our ongoing construction programs,” Kreulen said. “The guidance that their skilled executives provided allowed us to execute an extremely complex capital program while delivering upgraded and expanded airport facilities to our passengers. As we continue to grow at an unparalleled rate, the Paslay Group continues to be a trusted advisor to help us continue to serve the dynamic Middle Tennessee area.”

The new Nashville International Airport Grand Lobby opened in January 2023.

The master architect for BNA Vision is Corgan, and the design-build team for the Grand Lobby was Hensel Phelps and Fentress Architects.

View the PG photo gallery from the BNA Grand Lobby tour here.

PG principal Rick Jones has served as Executive Program Manager for the BNA project. Ron Marsh, a PG Associate Principal, has served as Project Manager/Construction Manager. The PG Concessions Advisory team has included Margaret McKeough, president of PG Advisory Services; and associate principals Martha Hernandez, Michael Morford and Colleen Von Hoene.

R. Clay Paslay, PG CEO and managing partner, said: “Paslay Group is proud to have served as an extension of the MNAA executive team in planning and executing the transformational BNA Vision program. The entire Nashville International Airport team is first class, and we are pleased to help deliver outstanding airport facilities worthy of this iconic American city.”

BNA’s Grand Lobby features a sweeping roof canopy with an oculus skylight reminiscent of an acoustic guitar when viewed from above. It also includes a pedestrian bridge that connects to the Grand Plaza, Terminal Parking Garage, and the airport’s future hotel. Inside the lobby, travelers are greeted with an immersive multimedia showcase through two enormous 12K-resolution screens.

The lobby also prominently features a five-story sculpture from artist Jacob Hashimoto called The Unscalable Ramparts of Time, an installation crafted with 8,000 washi paper kites suspended from fiber glass rods. Each side wall of the lobby showcases a 105-foot hanging garden by Garden on the Wall that portray the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge through the use of moss, hydrangea, ferns and other flora found natively in Tennessee.

Upcoming BNA Vision milestones include:

  • International Arrivals Facility – Fall 2023
  • On-site Hilton Hotel and Terminal Garage – Late 2023
  • Satellite Concourse – Late 2023

MNAA is currently planning New Horizon, an additional $1.4 billion capital development program scheduled for completion in 2028.

About Paslay Group

Paslay Group is the premiere, full-service airport consultancy providing Executive Program Management and Advisory Services for a wide array of airports implementing capital development programs. Founded in 2006 by former airport executives, PG has successfully assisted owners in delivering airport projects valued at $15 billion and is currently managing an additional $7 billion in investments. The firm includes three companies, PG Advisory Services, PG Executive Program Management, and PG Development. Visit paslaygroup.com or contact us at info@paslaygroup.com to learn more.

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