Coffman Associates was founded in March 1979 as a professional consulting firm specializing exclusively in airport planning. The incorporation of the term "Airport Consultants" into our logo, as well as the aircraft in front of our name, were selected to signify that our firm is unique among those providing services in airport planning.

We sincerely believe that the single most important factor about our firm that sets us apart from nearly every other consulting firm in the United States is that we care enough to specialize exclusively in airport planning services.

Our specialization has allowed us to concentrate our knowledge, experience, technology, and capabilities on the details of airport and aviation needs as well as the most beneficial solutions to today's problems and the challenges of tomorrow. Our goal on every assignment the firm undertakes is to provide a level of quality service that far exceeds the hopes and desires as well as the expectations of our clients. We have learned that the proper application of our capabilities on any assignment will result in benefits to our client that more than pay the costs of planning and our services.

The importance of the absolute and total satisfaction of our clients has become the primary operating policy of our firm. As a result of this policy and our efforts to maintain our record without exception, we take great pride in the fact that we have never had a dissatisfied client.

We have continuously built upon our capabilities and experience in undertaking larger and more complex assignments. Some of these assignments were the result of the previous reputation established by our senior staff members prior to the organization of our firm.

These services began with assignments in noise compatibility planning where we had significant recognition, as individuals, for having successfully dealt with these highly technical and controversial issues while with our previous employers. Our primary recognition in this work was our ability to totally implement noise compatibility programs while we were under contract for the planning. Our clients, who had neither the training nor the time away from other issues to adequately deal with the process of implementing the program, have demonstrated their appreciation by passing our name along to others. After just five years in business, our firm had become the most experienced in the United States in noise compatibility planning.

From the very first day of our formation as a firm, we have known that our hopes of specializing exclusively in airport planning hinged upon our ability to solve complex problems, effectively deal with controversial issues, and improve our clients' public service capabilities in a cost effective manner. We have already dedicated thousands of late night and weekend hours in researching the methodology and approach needed to accomplish these goals. The results of these efforts have made us one of the most innovative and copied firms in the United States. Unlike many other sources for new methods or techniques, we do not copyright or maintain a proprietary process that belongs exclusively to our firm. We provide our clients with everything we have utilized on their behalf with absolutely no proprietary strings attached.

Our service on noise compatibility assignments for air carrier airports began to provide those clients with the opportunity to examine our total expertise and capabilities and we began airport master planning assignments at these airports in 1984.

Word about our efforts in this area also spread one city at a time. We were brought into terminal planning, financial feasibility assignments, and long term continuing services contracts on an "as needed" basis. Today more than 70% of our past clients have hired our firm again.

We believe that there is no greater testimony to client satisfaction than their continued confidence and willingness to not only consider but select a firm for a second or third time. We can further emphasize our record of service by adding that more than 60% of the clients who hired us a second time have also hired us a third time. These statistics do not include our continuing advisory and FAA coordination services to every client, which we provide at no fee. We sincerely believe that every client we have served would hire our firm again if they had the need for additional planning services. Since 1979 our project listing has grown to more than 800 separate assignments, all successfully completed to the absolute satisfaction of our clients.

Our goal on every assignment the firm undertakes is to exceed the expectations of our clients and to prove the value of our services beyond any question. Every member of our staff first learns our internal expectations and numerous methods on how to achieve our goals.

The areas that are of greatest concern to our management and staff are those that have been the primary concern of our clients and the majority of potential clients who contact us each year. Our dedication to providing a superior product and service excellence, centers around the following six principals of our service which we extend as guarantees.

Our rigid adherence to these principals has resulted in industry-wide recognition for our firm that has extended far beyond our contracts for services. The compliments that have been passed along to our staff members by our clients and others associated with various projects have provided inspiration to achieve even greater levels of excellence in the future. We simply strive to be the very best at what we do

The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) began a program in 1986 to recognize this level of performance from corporate members by establishing the "Corporate Cup Of Excellence Award." We were nominated for this award in 1986 and 1987, and we received it in 2005. We also received the "Corporate Excellence Award" from the Arizona Airports Association in 1987, which was the first time it had ever been awarded. Early in 1991, our firm was honored to receive recognition from the Michigan Department of Transportation, Bureau of Aeronautics, as "Consultant of the Year. " In 1996 and 2008, the Southwest Chapter of AAAE (SWAAAE) recognized us with its "Corporate Award." In 2006 we received "Consultant of the Year" presented by the Oregon Airport Manager Association, and the FAA granted us the "FAA Partnership Award" in both 2008 and 2009 for the Western Pacific Region.

Our acceptance and recognition by the airport administration and management community has strengthened our dedication to the quality of our services even more. Our service record has not only broadened into specific areas of expertise but also expanded significantly. These changes have brought about two very important additions to our qualifications to successfully undertake even the most difficult and complex assignments.

First, our overall experience. As you will note in reviewing our qualifications, we have now had considerably more experience in almost every type of airport planning assignment than almost any other firm in the United States.

Second, our performance record and national recognition has also been a catalyst for attracting to our staff some of the most experienced airport planning professionals in the United States. The combined experience and expertise of the professional staff members who make up our firm represents involvement on some of the most challenging airport assignments nationwide. Our staff has grown to more than 27 individuals, who have dedicated their careers exclusively to airport planning. Although we still rank as a small firm by most standards, our specialization makes our staff one of the largest, most experienced airport planning groups in the United States. Our size and specialization allows us to offer our clients the best of both worlds. A large staff of planning specialists and service from a small firm dedicated to quality and excellence.

For the last six years, we have also been involved in the development of a capability of major importance to our clients which has improved the quality of our product beyond the capability of any other firm in the United States. Since the end product of our services is a written report, which is used for years after our assignment is completed, we have taken the initiative in making these documents the most graphic and professional presentations of our clients' message in the industry. Although many factors are involved in trying to improve the quality of these reports, the most important element is complete control of the printing process and its integration with technical production. We have spent the time, money, and research necessary to build our own graphics and printing company to assure the highest quality of our presentation materials. The cost of the equipment and trained operators is the primary reason most firms cannot add this capability to their services. We have developed this capability slowly over time and have incorporated it into our services in a manner that allows us to include color graphics, illustrations, magazine narrative format, and many other additions for the same cost as the typical xeroxed product of our competitors. The quality of these documents has become one of the symbols and most recognized elements of service from Coffman Associates.

We also have one of the largest, most talented groups of professional artists and graphic technicians in the industry. Our use of these talents is extensive for any assignment and are tremendous assets in simplifying even the most technical concepts. Therefore, our documents are easy to read and understand and do not end up on the shelf. Our technical drawings and airport layout plans are prepared using the latest technology in Computer Aided Drafting Design (CADD) systems, and are flawless. All such drawings are also developed by color separation on the computer screen and can be printed the same way. We have been honored to have our work used as the standard for five FAA Regional and Airport District offices. We continuously search for new and better ways to utilize these capabilities and make significant improvements to our products.