When Kim Poppke represents the Hernando County Airport at trade shows, the conversation inevitably takes the same turn.
"Anywhere that I talk to anybody outside of this area, they don't know where Hernando County is," said Poppke, the airport's marketing and property coordinator. "Naturally, the next thing out of my mouth is, 'Well we're 35 minutes north of the Tampa airport.'"
But soon, Poppke may no longer need to give that spiel when she talks about the Hernando County Airport and Business Complex. On Tuesday, county commissioners will vote on whether to rename it the Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport and Technology Center.
"It's to reflect the dynamic nature of the airport. It's grown from just its original history as a World War 2 airfield," Poppke said. "We do have a very thriving industrial park with over 120 businesses, most of whom are high-tech. This would be more reflective of who we are and the direction we hope to go."
Even with "Tampa" in the new name, Poppke isn't worried about tourists accidentally flying into the wrong place. That's because the Hernando airport is just for corporations and those in the aviation industry.
"Pilots--it's their job to know where they're flying into," Poppke said.
