[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8244-8245]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO RANDALL H. WALKER

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I rise today to recognize Randy Walker for 
his leadership as Director of Aviation for Clark County. Randy is the 
consummate public servant, having served the people of Nevada in 
various positions since 1979, culminating in his appointment as 
Director of Aviation for Clark County in May 1997. For the past 16 
years, Randy has transformed McCarran International Airport into one of 
the premier airports in the world, and he has greatly expanded the 
airport's reach to all corners of the globe.
  Randy became Director of Aviation at an exciting time in southern 
Nevada. Clark County was the fastest growing county in the Nation, with 
tens of thousands of new people moving to Las Vegas each year. Tourist 
numbers hit record levels and new resorts were changing the face of the 
world famous Strip. Las Vegas was becoming a global destination with 
new markets in Europe, South America, and Asia fueling southern 
Nevada's economy. Randy recognized this potential for growth and he 
played a key role in expanding the airport.
  During Randy's first year on the job, McCarran International Airport 
added 26 new gates; more were added in 2005 and again in 2008, which 
increased the D Concourse's size to 45 gates today. Randy oversaw the 
construction of a new rental car terminal, which improved the visitor 
experience for tourists. He also kept airport operations running 
smoothly at the airport during the construction of a tunnel for 
Interstate 215 under the runways.
  Randy has also made McCarran International Airport one of the most 
technically advanced airports in the Nation. It is the only major 
airport in the U.S. to use Common Use Terminal Equipment, allowing for 
seamless integration of airlines' computer systems. In addition, he 
installed SpeedCheck

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kiosks, allowing customers to get their boarding passes without having 
to go to a specific airline counter. The airport also implemented a 
baggage-tracking system that uses radio-frequency identification so 
that baggage can be accurately tracked.
  In 2010, McCarran opened a USO Lounge to serve servicemembers from 
Nevada and those flying through Nevada. The rest and relaxation lounge 
serves tens of thousands of our military personnel each year as they 
travel to Nevada and through Nevada. I worked with Randy, Wayne Newton, 
and the USO since 2007 to create this lounge.
  Randy has changed the face of aviation in southern Nevada, but the 
most important project during Randy's tenure was the opening of 
Terminal 3, or T3. Building a new $2.4 billion terminal was the largest 
expansion project in McCarran's history, and one of the largest public 
works projects in Nevada history. McCarran began this ambitious 
expansion project before the recession hit my State. When the economy 
worsened, I worked with Randy to keep T3 on track by having Congress 
provide tax relief to local governments and their bondholders in the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Randy's steady leadership 
during the challenging economy was critical to the completion of the 
project.
  Last year, McCarran International Airport was ranked 24th in the 
world for passenger traffic, hosting nearly 41.7 million passengers. 
Under Randy's tenure, the airport saw a 33 percent increase in Las 
Vegas visitor volume that resulted in a 50 percent increase in revenues 
for Clark County. This has been extremely beneficial to the economy of 
southern Nevada.
  After playing an important role in shaping the future of Las Vegas 
and southern Nevada for decades, Randy recently stepped down as the 
Director of Aviation to enter a well-deserved retirement. I am pleased 
to recognize Randy's extraordinary service to the people of Clark 
County before the Senate today and I wish him all the best in his 
retirement or, knowing Randy, in his next phase of remarkable 
achievement.

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