As the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the aviation industry, AMAC launched a grass-roots campaign to #savethetravelexperience. The mission was to develop a viral campaign designed to influence lawmakers working on COVID-19 relief packages to specifically include airport-related businesses in legislation.
On September 11–12, 2019, the first AMAC Economic Opportunity and Policy Forum was held and welcomed aviation leaders, government officials and business representatives from across the aviation industry to Washington, DC to exchange ideas, share entrepreneurship best practices and seek innovation in airport diversity and inclusion.
The AMAC Political Action Committee (AMAC PAC) works to further AMAC’s direct advocacy and educational initiatives on Capitol Hill by making monetary contributions to federal candidates and political action committees and caucuses who understand and support equity in airport contracting and employment. The AMAC PAC is non-partisan and provides our members with the means for concerted political action.
The objective of the A Winning Approach: Recommendations to Realize Greater ACDBE and DBE Goods and Services Supplier Opportunities and Participation Within the Car Rental Industry white paper was to provide recommendations that enhance the participation of certified minority and women-owned firms as goods or services suppliers in the car rental companies’ airport concessions operations.
On June 8, 2014, the first AMAC Foundation Celebrating Women in Aviation program was held in Denver, CO at the 30th AMAC Airport Business Diversity Conference to foster, promote and applaud the success of women in aviation and aerospace-related businesses and career achievements. Photo (Left to Right): Rhonda Arnold; Audrey Simmons; Rhonda Fields; and Amber Gooding.
The first official golf tournament was held in 1998 at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC. This event now honors one of AMAC’s own tireless servants, Bill Walker. Mr. Walker’s affiliation with the AMAC Airport Business Diversity Conference began in Los Angeles, CA in 1988 while he was Vice President at Pacific State Airlines. Walker began planning the golf tournament shortly after and continued to organize until illness prevented him from doing so.
In October 1997, the AMAC Board of Directors formally established the AMAC Foundation, formerly known as the Airport Minority Advisory Council Educational & Scholarship Program, Inc. (AMACESP).
NAMBAC Corp. was renamed to the Airport Minority Advisory Council Corp.
Concurrent with the FAA Minority Business Enterprise Compliance Conference held May 15–17, 1988 in Los Angeles, CA, a handful of individuals who were deeply concerned about the economic disparities and barriers preventing minorities and women from fair competition for airport business and jobs officially incorporated NAMBAC Corp. now known as the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) on November 8, 1988, in Miami, FL.
Congress reauthorized and amended the statutory DBE program. In the transportation legislation of that year, Congress, among other changes, added women to the groups presumed to be disadvantaged. Since 1987, DOT has established a single DBE goal, encompassing firms owned by women and minority group members.