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He has worked for over 22 years in Canadian airports. But no matter where his career has taken him, he has shown a drive to make positive impacts in what he does.
James Bogusz, the CEO and president of the Regina Airport Authority, has served in his roles at the Regina International Airport (YQR) since he was hired in January 2018.
Bogusz, who discussed his career in the latest edition of Shaping Saskatchewan, said he works each day to make sure he and his staff have fun at their jobs. In the same breath, he said he takes his job very seriously.
“To me, a true leader believes in the mission of the organization and exemplifies that each and every day they come to work,” Bogusz said.
“We’re here to deliver for southern Saskatchewan, both a safe and secure airport experience that we can all be proud of, and I mean this very sincerely. This matters to me in my heart, and I want to make sure my staff, the public and the community feel that, and how we treat our terminal building, customers and of course, our employees.”
Bogusz has demonstrated this dedication over the past few years, most recently when he was one of those who advocated to restore daily non-stop service from YQR to a major U.S. hub.
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This was achieved on Nov. 20, 2023 when WestJet announced a brand new flight from Regina’s airport that will offer daily, direct service to Minneapolis seven days a week. This flight option is set to begin at the end of next month.
“However, the work does not stop,” Bogusz said. “This is the first return of a U.S. flight. We want to see Denver. We want to see Chicago and possibly other cities in the future. But again, it takes time, effort and often money. We do our best and I promise the community we’re going to keep at it.”
His passion for airports has continuously grown since his days on Vancouver Island when he had an IT company in Victoria. One of his first customers was the Victoria International Airport.
“I had a boss. His name was Mr. Richard Paquette and he was the first CEO I worked for at Victoria. He shared with me when I was a contractor, basically fixing computers around the year 2000 for that airport, how important an airport was to a community,” Bogusz said. “And as I started working there and seeing the over a million and a half passengers using that airport, I started realizing how important the work I was doing, even as a technology contractor, was to so many people.”
Bogusz worked his way up at the Victoria airport and eventually he was named vice-president of operations and development at YYJ.
He said the spark that ignited his devotion to aviation occurred when he recognized that he could make a difference by using his background and skills to help the community that he used to live in — Victoria — and now his home for the past several years — Regina.
“The timing was perfect. I was blessed to be given this job. This is a dream situation for me,” he said.
“It feels like I’m home. I love this place. I have been here a little over six years with my wife, Melanie. We bought a home right when we came up. Real quick plug — we have five rescue cats. If you haven’t adopted an animal, please consider doing so as long as you can in your family.”
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