An aerospace jack-of-all-trades is exactly what North Idaho gained when Coeur d’Alene Aviation entered the local aviation scene. 

With a tagline positioning the company as a one-stop source for aviation services, founder Kirk Lauer’s company aims to transform the community in North Idaho, providing high-level aviation services that have historically been scarce in the region. 

Lauer’s vision for Coeur d’Alene Aviation extends beyond airplanes. At its core, the company is rooted in building stronger connections between the aviation community and residents, weaving aviation more deeply into the fabric of North Idaho.

Five years ago, Lauer launched the company with an emphasis on high-quality customer service. Beginning the journey with five employees and a 4,000 square foot facility, the business initially offered maintenance services and flight training. Within 14 months, the company outgrew its original facility and relocated to a 27,000 square foot facility, eventually expanding to 23 employees.

“I had been in aviation for about five years before starting the company. I had my own plane, and I was flying myself and family,” Lauer said. “I got tired of a lack of customer service in aviation maintenance. And I thought, if people were being treated like this in other industries, they wouldn’t be in business, right? And so, the first thing I knew was that my goal is to fulfill needs that aren’t being met at our airport or in our region.”

From the original two services, Lauer added fixed-wing charter services, aircraft brokerage and hangar construction; all added with the intention of serving the community while providing a high level of customer service.

A fifth-generation resident of the Coeur d’Alene area, Lauer simultaneously works to blend “the community outside the fence” with fellow aviators, as the airport has contributed to other industries in the region.

“There are a lot of folks that look at an airport, and they go, ‘well, those people are wealthy, and they just make noise and burn fuel,’ and that’s not the case. There are a lot of services that are provided here at the airport that people don’t realize that everyone is affected by,” said Lauer.

To bring together the two communities, Lauer hosted an air show at Coeur d’Alene Aviation, which included five performers, 25 vendors and more than 7,000 attendees. The air show, according to Lauer, served as an opportunity for the community to come into the airport and learn about Coeur d’Alene Aviation and “what it’s all about.”

Lauer noted that the airport is the largest in the region by operations, and the second busiest in Idaho, behind Boise.

“It’s not funded by county tax dollars. But the economic impact is over $300 million annually, whether it be tourism or fire operations or medivac,” Lauer said.

Coeur d’Alene Aviation operates as part of the Airport Improvement Program, which is funded through taxes on airline tickets and aviation fuel. Lauer said employee salaries are paid through landing fees, land leases and fuel sales. The airport’s estimated economic impact includes roughly 1,400 jobs, Lauer said.

According to Lauer, the airport directly employs 23 people, while Empire Airlines’ maintenance facility employs about 350 people. He additionally noted employees at StanCraft Jet Center and North Idaho Aircraft Refinishing.

“People fly in here, and then they go down to the Coeur d’Alene Resort, or stay the night, and they play golf, and they eat at restaurants, and they do all those types of things. That is the economic impact that the airport can generate and produce,” Lauer said.

Lauer has no plans to slow down services, he said, but to fine-tune and make things better for the region’s aviation community and locals alike. His biggest goal remains community involvement, bringing more people in from “outside the fence.” Seeking to educate and bring together the communities through public events and informational outreach.