Columbia is home to the Hamilton Owens Field, which is a state of the art facility located in the heart of Rosewood. After my wife’s death last year, I was appointed by the Richland County Council to be on the commission that oversees this airport. In this position, I have learned so much about how well Hamilton Owens Field operates and benefits our economy in ways we take for granted.

During my years as USC’s School of Law Building Fund Chairman, I had the privilege of flying on both of the University’s planes, which are housed out at Hamilton Owens Field. I witnessed firsthand just what a well-oiled machine Hamilton Owens Field really is. Our director is Chris Eversmann, a veteran public servant who runs a very efficient operation – the citizens of Richland County are lucky to have him at the helm of this important facility.

In addition to the state of the art terminal and numerous hangars for aircraft, Hamilton Owens Field is the home to the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame and at the end of the runway is a historic Curtiss-Wright hangar. After many years of neglect, it finally will be developed and restored as a facility of the Hunter Gatherer microbrewery, which has its initial location downtown on Main Street, adjacent to the University. In the next 18 months the Curtiss-Wright hangar will be a showplace. I have attached important links to the Mike Kelly Law Group Facebook page.