Stuart Powell has been aiming for the sky, literally, since the mid-1940s.

“If I can’t find a way to do something, I make a way,” said Powell, whose first job as a 15-year-old was pumping aviation fuel and cleaning plane windshields. By age 16, he qualified to handle a Piper J-3 Cub, a classic one-engine yellow plane of the era. His first solo flight took off from a tiny airstrip – “just an open field, really” – for which he has worked actively for four decades to expand into a two-runway airport that handles corporate jets and is now named Stuart Powell Field. “Aside from selling and servicing vehicles, my passion in life is trying to develop the airport,” he said.

Assisting community growth through a vital transportation link is just one of the lifelong Kentuckian’s contributions to his area. Powell and the Ford dealership he started in Lancaster, Ky. in 1960 also support the Salvation Army, Centre College and many other organizations, including the local library, The Community Arts Center, The Regional Medical Center and his church.

“I get great satisfaction from helping people,” explained Powell. “It’s a way to leave a mark on the world. See, I believe in the saying ‘You never stand so tall as when you stoop to help somebody else.’”

Powell, a former mayor of Lancaster, Ky., applied government experience and business discipline to earn grants that helped Danville’s open field become a regional airport with a 5,000-foot runway for small jets. Economic development and employment benefit significantly from the airfield expansion that Powell engineered as chairman of the Danville-Boyle County Airport Board since 1968.

“We have a dandy, first-class airport for a city of our size, and it’s mainly because of Stuart,” said Danville Mayor Hugh Coomer. “And that’s very important to us right now as a draw for industry.”

In September 2007 the Kentucky commissioner of aviation designated Powell as General Aviation Board Chairman of the Year. At the same ceremony, the Ford dealer also received a Kentucky Ace award for his commitment to aviation, education, safety and development.

In Danville, Powell’s community outreach also embraces the Salvation Army, for which he has served as an advisory board member since 1976. His support helped build a Thrift Store, a gymnasium and administrative offices that serve a five-county area. Powell’s dedication inspires employees to supplement the dealership’s contributions.

“Stuart has been a pillar in our organization. He has done so much for the community through Salvation Army,” said Capt. Zach Bell, leader of the local chapter. “He is heavily involved in the community, and it comes from his heart.”

“I like challenges,” said Powell. “I enjoy seeing something that looks difficult get accomplished.”