Eric Friedman
Age: 30
Concessions Manager
New Orleans Aviation Board
- Alma Mater: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- Something people may not know about me is:
- Favorite book: John Besh cookbooks
- Favorite TV show: Blacklist
- Favorite movie: None
- Favorite hobby(s): Cooking, eating
When Eric Friedman was a child, his parents would drive him to daycare and every day they would pass by the airport.
His parents noticed how much he loved the planes, so by the time he was a teenager Friedman was able to take flight lessons as long as he did well in school. He went on to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for college and then worked at a couple FBOs.
But when Friedman got a chance to meld his passion for aviation with his love of food at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), it created a dream opportunity.
“I love the chaos, I love to help people and I love talking about food,” he said. “And it doesn’t even have to be the concessions in the airport.”
Friedman was hired as concessions manager in 2010 at MSY, where he worked to revitalize the facility’s concession’s program and grow revenues.
Friedman recognized the important of local brands, so he brought in well-known New Orleans names like Copeland’s Dooky Chase and Perlis.
The change resulted in a 40 percent increase in concessions revenue in the past six years, with MSY bringing in more than $56 million in 2015 alone.
The efforts have brought national recognition to the MSY concessions team and in 2016, Friedman was named Delaware North’s Client of the Year.
Friedman has worked to improve the overall traveler experience at MSY. He worked to install Clear Channel’s Clear Vision gate entertainment system and the installation of MobileQubes vending machines.
