Michael Burrows currently serves as Chief Executive Officer for the Inland Valley Development Agency and SBD International Airport, overseeing the privatization of the former Norton Air Force Base in Southern California, which includes Alliance California, a Hillwood development. He is an established development and transportation professional, with over 20 years of public and private sector management expertise having also worked for the Staubach Company prior to rejoining the Airport effort in 2005. Michael has a proven background in municipal, special district, corporate, transportation, commercial development, real estate, international trade, foreign direct investment, and legislative sectors and has focused his efforts on developing and delivering quality projects, programs, and services, including strategic planning, capital planning, strategic alliances, and public-private partnerships.
Mr. Burrows received an M.B.A. from the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of
Management in Claremont, CA.
Since 1997, he has dedicated himself to transportation, infrastructure and economic development in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. During his tenure with the Inland Valley Development Agency and Airport, Mr. Burrows has worked to advance over $290M in public infrastructure projects, resulting in over $1.7B in private investment, contributing to a total of over $8.7B in assessed value across a 14,000-acre project area. The Alliance California partnership has attracted major Fortune 50, 100, and 500 firms to the former base - just reaching over 16 million square feet of new development. In December of 2016, the community witnessed years of revitalization efforts produce 10,786 direct jobs – finally replacing the jobs lost when the base closed.
In 2020, the total rose to over 14,521 direct jobs bringing over $3 Billion in economic output for the region. The Airport currently serves both UPS and Fed-Ex scheduled air cargo services as well as the new Amazon Air Regional Air Hub making it among the fastest-growing air cargo airports in the United States for the fourth year in a row. Coming this summer, the Airport will welcome its inaugural passenger flights with daily service with Breeze Airways.
Michael previously worked for the Staubach Company, a real estate and corporate services consulting firm, managing multi-jurisdictional capital and development projects and programs, including asset management and facility development for BNSF Railway Company and its transportation clients throughout the Southwestern United States. Mr. Burrows coordinated property acquisition and entitlements for transload, auto dock, intermodal, and mainline freight, commuter, and intercontinental rail corridor expansions throughout California, as well as related sales and lease transactions. From Federal grant administration to municipal finance, Foreign Direct Investment programs, business incentive, and legislative campaigns to organizational development, environmental planning, permitting, transaction management, and resource alignment. He has successfully deployed over $115 Million in EB-5 portfolios and over $240 Million in municipal financings. He currently serves on several boards of directors and organizations and is a member of the California Inland Empire District Export Council, a U.S. Department of Commerce Federal appointment. He continues to serve as President of SBD Cares, a California non-profit corporation, and helped found the UAS
Center at SBD.