LAXART receives a $1-million donation, its largest ever, for new Melrose Hill building
The nonprofit LAXART has received a $1-million donation for the creation of a new office facility on Melrose Hill, the new headquarters of Los Angeles International Airport, which is being built in the former site of the John Wayne Airport and the U.S. Air Force’s former Randolph Air Force Base.
The land, located at 1321 Melrose Drive near the airport, will be the first donation to LAXART since the organization was founded in the early 1990s. The donation is being made to LAXART by Dr. Peter Fritzel, founder of Fritzel Consultant, a company that uses technology to improve the performance of computer systems worldwide.
In a prepared statement, Robert B. Fritzel, founder and CEO of Fritzel Consultant, said, “I am delighted to welcome LAXART to California.”
Fritzel said the donation will go a long way toward ensuring LAXART’s future as a strong community organization.
“I commend LAXART’s founder, who is a visionary in the field of aviation, and a generous benefactor who has been committed to building our community of colleagues and neighbors through his personal and career support,” said LAXART Executive Director Peter R. Rhee. “This donation, a first-of-its-kind gift, will advance the overall goals of the organization, which are to provide a first-class airport service, to create a great community for airport employees, and to serve as an example that we should all support other nonprofit organizations working in aviation.”
LAXART, which operates as an affiliate of American Airlines, is currently operating in its new Melrose Hill headquarters. It recently installed the first of seven new computer systems for LAXART and is planning to install four more by the end of the year.
LAXART was established in 1993 to provide a training center and office space on Melrose Hill as a means for the airport to continue to provide airport services and to work with other local area agencies on issues related to the airport.