Meet the employees who make the overhead announcements at MSP Airport
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Next time you hear one of those overhead announcements at the airport, it could be someone in charge of loading your luggage.
"Whether you are getting off a plane or you are getting on a plane and it's your last impression of the Twin Cities, those first and last impressions is something that we work on every day," said Phil Burke, assistant director of customer experience at the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
Burke's understandably quite proud of the airport's numerous accolades, as it has consistently been named the best in the country.
"We win a lot of awards, and primarily because of our people, and we don't want to lose that," he said.
So he helped organize a program to keep employees engaged - in an entirely different way.
There are 10 different safety recordings at MSP. Instead of hiring out for a voiceover artist, they decided to look within.
Jack Leigh is an aircraft load agent at MSP.
"Most of my job comprises of making sure flights go out on time, with happy customers with their bags on board," Leigh said.
His job now also includes being a recording artist. We tagged along as he voiced the new recording of the unmanned exits.
"Took some classes in high school about audio-video, did a few little student projects but nothing real professional," he said. "Not only am I outside everyday making sure our passengers are safe and happy, but I may as well tell them to keep moving through the doors as well."
Leigh is one of the winning voices. Employees from all over the airport applied, with Leigh and eight others getting the gig - including a flight attendant, a gate agent, an airport firefighter, and IT specialist Lindsay Jones. She tells us this is an opportunity she never saw coming.
"It's pretty neat to be chosen as one of the voices and go through this whole process," Jones said.
But the born-and-raised Minnesotan did have to jump a few verbal hurdles.
"Can't throw out a 'you betcha,' can't say 'OOOh sure,'" she said.
The voice coach helped her through one word in particular: "international."
"Apparently I sound very Minnesotan when I say 'international,'" she said.
But she and the others powered through. After hours in the audio booth and weeks of editing, the day finally arrived.
WCCO watched as Jones listened to the green ramp message for the first time. She laughed and smiled.
"It's weird to hear my voice on the speaker knowing that everyday I come in, or friends and family coming through here, they're gonna hear me on the parking ramp," she said.
And just like that, the workers of MSP have their voices heard in a whole new way.
The airport will be doing the contest each year. They include workers at all airlines, MAC employees, store employees and anyone with an MSP badge.