The 69th Annual Wisconsin Aviation Conference (WAC 69) was held October 20 to 22, 2025, at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It is the only statewide aviation conference in Wisconsin and serves as a vital platform for airport managers, FBOs, pilots, consultants, government agencies, and aviation enthusiasts to connect, collaborate, explore aviation topics, and discuss industry issues.
Whether an airport, fixed base operator or airport consultant, the same principles in customer service apply that apply in the convenience store business, said John McHugh, Director of Corporate Communications, Leadership Development, and Training for Kwik Trip, Inc., based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. McHugh was the keynote speaker at the conference.
Kwik Trip is a family-owned convenience store starting in 1965, with 850 locations located throughout the Midwest, and more than 38,000 coworkers, who serve as many as 22 million customers each day. The company specializes in providing automobile fuel, car washes, and groceries.
In his role at Kwik Trip, McHugh has helped the company achieve recognition as a Top Workplace as listed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and the Des Moines Register.
Prior to joining Kwik Trip in 2004, McHugh was an instructor and principal at Aquinas High School in La Crosse. He holds degrees from the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota and the Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. McHugh serves on the boards of Trust Point and Viterbo University.