“I know it can sound like a cliché but when I stop and think of what the Columbia people do on a daily basis, I can’t help but be amazed...”
did not have an available aircraft. Today, with our recent investments in additional helicopters, we have the capacity to meet the market demands for our unique services – really for the first time in decades. We are well positioned to continue growing for the foreseeable future.”
Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill
“Columbia really does have awesome people,” Jim told us. “I know it can sound like a cliché but when I stop and think of what the Columbia people do on a daily basis, I can’t help but be amazed at their professionalism and dedication to our customers. We provide them with the resources to do their jobs, but in the end, they’re the ones that are on the ground in Papua New Guinea or, in Alaska taking care of our customers. They deliver the Columbia service we are known for, and they do a phenomenal job.”
Jim shared a philosophy that he believes should resonate with every leader or hiring manager. “We always hire for attitude and we’ll train for skill.” Jim says he always looks
14 Mar/Apr 2017
for people who have the temperament that aligns with the culture and the core values of the company.
One of Rankin’s core skills is collaboration. He uses this strength to solicit varying views and ideas from employees. His role as CEO at Columbia Helicopters puts him in an advantageous position to establish “…an environment of openness where employees feel very comfortable expressing their thoughts, even if they may be contrary to mine, or others.”
Rankin is not afraid of making changes, especially if such action will improve operations, streamline processes, or help others succeed. “It’s really about enacting improvements that keep the company moving forward and getting better, while diligently
watching consequences.” Challenges Are Opportunities
When we ask Rankin what he sees as his greatest challenge for Columbia, he very
for the unintended
candidly responds, “I think the biggest challenge is that we have been contrary to the industry. By that, I mean that the rotary- wing industry has been struggling with the drop in military activity and lower activity levels in the oil and gas sector. There’s a fair number of idled rotary-wing assets in the market-place right now; it’s an extremely competitive environment at the moment.”
Despite the odds, Columbia Helicopters has experienced growth for which Jim believes the company has been very fortunate. “We’ve been able to grow our government services work. In the oil and gas sector, where we only operate in the onshore segment, we have seen a decline, but not nearly as much as in the offshore segment. I feel we are riding the downturn fairly well, considering how steep the price of crude dropped, from over $100 a barrel to sub- $30 per barrel.”
As Columbia Helicopters’ CEO, Rankin likes what he sees in the firefighting sector. “Overall, our firefighting business is growing. We’ve recently added three CH-47Ds that are firefighting now. Two of them have the
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