The Genteman family visits the paint shop of Javier “Shorty” Ponce. Shorty was on the hit Discovery Channel TV show “Iron Resurrection” and has become a good friend and sponsor of Connor’s Car Show.
Named after their involved son, Connor’s Annual Car Show was launched in 2014 and now is an annual event. The first charity show attracted 196 classic vehicles and raised $16,000. Subsequent shows have raised a total of over $325,000 that went directly to special-needs charities in Texas. The Gentemans (and their foundation’s board) receive no compensation, even though charity work can routinely keep Genteman up working to midnight after coming home around 7 in the evening from his rotorcraft responsibilities. (He pulled away one night from composing a fundraising car calendar to do this interview and graciously said, “I carved out time, so we’re good.”) “Sometimes I ask my wife why we work so hard, and she answers by showing me a picture of Connor,” he says. “That’s all I need as a reminder.”
Boeing Work Goes On
Rotorcraft responsibilities did not diminish for Genteman after Connor’s challenging birth. Boeing acquired Aviall in 2006 and later moved Genteman to the Boeing Global Services division and his current position as senior manager of helicopter operations. “We look at any needs involved in helicopter operations that Boeing can fill. We work with oil & gas customers, EMS, law enforcement, tourism, and basically every segment of the helicopter industry,” he explains. “We have one slide in our proposal deck about everything that Boeing Global Services can offer. It’s a little overwhelming, so we ask customers what they need. Then we start bringing up different service offerings that we can build off of.”
The formula for finding what Boeing Global Services can do for its prospective customers is not rocket science. Genteman stresses to his team the lost skill of asking a direct question and simply listening to the prospect’s answer. “When we cut to the chase and ask, ‘What do you need?’ It really helps the conversation,” he says. “The greatest opportunity we miss is when we don’t listen to the customer. We may then try to sell them what they
16 Nov/Dec 2019
really don’t need. Customers drive everything. There is great opportunity in discovering their needs. Listen to them and don’t have preconceived ideas about what you should sell them.” With regards to his teammates, Genteman humbly points out, “A big part of my success has been listening, learning, and surrounding myself with people smarter than myself. My current and past teams have been a big part of my success.”
Greatest Influence
Genteman has had many mentors along life’s road who prepared him for that success, starting with his parents. “My dad and my mom established my life’s foundation,” he says.
Then there are career mentors he mentions for special recognition: Perry Siler and Mike Ivins gave him his start as a technician. Greg Schindel and the manager who encouraged him to leave and grow into his career, Anita Goodwin, taught him the business side of management. A brilliant engineer mentor was Dave Maxfield: “He would start mapping out formulas on a whiteboard,” says Genteman, “and I would tell him to come down and explain things to me on my level — and he did.
“My mentors were very diverse and they all helped me in different areas. I really give credit to them for spending time and having the patience to teach me,” he appreciatively says. He especially praises Lydia, his beloved wife and the resourceful mother who has borne the brunt of the responsibility of taking care of Connor’s special needs.
But when Genteman is asked who influenced him the most, he answers, “That’s easy; it’s my son. He doesn’t talk and has lots of challenges, but I’ve probably learned more from him than about anybody. He teaches me humility and patience. We all strive for happiness, and my son, for the most part, wakes up happy every day.”
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