MD HELICOPTERS IN 2023 –
SUPPORTING AND BUILDING Brad Pedersen, MBA, took the helm of MD in the fall of 2022. Pedersen has the depth of experience in turning companies around, and coming back to MD after a stint there early in his career is like destiny for him. “I kept an eye on MD, and it was sad to see the company’s decline through financial and other troubles,” he said. But one thought has resonated with him. “The problems seemed simple to fix. It was nothing to do with the aircraft or airframe; it was the aftermarket support,” he observed.
Pedersen has a poster of Howard Hughes outside his office. He said with a smile, “Every time I walk by, he gives me a disapproving look. I’m like, ‘I’ve got it!’” Pedersen desires to honor Hughes and all who have held steadfast to the company. He is committed to getting the right people in the roles to focus wholly on building the company and the aftermarket support to levels not seen in many years.
To that end he hired Ryan Weeks, an aftermarket expert and turnaround guy. Weeks spent time with Bell Textron in mechanical engineering and then got into the automotive business with product line management. He also earned an MBA like Pedersen. He has done technical sales
business development and has reinvented processes in the heavy equipment and golf course industries. Weeks said, “Once the aircraft is sold, the aftermarket business takes care of the customer, warranty, technical, spare parts, service center and distribution network. It ensures that the entire infrastructure is in place for technical systems, service centers and distribution networks.” Having the right people in the right roles and using suitable systems is key, he said. “There’s much blocking and tackling to be done here.”
Weeks’ job started with identifying how many MD Helicopters exist, where they are, and what they need. “We have about 1,700 aircraft flying, all around an average of 30 years old.” The most important thing is “superior aftermarket performance,” he said.
Alongside Weeks is the VP of Sales and Marketing, Jason Lindauer. You might think the third time is a charm, as Lindauer started with MD Helicopters at the beginning of his career as an A&P mechanic. He has worked for other aerospace companies in customer service and sales, and as a field service rep. He is glad to be back at MD Helicopters and is ready to expand his
team. He indicated MD would double the team in the next couple of years.
As a marketing man, Lindauer is keen on the beauty and appearance of the helicopters. Much like the 500 on the Magnum intro, he said, “Customers are very proud of the aircraft.” To this day, to demonstrate the utility of the aircraft, MD posts photos of it in various work situations on social media. Customers even set up user groups for their models on social media to have discussions and solve problems.
Lindauer has a holistic approach to his role since he’s worked in many positions at the company. He encourages staff to step outside of their roles and departments to understand the big picture. He said he encourages employees to “venture out and understand programs, engage with those on the floor, understand the product and people limitations. Understand the business holistically. When you take that information and engage with the customer, you can find different avenues to expand the network. If someone has a question, you can find out the answer.”
60
Jan/Feb 2023
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
