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dam Richardson was chatting with his neighbor Randy Sharkey one day in 2022 and let Sharkey know he was moving south for a new job. Richardson’s kids grew up playing with Sharkey’s grandkids, but they never really talked shop. So when Sharkey asked about


Richardson’s new job, the men were surprised to find they both were in the aerospace industry. A week later, Sharkey and Richardson were boarding the private jet of Sharkey’s boss, visionary businessman Chuck Surack.


Instead of moving south to work for GE, Richardson ended up staying in the Midwest (albeit seven hours north) to become COO for Enstrom Helicopter Corporation in 2023. Surack had just saved Enstrom from bankruptcy and wanted to build the storied company back to prominence. When Richardson saw Surack’s passion towards revitalizing Enstrom, he quickly realized this wasn’t a private equity short-term flip.


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