“In 2023 I was in a fortunate situation where I wasn’t chasing income to put food on my family’s table. My wife and I through happenstance and hard work had enabled us to take a chance,” said Richardson, who was promoted to Enstrom’s president/CEO position just months ago. “I can tell Chuck my real thoughts. I’m not one to hold anything back, and I tell it how it is. With the investment and patience required at Enstrom these first few years, we couldn’t have asked for a better owner.”
Surack is widely known as the innovative founder of Sweetwater Sound, the largest online retailer of musical instruments and professional audio equipment. He’s heavily invested in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, with an eclectic mix of businesses including a luxury car dealership, eyewear retail stores, a music and events center with a restaurant and coffee shop next door, an entertainment publication, and a downtown mixed-use development. He also is part owner of the Indy Eleven pro soccer team based at the state capital.
Alongside music, Surack’s other major love is flying. Surack Enterprises’ portfolio of aviation-related businesses includes Sweet Aviation, which provides fixed-wing charter flights, training and rentals, Sweet Helicopters, which does the same for rotorcraft, and Aviation Specialty Insurance.
When Surack saw that the long-standing Midwestern operations of Enstrom needed help, he couldn’t resist. Back in 2008, he had purchased a brand-new Enstrom 480B after learning to fly.
Now, a fellow Hoosier is helping him lead Enstrom’s revival in Menominee, Michigan. “Adam Richardson has
76 May/June 2025
demonstrated an infectious energy and determination to succeed that will benefit both customers and Enstrom employees,” Surack said when announcing Richardson’s promotion.
After working 17 years for Rolls-Royce Gas Turbine Operations in a wide variety of positions – including quality engineering, quality analyst, ops business analyst, planning manager, production manager, operations manager and more – Richardson was excited about Enstrom’s small-team atmosphere.
“After visiting Enstrom for the first time and seeing helicopters on the flight line, not just gas turbine engines waiting to go out to an airframer, I knew I wanted this in my future,” Richardson said. Within 30 days of accepting the job offer, Richardson was learning to fly an Enstrom 280FX. Before even moving to Menominee, he had his first solo flight logged on his 13th hour.
“This wasn’t a requirement of the job, but I wanted to touch and feel just a little bit of what I was getting myself into,” he explained. He admits he has been too busy since then to keep it going, but he wants to get the flying restarted once Enstrom itself is fully restarted.
This is Richardson’s first media interview since taking the Enstrom helm. “I like to show what I’ve accomplished by results, not talk about it, but here I am,” Richardson said.
He’s looking forward to 2025 being the first year in this decade that Enstrom is back with new turbines in U.S. airspace featuring upgraded glass avionics and fuel systems.
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