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Bell recommended he attend the executive


MBA program at Texas Christian University. Tere, his extensive business experience along with his position at Bell were credited toward a bachelor’s degree, which allowed Randy to directly enter the MBA program. But getting in wasn’t easy. Randy compares the MBA entrance interview to “the Spanish Inquisition.” After earning his degree in 2008, Randy was


eager to gain some leadership experience and that opportunity came about at Silver State Helicopters in Nevada. He accepted the chal- lenge of working in a company that some thought would create a new model for helicopter flight training. Still, he had an agreement with Bell that he could return if things at Silver State didn’t pan out. Tat didn’t take long. Upon his arrival at


Silver State, “it was evident there were major issues,” he recalls. Silver State had created extensive programs to recruit students and then provide them with loans structured to be paid back in 10 months, well before the 18-month training program concluded. Te company


anticipated that most students would quit, since their schools were about 45% over capacity. If that happened after 90 days, under the terms of the loan agreement, Silver State then kept the money. Rather than invest in staff and resources,


Silver State repeated this cycle again and again. In addition, the company financed most of its operation, so there was tremendous debt, Randy explains. “Tey were committing fraud,” he says. Randy


gave his notice and returned to Bell. Shortly after, Silver State went bankrupt, its students got fleeced, and lawsuits flourished. Randy’s next assignment at Bell was in the


government program management office. Sitting in an office chair didn’t suit him—he wanted to fly. Ten the recession hit, and Bell cut jobs, including Randy’s. Although Randy has held many full- and


part-time jobs during his career, he credits his wife, Samantha, for her support because gaining all that experience meant time away from his family. “If it weren’t for my wife, I wouldn’t be


able to do this. She’s been there for me,” he says. Randy insists family support is essential for an aviator’s career, where many positions require time away from home, uncertain hours, and frequent schedule changes, conditions that have led to many family breakups. Looking back, Randy’s biggest regret was


taking the job at Silver State rather than pur- suing his dream job as director of the Bell Training Academy.. “But you don’t stop fighting, you keep moving forward,” he says. Appropriately, for someone with that mindset, the best was yet to come.


Building Back In 2009, Randy and Samantha launched the Helicopter Institute. At first, they concentrated on providing checkrides. Ten things began looking up. Tanks to a referral from a former Bell


colleague, Randy received a call from the Tennessee Valley Authority asking for helicopter training. Ten another organization called, and another, and another as the business thrived.


SEPTEMBER 2021 ROTOR 27


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