Avionics News August 2014 - 33

When a position came open as an FSE,
I applied and was promoted to that
position.
I did that for quite a few years
in support of the OEMs in Wichita.
Then I moved into a few different
technical/managerial roles - primarily
as the point of contact with the
OEMs. I made a natural evolution
into sales, did that for several years,
and then accepted a position in our
Tucson office.

How did you adapt to life
in the desert?

It was a bit of a culture shock. But
I've traveled so much to headquarters
that I'd spent time here. I knew what I
was getting myself into from the green
plains of Kansas to the desert. We
acclimated well, and now I've been
here five years; it's home.

What's the corporate
culture at Universal?

We have just less than 500
employees, and we are a privatelyowned company. From the top
down, a family-like atmosphere is
promoted. We interact on a personal
and business level. There's a lot of
camaraderie within the company.

What do you do when
you're not working?

My passion is music and the guitar.
I've played for different AEA events.
For NBAA 2013, Universal authorized
me to put together a company band
and host a hospitality event at the
Freakin' Frog in Las Vegas. We played
all night for our customers - primarily

rock - from the 50s to today. The
band, Final Approach, includes four
employees: myself, a female vocalist,
a bass player and a drummer. We also
played at the Loft 150 in Wichita for
a customer appreciation event. I've
played in bands for years, including a
Mötley Crüe tribute band in Tucson
and a long stint in a local Wichita
group called Savage.

What are your three
favorite songs to
perform?

Purple Rain by Prince, Little Wing
by Jimi Hendrix and House of the
Rising Sun.

Tell me about your family.

I've been married 22 years to
Kristina; we have three gorgeous
daughters. Kristina is the co-owner of
Cricket Avenue, which is a retail store
with eclectic finds and antiques. She
just started the business in January.
She and the other owner have been
"pickers" for a long time, but now
they've opened their own retail store.
As my daughters get older, I realize
I am being paid back for things I did
as a teenager. They are 10, 11 and
25. Starr is 25 and a certified nurse's
assistant. The 11-year old is Faith,
and the 10-year old is Grace. My two
younger ones are both into music and
sports, and they sing with me; we do a
lot of new R&B and hip-hop. We have
a schnauzer named Minnie Pearl and
an adopted pit bull mix - a great dog
named Ginger.
As a family, we spend a lot of time
together. We have a Reinell boat and

go to Lake Roosevelt; we do a lot of
water sports like fishing, tubing and
surfing off the back of the boat.
I have a grandson, Emery, who is
3 - so I'm a young grandpa - and I
finally got a boy. He loves to fish and
likes to play sports.

What about the future?
What do you see?

From my perspective, which
admittedly is avionics-centric, we
continue to see challenges moving
forward in reference to the need
for different avionics from different
companies on a single flight deck.
Right now, the trend is for the aircraft
OEM to procure everything from
one source - it's easier for them to
have one vendor. However, from an
end-customer standpoint, a single
company might not make the best
choice for every piece of avionics
in the flight deck. There are a lot of
talented companies in the field. From
our perspective, when those aircraft
hit the used market and it's time
to upgrade, the entire flight deck is
integrated so it's going to be tough
to replace just one piece. That's the
biggest challenge we see for the
entire industry, and it makes it tough
for the end-customer to upgrade. For
avionics, we will see those challenges
as we attempt to integrate new
technologies and new benefits into
the cockpit. q

To learn more about
Universal Avionics Systems Corp.,
visit www.uasc.com.
avionics news

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august

2014

33
http://www.uasc.com
Avionics News August 2014

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